Nine operators of the River Bend nuclear power plant near Baton Rouge, La., just landed their employer a $140,000 fine for surfing the web from the plant's control room, reports Mark Halper at SmartPlanet. While they were supposed to be monitoring the plant, the nine were caught surfing the web for news, sports, and their retirement accounts, but not Facebook (because they are old) or porn (because CNN says so).

Your support powers solutions-focused climate reporting — keeping it free for everyone. All donations DOUBLED for a limited time. Give now in under 45 seconds.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

Stories like this don’t tell themselves.

Make others like it possible. Your support powers solutions-focused climate reporting — keeping it free for everyone. Give now in under 45 seconds.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

A press release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission lays it out:

Control room operators are directly responsible for monitoring the reactor and other important plant systems to ensure that it is operated safely. […] Plant procedures require operators to remain attentive and focused on their work. Between January and April 2010, nine operators deliberately violated those procedures and accessed the internet from the plant’s control room while on duty.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

Basically, if you work at a nuclear plant, Homer Simpson is not actually supposed to be a career role model.