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| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 43514 | 21 July 2007 10:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report Involving Equipment Damage Due to a Vehicle Accident | The following information was provided via email: At approximately 5:00 AM on Saturday morning the Division's Radiological Duty Officer (RDO) was notified by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Communications Center that a nuclear gauge was involved in a vehicular accident at the 3rd Street on-ramp at I-70 (E) in East St. Louis, Illinois. The RDO then contacted the responsible licensee, Fred Weber, Inc., and talked to (DELETED), the licensee's Radiation Safety Officer, who was at the scene. The RSO reported that the portable gauge had been struck at high speed by a car which had crossed into the marked and barricaded construction zone on the entrance ramp to the interstate. As a result the gauge had been destroyed into many parts. One of those parts, the source rod containing Cs-137 in a special form capsule had become separated from the gauge and its shielded housing. Using a hand held Geiger counter, (the RSO) performed wipe tests on the gauge base containing the Am-241 source and the Cs-137 source rod and found no removable gross contamination. (The RSO) had also contacted the manufacturer, Troxler for assistance and instruction in resolving the scene. After discussion with the Agency's RDO, (the RSO) was able to place the source rod in its original shielding and secure the rod into the shielding with tape. He then placed the base of the gauge and the source rod, with the shielding, in its Type 'A' transport case and filled any voids with sand to provide additional shielding and stabilization. Radiation readings taken by (the RSO) from the side of the case exhibited normal levels. The RDO then contacted the St. Clair County Emergency Services (DELETED). (DELETED) of the Hazardous Materials unit were enroute to the scene at the time of that call. When they arrived, they performed confirmatory radiation surveys with their radiation instrumentation and noted no contamination on the roadway. Radiation levels of the transport case were also determined to be at normal levels. Surveys of (the RSO) noted no contamination. (The RSO) transported the gauge back to their storage site in Maryland Heights, MO. Arrangements were made for (the RSO) to contact the gauge manufacturer for further instructions with regards to returning the device for repair/disposal. (The RSO) confirmed he would send the required written report as well as notify the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as the firm is also an NRC licensee. Pending receipt of that report and successful disposition of the damaged gauge, this item remains open. This event was reported to the U.S. NRC Operations Center on July 24 and assigned event number 43514. Corrective Actions: Action Number: 1 Corrective Action: EQUIPMENT RETURNED TO MANUFACTURER FOR REPAIR OR DISPOSAL Keywords: DEVICE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT Source of Radiation: Source Number: 1 Form of Radioactive - SEALED SOURCE Source Use: PORTABLE GAUGE Manufacturer: AMERSHAM Model Number: Serial Number:77-5535 Radionuclide or Voltage (kVp/MeV): CS-137 Activity: 0.008 Ci or 0.296 GBq Problem with Source: NONE Source Number: 2 Form of Radioactive SEALED SOURCE Source Use: PORTABLE GAUGE Manufacturer: AMERSHAM Model Number: Serial Number: 78-2987 Radionuclide or Voltage (kVp/MeV): AM-BE Activity: 0.040 Ci or 1.48 GBq Problem with Source: NONE Device/Associated Equipment: Device Number: 1 Device Name: PORTABLE GAUGE Manufacturer: TROXLER Model Number: 3440 Serial Number: 38181 Problem with Equipment: SHIELDING COMPROMISED Reporting Requirements: Reporting Requirement: 32 IAC 340.1220(c)(2) - The Licensee shall notify the Division within 24 hours in the event equipment is disabled or fails to function as designated. Mode Reported: Telephone The licensee whose principal business location is in Maryland Heights, MO is also licensed and maintains storage locations in Illinois due to the volume of work performed in that state. Illinois Report ID: IL070041 |