ROLLS-ROYCE workers exposed to high levels of radiation through failures admitted by the company say they have suffered three years of fear, anxiety and anger.
Derby Crown Court heard today that three welders and a radiographer unknowingly handled harmful radioactive material that should have been kept in a sealed container.
When they realised that the object they had been holding was actually a radioactive source, they were in a state of panic – one man started banging his against the wall and another wanted to go straight to hospital, the court was told.
The incident happened at Rolls-Royce's Marine Power Operations business, in Sinfin Lane, where radioactive materials are used to test nuclear submarine components manufactured there.
Today, the company admitted seven charges of breaching health and safety regulations, which included failures in keeping control of the radioactive source and insufficient training of staff.
Andrew Marshall, prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency, said the workers involved in the incident in March 2011 were concerned about the long-lasting effects on their health.
He said: "Most of them are quite angry about it and at the time were in a state of panic. There was a sense of panic and fear.
"There's a long-lasting anxiety and unease – generally about the unknown."
Mr Marshall said so far there had been no impact on their physical health but some had been told by doctors there was an increased risk of cancer and younger ones feared they would not be able to have children.
The overall radiation that their bodies were exposed to during this single incident did not exceed the annual permitted amount. However, the court heard, their hands were exposed to amounts that exceeded official safe levels.
Rolls-Royce, in mitigation, said in the circumstances the increased risk of cancer was extremely small.
The court heard that at 5am on March 3, 2011, a radiographer was in the lab operating a component testing system, in a sealed area.
At the end of the test, a green light indicated the radioactive material was back in its sealed container so the radiographer entered the area believing it was safe.
But the radioactive material had in fact fallen into the component being tested.
Mr Marshall said: "He moved the component out of the bay and back into the lab and left it there for those to come after to deal with it."
At 6am the welders came to work in the lab.
"At 9.30am one of the welders saw a foreign item in the component," said Mr Marshall.
"He has handled it and handed it to others or brought it close to them. One wiped it on his overalls to get a better idea of what it was."
Then, said Mr Marshall, by chance two radiographers entered the lab.
"The radiographers were asked what it was and one handled it and his personal radiation alarm went off but he dismissed this and thought it was faulty," he said.
But then the radiographer discovered that as he walked away from the object his monitor detected less radiation, which made them realise the mystery item was in fact the radioactive testing material.
The lab was cleared straight away – at about 10am.
Mr Marshall said: "It's identity only came about because of the find and coincidental presence of radiographers who turned up that moment. Had it not been identified its movements would have been very much less certain and it's likely that it would have either been lost, or handled by more people."
The court heard that investigators believed the radioactive material had fallen out of its container because Rolls-Royce had modified the component testing system. Mr Marshall said the company did this without consulting the manufacturers or a proper risk assessment.
He said: "They effectively got on with DIY work in what is a critical area of safety – made up their own tube, without thinking it through what the risks were to the manufacturing process and created something which was ultimately dangerous."
Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations pleaded guilty to failing to provide staff with appropriate written operating instructions; failing to provide sufficient training; failing to prevent the loss of sealed radioactive sources; failing to ensure the health and safety and welfare of employees and non-employees in respect of exposure to radiation; failing to make suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of health and safety of its employees; and failing to ensure that employees and others were not exposed to unsafe levels of ionising radiation.
The court heard Rolls-Royce had since put safety measures in place to prevent a similar incident, had paid compensation to employees and also provided counselling and medical advice.
The company is due to be sentenced tomorrow.
