§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what investigation is being carried out by the Health and Safety Executive into the incident at the Containerway and Roadferry Ltd. depot, Ripple Road, Barking, on 10 March involving radioactive waste; when he expects the report to be available to him; and whether he will take steps to ensure that workers at the depot and residents on the Scrattons Farm estate are fully protected against the dangers of radioactive waste.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe incident on 10 March 1981 at the depot of Containerway and Roadferry Ltd, Ripple Road, Barking, in which it was thought that two employees had been exposed to a dose of ionising radiations from handling a consignment of used radioisotopes is being investigated by Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive and by the Radiochemical Inspectorate of the Department of Environment. I anticipate that the investigation will be completed by the end of the month and will then write to the hon. Member.
Preliminary inquiries have shown that the radioactive material was consigned in drums of adequate construction and contained within those drums in standard lead source containers. Adequate shielding against exposure to ionising radiations for the persons handling these drums was thus provided and accordingly there was no danger to the residents of Scrattons Farm estate.