Nuclear Agency Issues Preliminary Notice Over Unplanned Radiation Doses to Lab Workers -- Occupational Health & Safety

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Nuclear Agency Issues Preliminary Notice Over Unplanned Radiation Doses to Lab Workers

The Department of Energy said an experimental tritium shot at Sandia National Laboratories led to unplanned radiation doses for a small group of workers.

By Danielle Naidu
Nov 04, 2026

The company that runs Sandia National Laboratories received a Preliminary Notice of Violation Oct. 16 from the National Nuclear Security Administration. That company is National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC.

Notice NEA-2026-01 cites violations of rules that protect workers from radiation on the job. Those rules are found in 10 C.F.R. 835.

Those violations are linked to a small group of workers at the lab. The workers received radiation doses that had not been planned.

An experimental tritium shot at the Z-Machine caused those doses, the Department of Energy said. The Z-Machine is at the lab.

The Department of Energy's Office of Enterprise Assessments has posted the notice and a fact sheet online.

About the Author

Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.

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