Reading Firm Slapped with £16,000 Fine After Worker Exposed to Deadly Radiation
A Berkshire company faces heavy penalties after risking an employee’s life with massive radiation exposure on a Ministry of Defence site.
Deadly Dose at MOD Facility
Gemini Technology (Reading) Limited was hit with a £16,000 fine for exposing an employee to jaw-dropping levels of ionising radiation—around 500 milliSieverts (mSv) per hour—during a repair at an MOD calibration facility in Gosport on September 7, 2018.
For context, the average UK citizen is exposed to just 2.7 mSv annually. Even 100 mSv can cause dangerous blood cell changes and increase cancer risk. This worker faced five times that dangerous threshold in just one hour.
How Did This Happen?
The nightmare began when a high-activity Caesium-137 radioactive source got stuck in an unshielded position inside an irradiator machine. Gemini Technology was called in to fix it. To fix the fault, the employee had to remove the protective housing, lift the radioactive source, and manually rotate a carousel holding several sources—plunging them straight into a radiation hotspot.
Serious Breaches at Gemini Technology
Despite years of handling radiation, Gemini Technology failed to bring in a qualified radiation protection adviser, breaching regulations meant to keep workers safe. The company also skipped proper risk assessments, leaving controls weak and workers dangerously exposed.
The firm pleaded guilty to health and safety offences and was ordered to pay £25,000 in costs as well as the £16,000 fine at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on September 15, 2023.
Safety Expert Issues Stark Warning
“The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 exist to protect workers and the community,” said Karen Fuller, HSE’s specialist inspector of radiation. “Companies must conduct thorough risk assessments and engage competent radiation protection advisers to keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable. We will not hesitate to prosecute those who fall short of these standards.”
This case serves as a grim reminder: cutting corners with radiation safety is simply not worth the risk.
