ENS Event | |
|---|---|
20:15 Sep 3, 2025 | |
| Title | Damaged Moisture Density Gauge |
| Event Description | The following information was provided by the Louisiana Radiation Protection Division (LDEQ) via email:
On September 3, 2025, at approximately 1605 CDT, the radiation safety officer (RSO) for the licensee, Raba Kistner, Inc., notified LDEQ concerning an incident in which a Troxler model 3430 soil moisture density gauge, S/N 28457, was rolled over by a bulldozer. The incident occurred at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette New Iberia Research Center at approximately 1515 CDT. The RSO reported that during a direct transmission density measurement, in which the source was submerged in approximately eight inches of soil, the gauge was run over by the bulldozer. The gauge source rod was tilted in the soil approximately 45 degrees from the normal. It could not be determined if the source rod was bent, and no attempt was made to retract the density source into the safe position. The gauge possessed two sealed sources, an 8 mCi Cs-137 source, S/N 750-2469, and a 40 mCi Am/Be-241 source, S/N 47-25460. Both sources are approximately 28 years old. The gauge operator is currently maintaining an exclusion area of approximately 30 feet in radius about the gauge, which had a housing that was partially broken apart during the rollover. No radiation surveys have yet been performed of the gauge or surrounding area. The gauge manufacturer was contacted at time of reporting. The RSO will notify the LDEQ of incident status changes. Event report ID number: LA20250008 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Raba Kistner, Inc. New Iberia, Louisiana (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | LA-14485-L01 |
| Organization: | Louisiana Radiation Protection Div |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+-1.63 h-0.0679 days <br />-0.0097 weeks <br />-0.00223 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Russell S. Clark Ii 18:37 Sep 3, 2025 |
| NRC Officer: | Karen Cotton |
| Last Updated: | Sep 15, 2025 |
| 57896 - NRC Website | |
Raba Kistner, Inc. with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 578962025-09-03T20:15:0003 September 2025 20:15:00
[Table view]Agreement State Damaged Moisture Density Gauge 2025-09-03T20:15:00 | |