The following information was provided by the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via phone and email:
The Agency was contacted on 6/3/25 by the radiation safety officer for Hanson Professional Services, Inc. to report that a Troxler 3440 moisture density gauge (8 mCi Cs-137, 40 mCi Am-241/Be) had been damaged on a construction site in Pekin, IL. [The licensee reported that] approximately a half-hour earlier, a truck backed over the gauge damaging the case and electronics. The source rod was not extended when the incident occurred. The licensee did not have a survey meter, but the gauge user had isolated the area and was maintaining direct surveillance of the device.
Agency staff arrived to assess the gauge approximately 90 minutes later. Both sources were undamaged, and exposure rates were consistent with the sealed source and device registry sheet. The source rod was fully retracted, and the shutter closed. The transport case was not damaged and was used to package and prepare the gauge for return to the licensee's storage vault. Area surveys were taken, and the incident did not result in contamination, loss of radioactive material or exposures in excess of regulatory limits. That evening, the gauge was returned to the licensee's secure storage and will be leak tested prior to being shipped to the manufacturer for repair/disposal.
Investigation findings indicate the gauge user walked away from the gauge momentarily when returning to their vehicle. A vehicle on the site then backed over the device, crushing the housing, but not damaging either source or its shielding. The root cause of the event is failure of the gauge user to maintain constant surveillance and prevent unauthorized access to licensed material. This report will be kept open pending receipt of the licensee's written report identifying corrective actions.
Illinois item number: IL250023