Federal regulators are investigating a nuclear fuel facility in Tennessee following a report that safety-related valves were propped open.
The incident in question did not involve nuclear material, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Thursday that it rendered a key safety device ineffective. A supervisor at the Nuclear Fuel Services plant that fabricates naval reactor fuel reported that an employee improperly operated two valves intended to prevent spills last month. While nothing actually spilled and no one was injured, the Babcock & Wilcox subsidiary shut down the area and started an investigation. The NRC also initiated a special inspection Thursday.
“There was no threat to the public or plant workers as a result of this incident, but there was potential for worker exposure to hazardous chemicals,” NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said in a release.