Here's why over 500 Hanford workers had to take cover Friday

RICHLAND, WA -- More than 500 workers in the center of the Hanford nuclear reservation were ordered to take cover indoors Friday morning after steam was spotted rising from a radioactive waste storage tunnel.

The order was issued at 6:03 a.m. and lifted more than four hours later after Hanford officials confirmed that there was no release of radioactive material into the air.

On a typical work day about 3,300 workers would have been in the 300 East Area. But Friday was a day off for many employees who work 10-hour days from Monday through Thursday.

Some workers scheduled to work Friday had not arrived on site yet when the take cover order was declared.

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