The Arkansas One nuclear power plant owned by Entergy Corp experienced the death of one worker and the injury of three others while in the midst of moving non-nuclear equipment at the facility. According to reports by the Entergy headquarters, they are calling this an "unusual event classification" which is a rating system used by the federal emergency classifications at nuclear plants, this one being the lowest level of severity. One of the reasons it received such a low classification is because the incident took place on the non-nuclear side of the plant, no anywhere close to where the plant reactor was located.
The accident took place at 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning on the plant while workers were in the middle of moving an old generator stator, also known as a cylindrical shaft. This equipment was being transferred from the turbine building for a routine maintenance and refueling check located at Unit 1. Chris Meyer, section chief for Arkansas Department of Health's nuclear response program, claims that the three injured workers were taken to the local hospital for treatment; sharing that there was fortunately no radiation involved in this specific incident at Arkansas One. How the injuries and fatality occurred has not been released yet, nor is there any more information at this time regarding the incident.
Industrial injuries are very common in this occupation, and in many cases they are a result of the negligence of either a co-worker or the employee of the company. While this specific case there are no answers yet as to what may have been the cause, many times an employer's negligence to not provide a safe environment or the necessary equipment when moving heavy machinery, can result in the injury and death of their workers.
Crushing injuries can easily happen if the workers are not trained well and unfit to move heavy objects. Whatever the case may be, if you have been injured or a loved one
wrongfully killed in a workplace accident, contact an experienced industrial injury attorney at
Arnold & Itkin today.