NRC: Workers Exposed to Radiation at Louisiana Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says workers were exposed to a low level of radiation during maintenance work in 2009 at the Entergy Corp.’s Waterford 3 nuclear power plant in Louisiana.

The Times-Picayune reports that an NRC report found that no workers received radiation above federal safety limits, but they received unexpected doses when radioactive water leaked from pipe seals onto the plant floor as the lines were being depressurized for the maintenance work. None of the water left the plant, according to the NRC investigation.

At an Oct. 3 hearing, regulators classified the incident as a “White” level violation, the second least-serious in agency’s four-step classification scale.

Regulators said Entergy has installed a trough system to channel water into a drainage system, a move that reduces workers’ exposure.