The Nuclear Safety And Security Commission noted that there were issues with the safety management of the manufacturer in connection with the worker exposure incident that occurred in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, last November.
The commission released the investigation results of the exposure incident involving a radiation worker that occurred on Nov. 19, 2024, at Company A, a licensed manufacturer of radiation-generating devices located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on the 21st.
The main cause of the incident was identified as the failure to disconnect the power during the disassembly and assembly process of the radiation-generating device and not verifying whether X-rays were being emitted. This constitutes a violation of safety management regulations under the Nuclear Safety Act.
It was also confirmed that conducting performance tests while not in a finished goods state was a cause of the incident. According to production licensing conditions, performance tests accompanied by radiation emissions must only be conducted on finished goods that are equipped with warning devices, shielding, and interlocking devices. However, at that time, Company A was confirmed to have conducted the tests without operating the warning lights in their proper positions, thus not in a finished goods state.
At the time, the worker was exposed to radiation while performing work without realizing that X-rays were being emitted, and later reported to a supervisor after feeling pain in their hand. The exposure dose for the worker was evaluated to be approximately 2000 mSv (millisieverts, a unit indicating radiation exposure dose) for the left hand and about 752 mSv for the right hand, exceeding the legal annual dose limit of 500 mSv. Immediately after the incident, erythema symptoms appeared on the left hand, but it is reported that there have been no additional health issues so far.
The commission plans to impose administrative sanctions regarding violations confirmed in this investigation, including breaches of safety management regulations and licensing conditions under the Nuclear Safety Act. There are plans to continually verify the operator's measures to prevent recurrence and the status of their implementation.