Worker falls into reactor pool at San Onofre nuclear plant

[XemaSab]

A veteran worker at the San Onofre nuclear power plant lost his balance while trying to retrieve a flashlight and tumbled into a reactor pool at the facility last week.

The worker at the San Diego County power plant did not suffer significant radiation exposure, the North County Times reported.

Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said Thursday that the man, who is employed by a private contractor assigned to replace the reactor’s vessel head, "momentarily lost his balance" and fell into the pool Jan. 27 while leaning over to retrieve a flashlight.

“He was wearing all of the appropriate safety equipment, including a life preserver vest. We immediately began a thorough medical screening to determine if there had been any injury,” Alexander told The Times.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/worker-falls-into-reactor-pool-at-san-onofre-nuclear-plant-.html

[hunter]

1. Did he make the appropriate "D'oh!" exclamation as he was falling?

[XemaSab]

2. One can only hope

[Kali]

3. sounds like Pinback from Dark Star...

[bananas]

6. That movie had the best alien! nt

[saras]

4. Damned expensive flashlight

[Enrique]

7. funny comment at msnbc

"the worker had a job evaluation shortly afterwards and his boss said he does his job swimmingly."

[DCKit]

8. He must've been fixated by the cobalt blue glow at the bottom. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. I am more fixated on the "employed by private contractor"

and wondering who has ultimate responsibility for oversight, what kind of people are being hired by the contractor, etc.

[Kolesar]

10. A "private contractor" took the fall after that disaster at First Energy/Davis-Besse

One contractor and two company employees were penalized for faking inspection reports. Nobody in management were penalized.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Such a familar pattern, isn't it?

" No one could have foreseen" and variations.