The State provided the following information regarding a previously unreported event received via e-mail:
On May 19, 2009, the Department was notified by the licensee of a stuck shutter. The gauge is a Kay-Ray Model 7063S, Serial S97D2115, containing 100 millicuries of Cesium-137. The gauge was originally installed in 1997. The stuck shutter was discovered during routine shutter checks on May 18, 2009. The licensee tried to release the shutter, but was unable to do so and is currently working to schedule a service provider for repair. The licensee is maintaining control of the area where the gauge is installed.
- * * UPDATE FROM ROBERT PEMBERTON TO JOE O'HARA AT 1538 ON 7/9/09 * * *
The State provided the following information via e-mail:
The following are the findings of the Arkansas Department of Health, Radioactive Materials Program, concerning event Number 45084 at Albemarle Corporation in Magnolia, AR. From information provided by Albemarle Corporation and ThermoFisher Scientific, the Department has determined that this event was caused by the use of an improper lubricant that deposited a residue, over time, and interfered with the rotation of the shutter. The technician noted, at the time, that the gauge housing had been installed upside down, and that this may have contributed to the shutter sticking. Both ThermoFisher's report, dated June 11, 2009, and Albemarle Corporation's report, dated June 15, 2009, concur with the Department's observations; that the technician was able to close the shutter and then reinstalled the gauge in its proper orientation. No personnel exposures occurred during this incident. The Department has concluded that the root cause of this incident is improper maintenance. The Department considers this incident to be closed.
Notified R4DO(Hay) and
FSME EO(Vontill).