During a periodic safety inspection of an installation facility, the Safety Manager noted that up to four
tritium exit signs were missing from mounting locations above partition wall doorways. Photoluminescent equivalents had been installed in their place. The
exit signs were manufactured by Safety Light Corporation with an effective life cycle of ten years set to expire on November 2017. Model numbers and activity levels of the missing signs are unknown. A local search for items returned negative results and the
exit signs were determined lost on 16 October 2017. Interviews conducted with base operations personnel and contract employees indicate
tritium exit signs were removed on or around 16 August 2017 and replaced with a non-radioactive equivalent. It is believed that the
exit signs were disposed of in a municipal waste dumpster on the installation. An internal investigation is underway to gather additional information and determine root cause.
The U.S. Army Garrison - Carlisle Barracks reported the lost exits signs as a general license holder pursuant to 10 CFR 31.5. Telephonic reporting requirement in 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) applies. A formal written report will be submitted within 30 days after making the telephone report with the NRC that 10 CFR 20.2201(b) requires.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than
IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf