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| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 52603 | 9 March 2017 06:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Fire During Radiography Operations | The following information was provided by the State of Minnesota via email: A Team Industrial Services radiography crew was working at Flint Hills Refinery on March 9, 2017. Approximately 7 minutes after starting a 13 minute exposure, one of the radiographers (Radiographer 1) noticed a fire had started near the exposure device. Radiographer 1 instructed the other radiographer (Radiographer 2) to call the plant's fire department and notify the Team's lead radiographer at their Rosemount location. Radiographer 1 then attempted to retract the source and was unsuccessful. Radiographer 1 then successfully extinguished the fire however the fire started again shortly after. At this point Radiographer 1 exited the unit. (The Team's lead radiographer) instructed the crew to extend their boundaries and wait for assistance. (The Team's lead radiographer) contacted the Team's Radiation Safety Officer. The fire department arrived and was able to extinguish the fire from a ladder truck located outside the radiographer's boundaries. The Team's lead radiographer and (another individual) arrived on-site and assessed the situation. Other available radiographers were dispatched to the site to assist in monitoring the site boundaries. (The Team's lead radiographer) sent pictures of the site to (the Team's Radiation Safety Officer) who contacted QSA for assistance in planning the source retrieval. The retrieval team was able to identify that the drive cables conduit was melted, exposing the drive cable and separating the connection from the camera causing the crank to malfunction. They manually attempted to retract the drive cable and were able to confirm with survey meters that the source was still connected to the drive cable. The drive cable was manually retracted and the source was pulled into the shielded position. Surveys were taken to confirm the source was shielded, and the source was locked in position. The source has been leak tested and the sample was overnighted to QSA for analysis. The plant is assessing the situation and will issue a report regarding the cause of the fire. The pocket dosimeter readings for the crew were as follows: Radiographer 1: 54 mR Radiographer 2: 15 mR Another individual: 13 mR Team's lead radiographer: 5 mR The licensee is in the process of assessing the dose received by the fire fighters, however it is assumed that their doses were minimal based on the doses received by the radiography crew and their distance from the source. The licensee is preparing and will issue a written report within the required 30 day time frame. Exposure device: QSA 880 D. Source: A-424-9, Ir-192, 64 curies | ||
| ENS 46002 | 11 June 2010 21:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Stuck Radiography Camera Source | At approximately 1600 CDT local time, a Kansas Licensee, Team Industrial Services Inc., reported that they had a radiography camera source become stuck during source retraction. While they were retracting the source, the stand tipped and resulted in the guide tube being bent such that the source could not be fully retracted. The licensee was able to secure the area easily since the shot was being conducted in a vault. Personnel exited the area and the licensee contacted their corporate RSO in Hammond, Indiana. There is no concern by the licensee of any over-exposure. The State, after talking with the licensee's corporate RSO, authorized recovery by a person on-site who is listed under the NRC license in Indiana. The State is expediting reciprocity paperwork to recognize the source recovery. Kansas # KS-100005. * * * UPDATE FROM DAVE WHITFILL TO STEVE SANDIN AT 1848 EDT ON 6/11/10 * * * At 1725 CDT the source was successfully retracted. Notified R4DO (Powers) and FSME (Mauer). * * * UPDATE FROM DAVE WHITFILL TO BILL HUFFMAN AT 1716 EDT ON 6/14/10 * * * The State of Kansas provided the following additional details on this event via facsimile: Equipment involved: QSA Global model 880D exposure device s/n D3027, Iridium 192 s/n 59219B, 26.6 curies, with associated equipment including drive mechanism, guide tube. And a tungsten collimator. Description of incident: At approximately 3:15 pm, the magnetic stand used during the exposure set up fell at the conclusion of a radiographic exposure and impacted the source guide tube causing it to crimp and preventing the source assembly from returning to the fully shielded position within the exposure device. Actions taken to resolve: The exposures were conducted within a shielded room thereby providing radiation attenuation and enhancing control of the area during incident remediation activities. There were no exposures to unmonitored persons or members of the general public. The Radiographer immediately contacted emergency response personnel within Team Industrial Services, Inc. including the Corporate Radiation Safety Officer. The CRSO performed a preliminary assessment of the event and contacted Kansas Department of Health and Environment. A retrieval plan was developed and discussed with on site personnel. The plan used involved the placement of additional shielding (including available steel and bags of welding flux) at the source location using an overhead crane. This reduced the radiation levels to the point that the radiographer could approach the location of the crimp and remove the crimp by applying pressure using large adjustable pliers (i.e. channel-lock type). He then retracted the source into the fully shielded position within the exposure device, surveyed, and locked the device. The exposure for the complete activity including the radiographic operations was 120 mrem for the radiographer and 75 mrem for the assistant radiographer as registered on their assigned direct reading dosimeters. Corrective Actions taken: The damaged guide tube was immediately removed from service. An inspection of the device and drive assembly, including the drive cable and source assembly, will be conducted to determine if any damage occurred before releasing for continued use. An investigation into the use of the magnetic stand will be conducted to try to determine the problems associated with the use of this type of source positioning device. Notified R4DO (Powers), R3DO (Kunowski), and FSME (Mauer). |