Radioactive water splashed 2 TEPCO workers in quake

TOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters) Radioactive water splashed two workers at a nuclear plant in northwest Japan during a 6.8 magnitude earthquake last month, but the two were wearing protective clothing, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said today.

A team of experts from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency is now inspecting the quake-hit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station - the world's largest nuclear facility - amid growing concerns over safety in Japan's scandal-hit nuclear sector.

''A monitor to check radiation levels showed negative results, confirming that the workers were not exposed to radiation'' during the incident, a TEPCO spokesman said.

Fears about the safety of Japan's nuclear industry were revived when radioactive water leaked from the plant after the July 16 tremor.

The earthquake killed 11, injured more than 1,000 and flattened hundreds of homes.

The power station, which was built above an active fault line, shut down automatically after the quake and will remain closed indefinitely for safety checks.

TEPCO has acknowledged that the quake was stronger than the plant had been built to withstand and that the level of radioactivity in the leaked water was more than first estimated.

In the wake of pressure from local authorities worried about safety, a six-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, headed by Philippe Jamet, started a four-day round of inspections yesterday.

REUTERS RN KP0838