ENS 42018
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
04:00 Sep 24, 2005 | |
| Title | |
| Event Description | A Troxler 3430 portable gauge was stolen from the home of an employee of B&W Engineering between mid-day Saturday, 9/24/05 and Monday morning, 9/26/05. The retractable source rod on the gauge was locked, the gauge was in a yellow plastic shipping container which was also locked. The locked gauge in the locked shipping container were located in a locked storage shed behind the employee's home located in Memphis, TN.
The gauge is owned by B&W Engineering, Memphis TN. The Radiation Safety Officer for B&W Engineering said that he had contacted the North Memphis Police Dept., but they told him that the employee from whom the gauge was stolen would have to file a police report personally. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation contacted Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and reported the occurrence to them. TEMA said they would contact the Shelby Co. Emergency Management Agency as soon as they hung up. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation then called Memphis Police Dept., North Precinct and reported the occurrence to them. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation then reported the occurrence to the Arkansas Radiation Control Program, they said they might issue a press release. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation then reported the occurrence to the Mississippi Division of Radiological Health. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation reported to occurrence to Duncan White , NRC Region l. TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation then received a call back from the Memphis Police Dept. who said that they would contact the RSO for B&W and try to file a police report regarding the theft. Troxler Model 3430 contains 8 millicuries of Cs-137 ands 40 millicuries of Am-241/Be. Incident Report number TN-05-109
On the morning of 10/25/05, the Memphis Police Department notified the TN Division of Rad Health that the stolen gauge had been recovered during a narcotics search of a private residence. A preliminary assessment performed by on-scene law enforcement concluded that the device appeared intact and without evidence of damage. The licensee was contacted and will make arrangements to recover the Troxler Model 3430, S/N 23422 within the next several hours. The TN Division of Rad Health representative requested the licensee contact their office after retrieving the device to discuss the condition of the gauge. Notified R1DO (Silk), NMSS (Janosko) and TAS (Sandler) via email.
The licensee stated "that he had retrieved the gauge and returned it to their B&W Engineering shop. He said the gauge appeared to be unharmed; that they tested/calibrated the gauge and the results indicated it was working properly/as it was prior to the theft; that they had surveyed it with a radiation survey meter and the results were the same as prior to the theft; and finally, that they had taken a leak test smear and sent it in for analysis. Notified R1DO (Silk), NMSS (Burgess) and TAS (Sandler) via email. Less than the quantity of a IAEA Category 3 source. Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| B&W Engineering Memphis, Tennessee (NRC Region 1) | |
| License number: | R-79222-B06 |
| Organization: | Tennessee Div Of Rad Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+82.65 h3.444 days <br />0.492 weeks <br />0.113 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Billy Freeman 14:39 Sep 27, 2005 |
| NRC Officer: | John Mackinnon |
| Last Updated: | Oct 26, 2005 |
| 42018 - NRC Website | |
B&W Engineering with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 420182005-09-24T04:00:00024 September 2005 04:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Tennessee Agreement State Report - Stolen Moisture Density Gauge 2005-09-24T04:00:00 | |