Although no one was injured and air monitors did not detect any release of plutonium, it will be part of the review because the worker may not have been following established safety procedures. The accident occurred during a routine maintenance evaluation of a glovebox at the lab's Plutonium Processing and Handling Facility, commonly referred to as TA-55, when alarms sounded, indicating the presence of airborne radioactivity in the room. The eight workers in the room at that time exited promptly, and no radiation was released outside the building. Of the eight workers, seven had plutonium intakes and four will likely exceed the annual radiation exposure limit of five rem set by the federal government. These four workers have been temporarily reassigned to work in non-radiation areas.
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