A Berkshire-based company, Gemini Technology (Reading) Limited, has been slapped with a £16,000 fine for putting one of its employees at risk of exposure to ionising radiation. The dangerous incident occurred while an employee was working on an irradiator at a calibration facility operated by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on September 7, 2018.
The employee was exposed to potentially lethal radiation levels of 500 milliSieverts (mSv) per hour during this work. To put this in perspective, the average person in the UK is exposed to just 2.7 mSv annually. Exposure to doses exceeding 100 mSv can lead to changes in red blood cells, and even small doses of radiation can elevate the long-term risk of cancer.
The crisis unfolded when a high-activity Caesium-137 source became lodged in an unshielded position within the irradiator on September 6, 2018. Gemini Technology was summoned to the MOD site on Crescent Road in Gosport to rectify the issue as the service agent. The subsequent remediation work, conducted on September 7, required removing the top of the machine’s shielded housing, elevating the radioactive source, and manually rotating a carousel containing several radioactive sources.
Unfortunately, this repair process placed the Gemini Technology employee at severe risk, as the exposure levels reached up to 500 mSv per hour.
An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Gemini Technology had been working with ionising radiation for several years and was a recognised name in its industry. However, the company failed to formally consult a suitable radiation protection adviser, as mandated under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. Moreover, the firm neglected to conduct adequate risk assessments for the tasks it was carrying out, thereby failing to identify and implement suitable control measures to mitigate the risk of ionising radiation exposure, putting its employees in harm’s way.
Gemini Technology (Reading) Limited, based in Spencers Wood, Reading, Berkshire, pleaded guilty to violating Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 9(1) of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to pay £25,000 in costs. The sentence was handed down at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on September 15, 2023.
HSE specialist inspector of radiation, Karen Fuller, commented on the matter, emphasising that the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 exist to protect workers from ionising radiation exposure and to safeguard the broader community. Fuller reiterated that companies handling ionising radiation must perform thorough risk assessments and consult a competent radiation protection adviser to ensure that exposure is kept “as low as reasonably practicable.” She warned that HSE would not hesitate to take enforcement actions against those falling below the required standards.
