The following information was received from the State of
Colorado via email:
At 10:06 am on Friday, March 29, 2013 the Emergency Response Duty Officer was notified that there was an incident involving a portable moisture density gauge that had been run over by a piece of heavy construction equipment. The [Colorado] Department [of Public Health and Environment] responded by phone and contacted the RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] for Terracon, Inc., who was on site supervising the incident. The RSO reported that the gauge had been backed over by a Bobcat loader. The Bobcat loader had a counter balance weight on the rear of the equipment and this contacted the gauge damaging the outer casing. The RSO reported that the source had been fully retracted and was in the safe (shielded position). The RSO conducted a survey and the reading was 0.2 mr/hr at 1 foot. The gauge was loaded into the transport box and readied for transport back to storage at the Tarracon facility. The transport index on the box was 0.1 mr/hr and the RSO was given permission to transport gauge back to storage and perform a leak test before sending off for repair. The leak tests proved negative and the gauge was [shipped] for repair. This licensee will be issued a Notice of Violation of Part 4.26.1: 'The licensee shall control and maintain constant surveillance of licensed or registered radioactive material that is in an unrestricted area and that is not in storage or in a patient.'
Licensee causing incident: Terracon, Inc., Colo. License number 664-02
Density gauge model and serial number: Troxler model 3430 s/n 28184
Isotopes in gauge: Cs-137 (9mCi); Am-241 (40mCi)
Survey meter used by RSO: Radiation Alert Monitor 4, s/n 42585, Cal. Date: August 7, 2012
Incident number: I13-03