Rio Tinto has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the loss and subsequent finding of a radioactive capsule in January this year.
The major miner confirmed that a small radioactive capsule fell off a truck that was delivering it from a Pilbara mine to Malaga depot.
The capsule was lost somewhere in a 1400km stretch, prompting a weeks-long search that ended in authorities finding the tiny capsule (6mm in diameter and 8mm in height) near where it was estimated to have fallen.
The ABC has now confirmed that Rio will not face any penalties for accidentally losing the capsule.
In a letter from the local council to Rio Tinto, the council stated it noted “Rio Tinto readily and promptly cooperated with the provision of access and information both during the search and throughout the council’s inquiry and investigations”.
It also did not find any breaches in the Radiation Safety Act.
“No adverse findings against Rio Tinto or its licensees have been recorded,” the letter stated.
A spokesperson for the major said the company was grateful to the Western Australian and Federal Governments and all involved for the recovery of the capsule.
“Our own internal review has identified opportunities for improvement in the selection of radiation gauges and the way they are packaged and transported,” the spokesperson said.
WA police commissioner Col Blanch ruled out any criminal activity in the search before the capsule was found.
“Were coming at it from an investigations perspective to see if there was criminal activity involved,” he said. “We’ve pretty much determined that that’s not the case,” Blanch said at the time.
Rio Tinto has apologised over the loss of the capsule, which it had entrusted to a specialist contractor to transport.
