The licensee [Dowl HKM] Radiation Safety Officer (
RSO) reported that a Model 34/40
Troxler Moisture/Density
Gauge, containing 8 mCi
Cs-137 and 40 mCi Am/Be sources, was damaged at a construction site near Evanston, Wyoming. A roller inadvertently backed over the
gauge, however the sources are intact and in the stored position. There is no indication of contamination or exposure to personnel. The
gauge has been returned to the appropriate storage container and the container has been locked. The storage container has been placed in the back of a pickup truck and the truck has been parked in a roped off area to minimize the possibility of exposure. The licensee
RSO has been dispatched and will provide additional details as they are acquired.
- * * UPDATE AT 1740 EDT ON 10/14/14 FROM MICHAEL NEZWORSKI TO MARK ABRAMOVITZ * * *
The following report was received via e-mail:
On 9/16/14, a DOWL HKM technician was operating a portable nuclear Densometer (Troxler model 3440 s/n: 30263) on an asphalt paving job near Evanston, WY. The nuclear gauge came in contact with a steel drum roller on the roadway surface, which caused the gauge to be slightly damaged. The outer case was cracked, and the base of the gauge was bent. Both sources within the gauge were still intact and proper shielding was still in working order. The gauge was placed in the safe position and locked in its storage box. The box was placed in a pickup truck and properly locked and then quarantined until a leak test and survey could be performed later that evening. The DOWL HKM RSO was contacted in Billings, MT, and dispatched to the jobsite immediately after the event. As he traveled, Qai-Tek associates were also contacted to perform leak testing and survey of the gauge and surrounding area. At approximately 2100 EDT, a Qai-Tek associate arrived and performed an on-site leak test of the gauge, and the gauge case. The leak test passed, no exposure occurred, so no survey of the jobsite was performed. Mr. Wilson secured the gauge in his vehicle, and returned it to Qai-Tek's office in Idaho Falls, ID. Repairs were made to the damage gauge and it was returned to DOWL HKM on 10/13/14.
Notified the R4DO (Haire) and
FSME Events Resource (via e-mail).