No death due to radiation related hazards

There has been no death due to radiation related hazards, accidents and sickness in India’s nuclear installations.

The safety of the radiation workers in the nuclear installations, including the Uranium mines, is fully ensured by the Health Physics Unit (HPU) situated in every plant. It is also enforced by regular monitoring and regulatory inspections. Various types of protective equipment are provided depending on the type of operations being undertaken to ensure radiological safety of the workers. Moreover, they are periodically monitored by appropriate dosimeters to ascertain that the dose received by them does not exceed the stipulated / permissible limit.

For example, at all Nuclear Power Plants, as a first step of prevention, radiation exposure to occupational workers is controlled and maintained at very low levels. The occupational workers are imparted training on safety aspects prior to their employment. In addition, they undergo periodic refresher safety training courses during the period of their employment. For carrying out jobs in the Nuclear Power Plant, the occupational workers are provided with protective clothings like coveralls, boiler suits, lab coats etc., respiratory protective equipment like oro-nasal, iodine and airline respirators, ventilated plastic suits etc., and protective gears like rubber gloves and shoes, head caps, etc. Further, all occupational radiation workers are provided with dosimetry devices for close monitoring of their radiation exposure to maintain it well below the stipulated limits as set by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

This information was provided the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question Rajya Sabha today.