£26k fine for company

A MULTI-NATIONAL company has been fined £26,000 after a radiographer was overexposed to ionising radiation while working at a North East site.

- By NICOLE GOODWIN

The 69-year-old man had been working for Mistras Group Limited in December 2020, when the company was notified by their approved dosimetry service that he had received a dose in excess of legal limits.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was also notified, with the regulator prosecuting the company following its investigation.

Ionising radiation has many uses in industry, such as energy production, manufacturing, medicine and research.

It gives many benefits to society. However, it is important the risks of ionising radiation are managed sensibly to protect workers and the public.

The incident happened at Mistras Group Limited’s former site in Hartlepool when a gamma emitting radioactive source used for radiography had not returned to its shielded container.

Due to poor compliance with the company’s own radiation safety protocols, this was not identified promptly, resulting in a radiation overexposure to the radiographer.