complaint
A nuclear power plant employee in Switzerland forged radiation logs – out of laziness
The Swiss Leibstadt nuclear power plant is located directly on the border with Germany on the Upper Rhine
© Andreas Haas / Imago Images
A former employee of the Leibstadt nuclear power plant in Switzerland has been convicted. He was too lazy to check the mobile radiation measuring devices. Instead, he wrote down fantasy numbers.
Simpsons fans will inevitably think of Homer and his work as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant when this story comes to mind. But this episode did not come from a cartoon series, it actually happened. In the Leibstadt nuclear power plant in Switzerland.
Leibstadt is located on the Upper Rhine, right on the border with Germany. There has been a nuclear power plant here since 1984. An employee of this nuclear power plant has now been sentenced by the Federal Prosecutor’s office, like the Swiss media company CH Media reported. The man has violated the control and documentation requirements of the Nuclear Energy Act and has to pay a fine of 3000 francs and procedural costs of 1000 francs, which is roughly the same amount in euros.
The employee was simply too lazy. As a radiation protection specialist at the Leibstadt nuclear power plant, he was responsible for checking mobile radiation measuring devices. The newspapers from CH-Media wrote that he missed three six-month checks and falsified more than 200 protocols. He entered fantasy numbers in the checklists.
A supervisor exposed the falsified numbers
The wrong protocols were discovered by a supervisor. He was puzzled when the numbers did not show the usual spread. Fortunately, there was no security problem. The lack of controls would have no direct impact on nuclear safety, is quoted from the penalty order. The nuclear power plant reported the case to the Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate in 2019, which filed a criminal complaint.
The lazy employee no longer has his job at the Leibstadt nuclear power plant, it continues. It is not known who has quit. But the man is by no means unemployed. He immediately found a new job. In a company that makes commercial vehicles.
Sources: CH Media