The following information was received from the State of
Mississippi Division of Radiological Health (DRH) via email:
Location of Incident: Petal, Mississippi (temporary jobsite off Hwy. 42)
Description of Incident: Approximately 2:30 pm on 2-3-09, an employee who uses the nuclear gauge with Dunn Roadbuilders notified the Radiation Safety Officer that a Troxler 3440 moisture/density gauge, SN# 23209, had been run over by a company pick-up and dragged about 5 feet. The operator told the RSO that the plastic case of the gauge was broken and a battery was outside the device. The area was blocked off with a 15 foot radius around the damaged gauge until the RSO arrived. When the RSO arrived, he surveyed the gauge with a TroxlerAlert survey meter, SN# 2163, and observed readings of 16 mR/hr at gauge surface. He observed that the sources were still shielded and the source rod was not bent or broken. The gauge was put in the transport box and taken back to the company facility. A leak test was performed on the sources and sent to Troxler for analysis. DRH was notified of the incident at 4:30 pm on 2-3-09.
Pictures of the gauge were taken by the RSO and emailed to the Division of Radiological Health.
Upon further review of the incident, the authorized user for the moisture/density gauge was trained and certificates are on file with the Division of Radiological Health. The gauge was also last leak tested on 10/08.
Isotope(s) and Activity: Cesium-137 (8 mCi) and Americium-241:Be (40 mCi)
Describe clean-up actions taken by DRH: DRH did not respond to incident after RSO confirmed normal survey readings observed and pictures showed only gauge plastic cover damaged.
Incident No.: MS 09002