The following information was provided by the
Florida Bureau of Radiation Control (the Bureau) via email:
On or about 1715 [EDT], 9/7/23, [the licensee's] Assistant Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) notified [the Bureau] of a missing soil moisture density gauge. Operator [deleted] believed the gauge to be absent due to the storage/transport box 'feeling light' when the box was moved at 1700 EDT. Sanford Police Department (PD) was notified by the licensee. [A Bureau investigator] was notified. The NRC was notified.
Upon a subsequent thorough search of job site with Sanford PD, [the licensee] called the [Bureau's] duty officer at approximately 1800 EDT to report the gauge was located in the storage/transport box, which was within a locked and fenced area.
Florida Incident Number: FL23-141
- * * UPDATE ON 09/08/23 AT 0930 EDT FROM ROBERT LATHAM TO TOM HERRITY * * *
Just to clarify, I talked to the RSO this morning and he said the gauge user assumed the gauge was left at the job site that morning because when he got back to the office that evening to remove his samples, he had to move the gauge case and it felt light. It wasn't until they went back to the job site to meet with the PD that someone actually looked in the case and then realized the gauge was still in there. So the gauge was never out of their possession or control, they just assumed it was.
I will be submitting an investigation and incident report, but not a radioactive material license inspection report since there was no violation for loss of control.
Notified R1DO(Young), NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION via email.
- * * RETRACTION ON 09/08/23 AT 1037 EDT FROM MONROE A. COOPER TO TOM HERRITY * * *
On 9/8/23, at 1026 EDT, the Bureau spoke with Tierra and it was explained that the gauge was misidentified as missing. This occurred because a user determined the Troxler case felt light, and reported the object missing without ensuring the gauge was not present.
Notified R1DO(Young), NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION via email.