Early Sunday morning (April 13, 2025), an operator was performing a filter change out activity inside the chemical manufacturing area. After replacing the filter, the operator performed a pressure check of the filter housing, and a very small amount of uranyl nitrate solution leaked from the gasket onto the operator’s coveralls in the upper left arm area. The area of exposure was approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. The incident commander and site medical personnel responded appropriately, and out of an abundance of caution, sent the employee to an offsite medical facility for evaluation. Per procedure, a Health Physics (HP) technician accompanied the employee to assure there was no spread of potential contamination during care for the employee. After evaluation, the employee was released without further treatment. All materials associated with the transport were collected and returned to the CFFF for disposal.
There was no release to the environment, and the operator was wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) called out by the procedure for the routine work task - a full-face shield, safety glasses, chemical gloves, and a chemical apron that covers the torso area. The chemical apron does not cover the arm area. A 24-hour event notification was made to the NRC per 10CFR70.50(b)(3) regulations: An event that requires unplanned medical treatment at a medical facility of an individual with spreadable radioactive contamination on the individual’s clothing or body.
The event has been entered into our Corrective Action Program (CAP) for causal analysis and corrective action.