ENS 55292
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
06:00 Jun 3, 2021 | |
| Title | Missing Fixed Gauging Device |
| Event Description | The following information from the state of Utah was received by email:
The Utah Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC) was notified by the licensee that a fixed gauge was missing on 06/04/2021 at approximately 1430 MST. The licensee was reconfiguring a portion of their facility and had relocated a number of gauges from one location to another location in their operations for use at the new location. One of the fixed gauging devices, a Thermo Fisher, model 5202, serial number B3339, containing 500 milliCuries of cesium-137 (Cs-137) would not fit at the new location. The fixed gauge was supposed to be removed from the hopper where it was located and placed in storage for future use. For some reason, this removal did not occur. The fixed gauge was left in place and had not been moved to a secured storage location. The shutter on the gauge was locked in the closed position. Yesterday afternoon (06/03/2021), the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) was notified that the structure that the gauge had been located on had been demolished and the whereabouts of the gauge was not known. All of the materials from the demolition of the structure are still located in the area and are on the licensee's property. The licensee's staff began looking for the device. At about 1000 to 1100 MST this morning (06/04/2021), the licensee indicated that they had verified which gauge was missing and that it could not be located. The RSO began notifying all of the company personnel he is to notify when this occurs. The RSO thought he had 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to report the gauge as missing to the DWMRC instead of the immediate notification that was required and did not immediately notify the DWMRC. At this point, the licensee is continuing to search through the demolished parts of the structure for the gauge and will continue to do so. The materials from the demolition are not to be relocated or removed from the licensee's property until a through search of all of the materials can be made or the device is located. The DWMRC will conduct an on-site investigation of this issue. UT Event Report ID No.: UT-21-0001
The following is a synopsis of information reported by the state of Utah by email: The device is a density meter used in a conveyance system. The conveyance system has been recently upgraded. Several similar devices were transferred to the upgraded system. This device was not scheduled to be transferred and was to be placed in storage for evaluation upon the completion of the project. Miscommunication occurred in that this device was not removed when the other devices were transferred and was instead left in place during initial demolition activities of the conveyance system. The device remained onsite, located in a pile of the larger scrap materials pending further processing (size reduction and sorting) prior to offsite recycling. It was in this scrap pile that the device was recovered intact. The device was located and recovered shortly after the recovery effort began on June 10, 2021, and transported offsite for disposal on June 11, 2021. Notified R4DO (Werner), NMSS Events Notification, 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://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Rio Tinto Kennecott South Jordan, Utah (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | UT1800289 |
| Organization: | Utah Division Of Radiation Control |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+37.05 h1.544 days <br />0.221 weeks <br />0.0508 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Gwyn Galloway 19:03 Jun 4, 2021 |
| NRC Officer: | Bethany Cecere |
| Last Updated: | Jul 1, 2021 |
| 55292 - NRC Website | |
Rio Tinto Kennecott with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 552922021-06-03T06:00:0003 June 2021 06:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Missing Fixed Gauging Device 2021-06-03T06:00:00 | |