A Savannah River Site worker had part of his right thumb removed after it was contaminated with radioactive material.

Doctors at the federal nuclear-weapons site removed a section of tissue about the size of ``a small pea,'' said Susie Grant, a spokeswoman for Westinghouse Savannah River Co. Westinghouse operates SRS for the Department of Energy.

Medical workers have not determined what radioactive element the tissue contained or whether the employee will receive a lasting dose of radiation from the incident, Ms. Grant said.

Westinghouse declined to release the name of the employee, citing company policy.

The incident occurred Jan. 16, as the employee was working in a contaminated area in an auxiliary building for the site's massive ``H-Canyon'' plant, according to a report issued by the federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

As the worker removed his protective gear, he noticed a spot of blood on the cotton liners of his latex gloves, Ms. Grant said. Although the worker could not see a wound, he reported to site medical facilities, where doctors confirmed that part of his right thumb was contaminated, the spokeswoman said.

The employee was not wearing proper protective gear for the work, which called for leather gloves or ``nitrile'' gloves, Ms. Grant said. Those gloves are thicker, and more puncture-resistant, than the latex gloves often used in radioactive work, the spokeswoman said.

The Defense Board's report indicated that the worker chose to use latex gloves because of concerns about how heavier gloves would affect his movement. Ms. Grant said her company was investigating that issue.

``We're looking at the gloves that were used, and the lessons learned, trying to pinpoint the source of the problem,'' she said. ``We're going back and looking to find out why the latex gloves were selected.''

Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409