One of the most tragic parts of this were the Chernobyl Liquidators.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_liquidators
Over half a million workers (many army reservists, miners, laborers, etc.) were conscripted to clean up Chernobyl in the immediate aftermath. They were given very little education on the dangers and very little protection.
Many of them died immediately after or during the ensuing years due to radiation exposure. They were assigned ridiculous jobs like going on the roof of the exploded reactor to shovel off radioactive material onto the ground or digging a mine-shaft under the reactor so they could pump in coolant as the core had melted to the point where the reaction was still continuing and all the radioactive mass was heating and sinking its way toward an underground aquifier (which would have poisoned the water supply for the entire region).
These jobs would be done with little protection other than running outside, shoveling a pile off the roof, and then running back inside (even though the inside was almost just as radioactive). The miners took off all their protective clothing because it was so hot underground due to the reaction that they couldn't work.
