ENS 54265
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
05:00 Sep 9, 2019 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Lost Moisture / Density Gauge |
| Event Description | The following information was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services via E-mail:
On September 10, 2019, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] was notified by the licensee that on September 9, 2019, one of its technicians had lost a Troxler model 3440 moisture/density gauge. The gauge contained a 40 milliCurie americium-241 source and an eight milliCurie cesium-137 source. The licensee stated the technician had been working at a temporary job site and had placed the gauge on the tailgate of the truck. The technician left the job site, to get a meal, with the gauge still setting on the tailgate. After traveling about three miles the technician noted the tailgate was down and found the gauge was missing. The technician searched on foot the path they had driven, but did not locate the gauge. On the morning of September 10, 2019, the licensee searched the path traveled by the technician, but did not find the gauge. The licensee stated that the gauge was not in a transport case and the operating rod did not have a lock on it. Therefore, they could not say that there is no chance for an exposure to a member of the general public. The licensee stated they did not know if local law enforcement had been notified at the time of the call to the Agency, but would make sure that they call them and informed them of the event. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300. Texas Incident No.: I-9708
The following information was received via E-mail: On September 11, 2019, the licensee left a phone message informing the Agency [Texas Department of State health Services] that the gauge had been recovered. No additional information was provided. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300. Notified R4DO (Alexander), NMSS Events Notification E-mail group, CNSNS (Mexico), and ILTAB (Tucker). 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/Pub122
The following update was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services via email: On September 12, 2019, the Agency was contacted by the licensee and informed that the gauge had been recovered by a member of the general public on the day of the event (September 10, 2019). The individual who found the gauge contacted the licensee using the information provided on the gauge on September 11, 2019. The individual who recovered the gauge stated they found the gauge near the location the licensee had been using the gauge. The individual who found the gauge did not provide a reason they did not call before September 11, 2019. The gauge was inspected and was not damaged. The source was in the fully shielded position. A source leak test has been completed and sent for analysis. The individual who recovered the gauge stated they did not attempt to operate the gauge. The licensee stated they did not believe the individual who have been exposed because of this event. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300. Notified R4DO (Alexander), NMSS Events Notification E-mail group, CNSNS (Mexico), and ILTAB (Email). 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://wwwpub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub122 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Fugro Usa Land Inc Consultants Fort Worth, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | L05843 |
| Organization: | Texas Dept Of State Health Services |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+30.78 h1.283 days <br />0.183 weeks <br />0.0422 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Art Tucker 11:47 Sep 10, 2019 |
| NRC Officer: | Donald Norwood |
| Last Updated: | Sep 12, 2019 |
| 54265 - NRC Website | |
Fugro Usa Land Inc Consultants with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 542652019-09-09T05:00:0009 September 2019 05:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Lost Moisture / Density Gauge 2019-09-09T05:00:00 | |