November 1, 1997

On September 15, 1997, two health physics technicians and two waste management operators discovered evidence of a drum explosion. This accident, involving a spill of hazardous/radioactive waste (mixed waste), occurred in Building C-746-Q at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), Paducah, Kentucky. On September 17, 1997, James Hall, Manager, Oak Ridge Operations (ORO) established a Type B Accident Investigation Board (Board) to investigate this accident in accordance with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order225.1, “Accident Investigations” (see Appendix A).