Sep 28, 2007 9:03 am US/Eastern
Nuclear Plant Guards Caught Sleeping On The Job
by Mike Hellgren
DELTA, Pa. (WJZ) ―
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Workers at a Pennsylvania Nuclear Power Plant are caught fast asleep on the job.
CBS
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Workers at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Facility located just across the Maryland line in Delta, Pa. were caught sleeping.
CBS
Several guards responsible for protecting the Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant in Delta, Pa. from a terrorist attack are caught sleeping on the job.
Mike Hellgren reports another guard shot video of the dozing guards after he claims supervisors ignored his repeated warning.
"It's not just my life that's in danger but my family's, my friends' and the communities that live around it," said the former Peach Blossom guard.
The consequences of being caught off-guard are chilling.
Experts say radiation from a nuclear fire at Peach Bottom would reach all of Maryland, killing thousands. The impact could even spread to D.C. and New York City.
"It's really unfortunate that this incident occurred because sleeping on the job is not tolerated anywhere. It's un-American. It's not the right thing to do," said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger.
Ruppersberger also says that after Sept. 11, there are more layers of security at nuclear facilities.
"Every nuclear plant has the mechanisms that if something goes wrong, it will set off the alarm system, and it will notify people other than the people who are there with respect to security," said Ruppersberger.
That includes Peach Bottom, Calvert Cliffs in Southern Maryland, and Three-Mile Island in Southern Pennsylvania, the site of the worst nuclear disaster on U.S. soil in 1979.
The multi-billion dollar company Exelon owns both Peach Bottom and Three-Mile Island. Another company, Wackenhut, provided security at both until it lost its contract at Peach Bottom after the video aired.
The company issued a statement ensuring their standards remain high.
"Wackenhut does not tolerate any performance that does not meet our standards. We can state with confidence that Peach Bottom remains safe and secure," said a spokesperson.
"What we saw is not aligned with our expectations or Exelon's expectations," said Sam Collins of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Eyewitness News archives reveal similar incidents 20 years ago.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission shut down Peach Bottom from 1987 to 1989 because control room operators were inattentive on the job.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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