Human error has been put back into the picture following the 61,000 litre radioactive spill at the Beverly uranium mine in South Australia early this year, despite a computer malfunction originally being blamed for the incident.

At the time, the mine's owner, Heathgate Resources, blamed the spill on a "computer logic error".

The spill occurred when the plant's fluid-distribution control system lost power during a maintenance exercise. According to a report released by the mine operations designer, software-based safety mechanisms designed to shut down pumps moving fluid into the plant failed, causing pipes to rupture.

ZDnet

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