An abnormal radiation exposure accident occurred during radiation equipment repair at a hospital in Daejeon, prompting the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission to launch an investigation.
The commission said it plans to conduct an investigation with the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) after a report that at about 6:41 p.m. on the 29th, an employee of a contractor repairing equipment was exposed to radiation in the linear accelerator room at Hospital A in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.
According to the report, at about 6:41 p.m. that day, while a contractor's employee was inside the linear accelerator room checking the equipment, another employee in the control room, not realizing this, reportedly activated the linear accelerator.
The hospital's radiation safety manager, who was in the control room at the time, noticed the equipment company employee was not visible and immediately instructed that the accelerator be shut down. The employee inside also reportedly heard the sound of the machine operating and quickly exited the room. The radiation beam is estimated to have been on for about 3 seconds.
The commission said, "We immediately requested KINS to investigate the incident and plan to confirm the detailed circumstances, whether the statutory dose limit was exceeded, and whether there was any violation of the Nuclear Safety Act through on-site investigation and interviews with the exposed person."