The Kansas State University Nuclear Reactor Facility was issued a safety violation last month stemming from an incident in which a staff member was exposed to radiation.

The incident occurred on Sept. 22 when a senior reactor operator was handling a routine oil sample being held in an aluminum sample rack, according to the inspection report.

Reactor Facility manager Jeff Geuther said the rack gave off a higher dose of zinc than was usual, causing the excess radiation to be admitted from the radioactive zinc.

“No harm or injury was caused to the reactor operator, but the facility still has restricted him from handling the same samples for a year for safety reasons,” Geuther said, adding it was the operator’s safety rather than the plant’s safety they were concerned about.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission called the incident a Level III violation, which according to a statement from the university, is the lowest level of violation enforcement.

KSU did not receive the normal penalty fine of $3,500 along with the violation since the reputation of the university’s nuclear research facilities has always been very high, according to the statement.

The reactor facility staff was given a 10-day window of time during which they had to submit a plan to prevent the incident from occurring again in the future, according to the inspection report from the NRC.

KSU Nuclear Reactor Facility Manager Jeffrey Geuther said he came up with a list of very thorough preventive measures they plan on adhering to from now on.

“Our most major change is a new detailed list of safety precautions we are now checking for,” Geuther said. “Every procedure by the reactor will be checked prior to use to ensure nothing like this occurs in the future.”

Geuther also added several other preventive measures have already been put into place, including staff training sessions, a staff memorandum listing new safety calls, limits on sample withdrawal rates and more.

The reactor facility staff is made up entirely of undergraduate students, mostly nuclear engineering majors, Geuther said.

The reactor provides many opportunities for academic advancement, research, community outreach and industrial services, according to the statement from KSU.

“Students working with the reactor graduate with a NRC license and gain excellent experience,” Geuther said. “Over a dozen classes here on campus use the reactor in some capacity.”