Two workers were found to have low levels of radioactive material on their skin, and one had contaminated clothing, said Judy Spencer, a spokeswoman for Westinghouse Savannah River Co.

Westinghouse operates the federal nuclear-weapons site for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The material was removed, Ms. Spencer said. The employees and other workers in the area will be monitored to determine whether they received an internal dose of radiation by inhaling or ingesting radioactive material, she said.

At this time, the employees are not expected to suffer any ill health effects from the exposure, Ms. Spencer said.

Site officials have not determined what the contaminant was, Ms. Spencer said. F-Canyon removes impurities and wastes from plutonium and other radioactive materials.

The incident occurred as a team of four workers, assisted by radiation-control inspectors, prepared to calibrate an instrument on the plant's second level, she said.

The area was a ``radiological buffer area,'' Ms. Spencer said, meaning that it adjoined a radioactive work area but that no radioactive material should have been present. The work called only for protective gloves, she said.

An initial survey revealed no contamination in the area, Ms. Spencer said. But after workers inspected an instrument line by blowing compressed air through it, monitors detected low levels of contamination, she said.

The employees immediately left the area, she said.

``All the proper procedures were apparently followed through the preparation for and actual performance of the work,'' Ms. Spencer said.

Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409.