Research reactors typically operate 40 hours per week or less while power reactors operate 24 hours a day for months at a time. The staff required to operate a research reactor is very small compared to that at power reactors. Research reactors are inherently very safe because of their low power levels and short duration of operations. Worst case accident scenarios typically do not show any detrimental effect to people located beyond a few hundred yards of the facility. The USGS reactor has operated over 31 years with an impeccable safety record.
Research reactors do generate radioactive waste.
This waste is buried at a commercially-operated waste burial site in southeast Washington State. The USGS reactor staff consists of three licensed reactor operators and one radiation safety specialist. The staff is highly trained and experienced at nuclear operation, with a combined reactor operations experience of over 100 years. The annulus between the tank and liner is dry. The tank is surrounded by a minimum of 4 feet of reinforced concrete.