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Software bug blamed for Australian radioactive spill

Andrew Colley ZDNet Australia

Published: 30 Jan 2002 11:58 GMT

Amec Engineering, designer of the Beverly uranium processing plant in South Australia, has blamed buggy software for a radioactive spill at the site last December, confirming early suspicions that computers played a role in the accident.

"After a detailed assessment of the incident it is now clear that the problem was caused by a computer programming error that has since been corrected," said Stephen Middleton, spokesperson for the plant's operator, Heathgate Resources.

According to Amec's report, the glitch cut power to the plant's fluid distribution control system during a routine service exercise. At the time, the mechanism should have shut down pumps moving fluid into the plant.

"Before they could be shut down manually, pressure built up in the pipelines leading into the plant and one ruptured," Middleton said.

According to Middleton, Amec has re-examined the entire system, re-tested the plant's pipes and corrected the "computer logic error". He refused to name the software technology responsible for the error.

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