“the workers are going to need very special protection for their short working time. “
Uranium is not very radioactive. Holding it in your hand would not hurt you.
I used to keep a cube of it on my desk.
Saw the HBO Chernobyl series. Young guys were selected to shovel the exploded bits off some roof. Their job was timed on a watch with a second hand. Brutal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_(miniseries)