ENS 55284
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
20:00 May 28, 2021 | |
| Title | Potential Overexposure to Radiographer |
| Event Description | The following was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services via email:
On May 30, 2021, at approximately [1500] CDT one of the licensee's radiographers reported to the radiation safety officer that on May 28, 2021, he had handled a collimator while the source was in it. The radiographer was using a SPEC 150 camera with a 22 curie Iridium-192 source. The radiographer had taken a shot on top of a 2-inch pipe on a pipe stand. He then set up for the next shot by taking hold of the collimator (back, shielded side) and slid it down to the side of the pipe (90 degree). The beam was always facing the pipe. When he walked back to the camera to crank out the source, he found he had not cranked it back in after the first shot. The radiographer was not wearing an alarming rate meter, a pocket dosimeter, or a dosimetry badge, and he was not carrying/using a survey meter at the time of the incident. The licensee's initial, rough calculations indicate the dose will be lower than the reporting criteria used for this report, but until they can get more information, this report is being made as an immediate report. The radiographer was seen by a physician today and the licensee reported white blood cell counts were normal. The licensee is investigating the event and also why the radiographer did not report the incident when it occurred. More information will be provided as it is obtained in accordance with SA-300. Texas Incident number not assigned as of the time of the report.
The following was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via email: On May 30, 2021, the Agency was informed by the licensee that on May 30, 2021, at approximately [1500] CDT one of the licensee's radiographers reported to the radiation safety officer that on May 28, 2021, he had handled a collimator while the source was in it. The radiographer was using a SPEC 150 camera with a 22 Curie Iridium-192 source. The radiographer had taken a shot on top of a 2-inch pipe on a pipe stand. He then set up for the next shot by taking hold of the collimator (back, shielded side) and slid it down to side of the pipe (90 degree). The beam was always facing the pipe. When he walked back to the camera to crank out the source, he found he had not cranked it back in after the first shot. The radiographer was not wearing an alarming rate meter, a pocket dosimeter, or a dosimetry badge, and he was not carrying/using a survey meter at the time of the incident. The licensee conducted a reenactment of the radiographer's actions on June 1, 2021. The Agency conducted an on-line meeting with the licensee on June 16, 2021 and reviewed the video. Using the reenactment and the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) 41 table 6, it was determined that the exposure to the radiographer's fingers was 31.28 Rem (exposed for 2 seconds) and to the remainder of his hand was 7.629 Rem (exposed for 6 seconds collimator 4.25 half-layer values (HLVS)). The whole-body dose was 124.68 milliRem. No exposure limits were exceeded. Texas Incident Number: 9853 Notified R4DO (Warnick), NMSS Events and DIR MSST (Williams) via email. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Iris Ndt Houston, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | L-06435 |
| Organization: | Texas Dept Of State Health Services |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+46.72 h1.947 days <br />0.278 weeks <br />0.064 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Karen Blanchard 18:43 May 30, 2021 |
| NRC Officer: | Kerby Scales |
| Last Updated: | Jul 9, 2021 |
| 55284 - NRC Website | |
Iris Ndt with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 552842021-05-28T20:00:00028 May 2021 20:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Potential Overexposure to Radiographer ENS 421562005-11-19T02:00:00019 November 2005 02:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Potential Overexposure of a Radiographer ENS 421032005-10-31T07:00:00031 October 2005 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Missing Radiography Camera 2021-05-28T20:00:00 | |