Explosion Rocks Honeywell Uranium Facility Run by Scab Workers

[ensho]

http://www.truth-out.org/explosion-rocks-honeywell-uranium-facility-run-scab-workers63047


Union workers have been locked out at the uranium enrichment facility in Metropolis, Illinois for two months now after contract negotiations broke down over Honeywell's demand that workers give up their retiree health care coverage and pension plans. The Metropolis uranium facility is the only one in the United States that can convert U308 into the extremely deadly UF6.

Because the plant is the only conversion facility of its kind in the United States, familiarity with the Metropolis plant, and not just generic experience in the field, is essential to ensuring the plant's safety. Concerns have been raised by local community members and union officials that replacement workers at the Honeywell facility cannot safely operate the plant since they have no site-specific experience in this type of conversion facility.

-snip-

On Saturday, nuclear regulators allowed Honeywell to start up core production at the facility, where core production had been shut down for over two months due to concerns about the training of replacement workers. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission delayed reopening the plant for several days after questions were raised about the unusually high levels of uranium that were appearing in the urine tests of several nuclear workers.

The following day, a hydrogen explosion rocked the plant. The blast shook the ground in front of the plant and could be heard a mile away, according to local reports. State Trooper Bridget Rice said that police were called to investigate to the scene of the explosion after receiving several phone calls reporting an explosion at the plant. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Roger Hannah also confirmed that there was indeed "a small hydrogen explosion that was very loud" at the Metropolis facility.

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Last week, the 350,000 members of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees called on President Obama to fire Cote from the so-called Deficit Commission.
-snip-
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the White House should pay attention to this.


we are just one human error away from having a hellish problem with things nuclear

[gratuitous]

1. But enough about that

Let's talk about something really important: Some attention-whore nutjob at Westboro Baptist Church Florida Division. What's a little radiation poisoning (okay, a fuck of a lot of radiation poisoning) compared to the Jones panicfest?

It's nice to see that the Deficit Commission has yet another member who thinks that working people don't deserve any security after their working years are over. Best for the deficit and the wealthy fatcats on the commission if the proles just drop dead the day after they retire.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. "a fuck of a lot of radiation poisoning"

Wait, wut? Radiation poisoning? Just how much radiation was released in this explosion?

[Xipe Totec]

4. Don't worry about the radiation, worry about the fluorine

Uranium hexafluoride is a highly toxic, highly corrosive gas. It is made by dissolving uranium in hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid can burn through glass.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. OK.

Just how much hydrofluoric acid was released in this explosion?

[lumberjack_jeff]

11. Excuse the non-sciencey types who get all worked up over exploding uranium refineries.

I'm sure their ignorance is nothing a few :eyes: can't fix.

[gratuitous]

7. I couldn't say

But I don't think I'm willing to leave it to Honeywell to tell me. Of course, since a person can be poisoned by radiation and not know it for years, they'll have a built-in "it wasn't us" defense for any cancer/leukemia/lupus/whatever bloom that may show up in the area a couple of decades from now.

[crikkett]

9. Even more outrageous considering that the strike is about workers fighting for

medical coverage in their retirement plans.

:argh:

[gratuitous]

10. Well, I have it on the very best authority

That there's hardly any radiation that ever escapes uranium facilities or nuclear power plants, so the workers are really striking over nothing. That doesn't explain why the company wouldn't just throw in that kind of medical coverage, but I'm sure the very best authority will be along soon to allay any niggling doubts. Prolly a bargaining ploy.

[Brickbat]

3. If you're worried about human error, you need to make sure your nuclear workers are union, instead

of untrained scabs the company uses as scapegoats for profit.

[ensho]

5. kick

nt

[deaniac21]

8. Got any information on this from a reliable source? This place

tends to be 24 business hours behind the beat.

[WillyT]

12. HUGE K & R !!!

:mad:

:kick:

[ensho]

13. this explosion is a big deal

nt