Operating procedures have been streamlined and the official responsible for the accident that took place at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Vyara, Tapi district.
Operating procedures have been streamlined and the official responsible for the accident that took place at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Vyara, Tapi district, eight months back continues to be on training. He is yet to get back his license to work at the plant.
In May last year, seven workers at KAPS were exposed to radiation while working in the plant’s Spent Fuel Transfer Duct (SFTD) tunnel when an official in the control room had discharged two bundles of spent fuel when the workers were still in the tunnel.
The licence of the official was suspended and he was asked to undergo fresh training. He is yet to finish the training.
The operating procedure for officials and workers dealing with discharge of spent fuel at the plant has been completely overhauled to make it easier to fix responsibility in cases of accidents.
A two-way system of checks was created for opening the SFTD tunnel and releasing spent fuel in it. The functioning of officials and workers has been made simpler to prevent errors. In the new system, a written permit is required from the station director or chief engineer to open the SFTD tunnel or discharge spent fuel.
Moreover, all top officials of the plant have to be informed even about small errors. A plan about how to tackle an emergency will be drawn up after proper discussion.
LK Jain, station director, KAPS said that now an official can open the tunnel or discharge fuel only after obtaining permission. “If spent fuel has to be discharged due to some emergency when people are still inside the tunnel, the officer-in-charge has to contact the station director or chief officer for directions in this regard,” said Jain.
He admitted that the radiation incident was an eye-opener for them and also a learning experience. Now that the new system has been adopted, the possibility of workers getting exposed to radiation while working in the tunnel is
virtually zero, he claimed.
“Spent fuel, if not released in time, will not affect the functioning of the power plant very adversely. All that will happen is that the plant will work on low voltage for some time, which is not a serious situation. We are capable of handling such things,” Jain said.
The person responsible for the entire incident is still undergoing training. As punishment, the license issued to him for working in the control room was suspended. To get back the license, he has to complete the entire training procedure right from the beginning, Jain said.
“He has to clear a couple of exams and clear a walk-through [practical] training. After that he will be interviewed. Only if he completes all the three phases of training successfully, can he hope to be reinstated in the same position,” Jain said.
In the radiation incident, the seven workers were painting the inside of the SFTD tunnel when the refueling operator in the control room discharged a pair of spent fuel bundles into the tunnel.
The incident came to light after two months but it had created problems for KAPS officials who had no explanation for the accident. The person responsible for the incident was suspended and assistance was provided to the affected workers.
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