On Friday, June 15, 2012, at approximately 3:15 p.m. MDT (Mountain Daylight Time), a portable
gauge licensee (Kumar and Associates, Inc.;
Colorado License No. 778-01, Amendment 14) based in Denver,
Colorado notified the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Radioactive Materials Unit on-call duty officer that a
gauge being used on a construction site had been damaged by heavy equipment earlier in the day (~2:15 p.m. MDT). The licensee reported that heavy equipment backed up and rolled over the
gauge and the
gauge technician was unable to retrieve or move the
gauge in time. According to the licensee, and based on visual observation, the source capsule area at the end of the rod appeared intact and not significantly damaged as a result of the incident. Neither the source nor source rod were separated from the body of the
gauge. The source rod, however, could not be retracted back into the shielded position and was transported back to the licensee facility in that manner.
The gauge involved was a Troxler model 3440 (gauge serial number 32754), currently containing approximately 6.2 mCi (decayed from 3/1/2001 assay date) of Cs-137 (serial #750-8100) and 40 mCi (5/28/99 assay date) of Am-247:Be (serial #47-28951).
At the time of the notification by the licensee to CDPHE at approximately 3:15 pm MDT, the gauge had already been returned to the licensee's facility. CDPHE requested that a leak test be performed on the gauge sources before any further actions are taken and that the licensee consult with a licensed repair facility or manufacturer for proper shipment of the damaged gauge.
Additional information and an incident report from the licensee is pending.