Dismantlement work paused after safety incident

Dismantlement work at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station came to a stop this week after a contract worker was injured on Monday.

The event happened in a building on site near an open space in the floor, known as an equipment vault. One worker lost their balance and fell into the vault, followed by the other worker. At that instant, their safety harnesses activated as designed, preventing them from falling further and a more serious situation. One of the workers did injure their shoulder and was transported to the hospital.

“We are thinking about our colleague and wish them a speedy recovery,” said Doug Bauder, SCE vice president and chief nuclear officer. “We take safety related incidents like this very seriously.”

SCE’s decommissioning contractor immediately stopped work after the incident and began an evaluation. In its oversight role, SCE formally extended the stand down so a more in-depth investigation could take place and corrective actions can be developed and implemented.

“It is important for us as an organization to fully understand what happened, what may have led up to the incident and, ultimately, how these safety events can be prevented in the future,” Bauder said.

Some work on site is continuing, including the transfer of Greater-Than-Class-C waste to the dry fuel storage pad, which is being performed by SCE, as well as essential services provided by the decommissioning contractor.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.