A confidential report into Australia’s only nuclear reactor has made a damning assessment of its safety practices and called for a complete overhaul of its radio pharmaceutical operations.
The report, by Australia’s workplace safety regulator Comcare and obtained by the ABC, finds that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has under-reported accidents and breached basic safety standards at the Lucas Heights reactor.
The ABC has also learnt of another incident that left a newly-appointed supervisor contaminated.
Just before Christmas, the employee picked up a vial of highly radioactive material - by hand. The risk of a spill makes it a serious safety breach.
ANSTO says the employee received a minor dose of radiation and has since been advised of the correct handling procedures.
The problems at the facility, in Sydney’s south, were first brought to light last year, when the former Health and Safety Officer for the organisation’s pharmaceutical production area, ANSTO Health, blew the whistle on a series of safety incidents.
At the time, David Reid, an employee of 30 years standing said: “If you don’t follow the safety regulations and the procedures and you don’t investigate when you do have an accident, the accidents are going to get worse and worse and someone’s really going to pay the ultimate price one day”.
The nuclear industry regulator, ARPANSA, backed up Mr Reid’s concerns.
It found serious problems in safety standards and a lack of management awareness about the difficulties and failures at the facility.
Comcare was called in to investigate the incidents. Its report goes even further, finding that ANSTO has breached health and safety laws.
It says the nuclear organisation did not take all reasonable steps to provide and maintain a safe working environment; did not take all reasonable steps to inform, instruct, train and supervise ANSTO Health employees; failed to comprehensively risk assess its radio pharmaceutical production process and failed to notify Comcare of safety incidents.
ANSTO could be liable for fines of up to $240,000.
‘Hard questions’
The Comcare report also expresses “grave concern” about ANSTO’s treatment of Mr Reid - who has been suspended for nearly two years after bullying allegations were made against him.
It says Mr Reid’s suspension was somewhat extreme and he was substantially denied procedural fairness.
“I feel vindicated and ANSTO’s got a lot of questions to answer now. Even the Science Minister has got to start asking some hard questions” Mr Reid said.
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Kim Carr, says the report is being independently assessed and he cannot comment until that process is complete.
ANSTO has issued a lengthy statement saying that “the false and incorrect claims repeated by Mr David Reid as part of a Comcare investigation …. are extremely concerning”.
The organisation has rejected the Comcare report as “flawed”, saying it was “denied procedural fairness”.
But ANSTO adds that it is “encouraged by Comcare’s decision to independently review its report”.
That review is expected to be completed next week. For its part, Comcare is standing by its report.
Safety concerns
There are still more challenges ahead for ANSTO.
It is facing new accusations that it is singling out workers who raise safety issues.
Another two employees were suspended after reporting a contamination scare in September.
ANSTO denies the pair was suspended for reporting the incident, and says it was rather for unduly creating safety concerns.
The matter is before Fairwork Australia.
The problems at Lucas Heights have alarmed the Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.
“The workers there are being forced to work with substandard equipment,” he said.
“When they’re reporting breaches and reporting accidents and spills they’re being treated badly, with management trying to bury the story, and that doesn’t give us confidence in the management of that whole facility.”
The union representing workers at Lucas Heights has been keeping a low profile.
But the NSW Secretary of the AMWU, Tim Ayers, now says he “looks forward to having a constructive engagement with ANSTO about these issues this week”.
“It’s gone on for far too long,” he said.
Comcare agrees and has now called for a systematic and ongoing audit of ANSTO’s radiopharmaceutical operations.
Editor’s note: Clarification from ANSTO, 8 February 2011
ANSTO rejects flawed report
Repeated public comments by a suspended ANSTO employee are not consistent with findings by Australia’s independent nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, and are again emphatically rejected by ANSTO.
The false and incorrect claims repeated by Mr David Reid as part of a Comcare investigation in which ANSTO was denied procedural fairness, are extremely concerning and ANSTO is encouraged by Comcare’s decision to independently review its report. Given that review, ANSTO cannot comment further on that report at this time.
ANSTO is disappointed that Mr Reid has not accepted the findings of seven investigations, including two by ARPANSA, which found there was no significant radiological event, nor was there an attempt to cover anything up. It is worth noting that all of ARPANSA’s recommendations arising from the investigations at that time have been implemented or are substantially complete.
ANSTO stands by its decision to suspend Mr Reid on full pay for behavioural matters in the workplace which are unrelated to his role as a health and safety representative. Mr Reid’s suspension was carried out in accordance with ANSTO’s Enterprise Agreement (EA 2009- 2011) under section 7.3 - Breach of Employees Duty and ANSTO’s duty of care to its employees. ANSTO categorically rejects that Mr Reid has been discriminated against in any way.
In addition, following the last Lateline story in May 2010, Mr Reid, a senior union representative, and ANSTO’s CEO, met to discuss any outstanding or new safety concerns he had. No substantive verifiable claims were made, nor was any evidence provided to back his earlier claims. Mr Reid has claimed to be personally present at events where he demonstrably was not, which severely damages the veracity of claims he continues to make. Since the previous Lateline report, ANSTO has invited the journalist to visit and view first hand ANSTO employees operating safely on a daily basis, providing critical nuclear medicine for the benefit of all Australians.
Safety is the highest priority for ANSTO, with a strong track record for more than 50 years. Over the last four years, there have been no incidents where a worker has received a radiation dose above regulatory limits or ANSTO’s stricter, self-imposed threshold.
ANSTO actively encourages staff to report safety issues and will continue to maintain the strictest safety measures to safeguard the health of its workers and the general public.
ANSTO will continue to address Mr Reid’s employment matters, respecting his privacy, despite the circumstances being selectively told in the public arena. Due to privacy reasons, ANSTO is unable to respond in full.
