The following was received via email from the licensee:
[The Engineering Technician] was performing density tests on an aggregate base with a nuclear density gauge (nuc) [gauge: Troxler 3411 s/n 14468; 8.0 mCi Cs-137; 40.0 mCi Am-241] and the loader operator was also working in the area. The [loader] operator was trying to back-up and grazed [the Engineering Technician] on his left shoulder slightly with the rear bumper end, just after [the Engineering Technician] had brought the source rod into the safe position to record the test results. [The Engineering Technician] rolled out of the way and as the loader came to a stop it had hit the nuc gauge and broke the guide rod. Unsure if the source was intact, [the Engineering Technician] kept the loader in-place and kept people more than 15 feet away until [the Operations Manager and the Senior Project Consultant] could arrive on-site to assess the situation. [The Engineering Technician] informed [the Operations Manager and the Senior Project Consultant] on the phone and once they arrived on-site that he was uninjured, since he was able to easily roll out of the way of the loader. [The licensee] then determined that both sources were still intact and the source tip was in the shielded position within the gauge. [The licensee] took a Geiger Counter reading at the site (0.06 mRem/hr 3 feet from the gauge) and again after loading the gauge into the transport box (less than 0.03 mRem/hr 3 feet from the box). Prior to loading the gauge into the box, [the licensee] performed a leak test on the gauge and shipped the leak test to Instrotek as soon as [the licensee] returned to the office with the damaged gauge.
The licensee noted that the
gauge is currently locked-out/tagged-out and once they receive the leak test results they will most likely transfer the
gauge to Instrotek for disposal.