ENS 55487
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
22:00 Mar 30, 2020 | |
| Title | Lost and Recovered Moisture Density Gauge |
| Event Description | The following information was received via email:
The Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) of Design Technologies was notified at approximately 1600 MDT on 3/30/2020 by the technician that that the technician had lost a Troxler model 3411-B, serial number 7085, moisture density gauge out of the back of his truck. The gauge contains 9 millicuries of Cs-137 and 44 millicuries of Am241/Be. The technician claims that while on a paving project at the location, he was discussing a rolling pattern with the roller operator and sat the gauge in the bed of his truck with the tailgate down. The foreman then came by and told the technician that he could leave for the day. The technician then got in his truck and drove back to the office without securing the gauge. When the technician arrived at the office, he then realized the gauge was missing from the truck. The technician and the RSO quickly got in the truck to retrace his route from the jobsite to the office in search of the gauge. After searching for the gauge, the RSO then called the New Mexico State Police to report the lost gauge. The search continued until dark along the route until the next morning, 3/31/2020, at daylight. The RSO received a phone call from a local contractor in Las Cruces. The contractor stated that he was behind the technician as they were both making a 90 degree right turn onto Taylor Road from North Valley Drive when the gauge slid off the tailgate. The contractor knew what the gauge was and picked it up and put it in the back of his truck. The contractor then tried to track down the technician but could not find him. The contractor contacted the company that calibrates and leak tests our gauges whom the RSO had already notified and they provided the phone number. The contractor contacted the RSO and said the gauge was in good condition and its handle was in the shielded position. The RSO placed the gauge in its case, secured it, and brought it back to the office. Upon arriving at the office, the RSO inspected the gauge to the best of his ability, placed it on the standard block and performed a standardization count. The gauge has been placed out-of-service and a leak test was performed as a precautionary measure before the gauge was put back into service. New Mexico Item No.: NM200011 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 | |
|---|---|
| Design Technologies Fairacres, New Mexico (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | DM531-01 |
| Organization: | New Mexico Rad Control Program |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+13020.4 h542.517 days <br />77.502 weeks <br />17.835 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Michael Ortiz 10:24 Sep 24, 2021 |
| NRC Officer: | Brian P. Smith |
| Last Updated: | Sep 24, 2021 |
| 55487 - NRC Website | |
Design Technologies with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 554872020-03-30T22:00:00030 March 2020 22:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Lost and Recovered Moisture Density Gauge 2020-03-30T22:00:00 | |