The following information was received from the State of
Ohio via email:
The assistant RSO of BP Husky refinery called the Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Protection [Department] at 0933 EDT on April 10, 2014 to report an incident that happened overnight.
Thermo Fisher had been contracted to remove an old Ohmart gauge for disposal. During the removal of the gauge, the gauge and the gauge rigging fell. The gauge was still attached to the source well and was being removed as a single unit. The damaged gauge fell and became stuck inside the vessel tower skirt. During the fall, the gauge was damaged and the source became exposed. The dose rate from the device is 640 mRem/hr at 1 ft. The area, which is located inside a secured refinery, is roped and barricaded. No personnel were injured during the incident.
The gauge is an Ohmart SHRM-BW. It contained 1000 mCi of Cs-137 when installed in 1966.
The Department sent an inspector to the site to observe the source and gauge recovery efforts on April 10, 2014. VEGA (the successor company of Ohmart) sent a field service representative to provide technical assistance. As of 1830 CDT on April 10, 2014, efforts to return the source to the shielded position were unsuccessful.
The Department continues to monitor efforts to secure the source in a shielded position.
- * * UPDATE FROM KARL VON AHN TO CHARLES TEAL ON 4/11/14 AT 1556 EDT * * *
At 1530 EDT on April 11, 2014, the BP Husky Refinery RSO called the Department to report that the VEGA and Thermo Fisher service personnel were able to retract the sealed source back into the shielded position. A preliminary check of the sealed source leak tests did not indicate any leakage of the sealed source.
Notified R3DO (Pelke) and
FSME Events Resource.