Letter: Radiation safety needs tightening

Sir: The article by Tom Wilkie 'Industrial x-ray workers at greater risk than nuclear staff' (9 May) was a timely reminder that other industries which use radiation sources are escaping adequate scrutiny because of public preoccupation with safety standards in the nuclear industry.

Health and safety standards in the nuclear industry are already extremely high, yet there is continuous pressure (not least from the media) to raise them further. This has helped to hide the fact that other industries may not be receiving enough attention from the regulators. This includes both industrial use of radiation, as in the tragic case that you reported, and broader questions of industrial safety.

The nuclear industry expects and welcomes tight regulation of its standards, and is rightly proud of its achievements in this field. Indeed, if the standards already being met by the nuclear industry were to be introduced more widely, it would lead to significant improvements in other industries.

Yours sincerely,

GERALD CLARK

Secretary General

The Uranium Institute

London, SW1

11 May