Nation IN BRIEF / KENTUCKY : ‘Safety Stand Down’ Set at Uranium Plant

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson ordered a 24-hour “safety stand down” at the agency’s Paducah, Ky., uranium plant after a preliminary probe uncovered lapses in programs designed to protect workers from harmful radiation. The announcement is expected to idle about 400 workers for a day while officials begin a comprehensive review of training and radiation monitoring at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The safety order applies to employees of the Department of Energy and its contractors at the site but will not directly affect the plant’s uranium operations, which are now managed by a private corporation, U.S. Enrichment Corp., under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s oversight. USEC employs about 1,400 people and says it is unaware of any significant safety problems.