Two Employees Exposed to Radiation at Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus

X-ray Exposure to Hand Area
Accident Investigation by Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Underway

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It was belatedly confirmed that two employees working at Samsung Electronics' Giheung Campus were exposed to radiation.

According to Samsung Electronics on the 29th, on the 27th, an accident occurred in which the hands of these employees working on the production line at Samsung Electronics' Giheung Campus were exposed to X-rays.

The employees exposed to radiation visited the National Radiation Emergency Medical Center at the Nuclear Medicine Institute in Nowon-gu, Seoul, with swollen hands and are reported to have received inpatient treatment.

In this regard, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) announced that it is conducting an investigation into the accident by dispatching personnel to the Giheung site on the same day.

According to the NSSC, the Giheung site is authorized to use radiation generating devices (RG) that analyze the components of materials by irradiating X-rays onto semiconductor wafers and generating fluorescent X-rays. The NSSC has suspended the use of the equipment in question.

The NSSC reported that the two employees showed abnormal symptoms such as swelling of the fingers and red spots due to localized exposure.

However, general blood test results were normal, and after completing related tests such as chromosome abnormality tests, they were discharged on the same day and are expected to receive outpatient treatment going forward, the NSSC added.

The NSSC also stated that it plans to accurately assess the radiation dose exposure based on worker interviews, reproduction experiments, and computer simulations.

The NSSC said that if violations of the Nuclear Safety Act are confirmed during the investigation, administrative measures will be taken.