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| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 56217 | 3 November 2022 14:35:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State - Radioactive Source Found in Scrap Yard | The following information was provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia Radioactive Materials Program (RMP) via email: On November 3, 2022 at 0935 EST, the RMP received a call from Gerdau Metals Recycling Company that a load of scrap metal being received set off the radiation monitoring detector. The load was dumped and surveyed with a hand held survey meter. A Cs-137 dose calibrator reference source (E-vial) was found among the scrap metal in its accompanying lead shield complete with markings. The highest radiation measured on contact was 1.3 mR/hr. On November 4, 2022, the RMP inspector visited the site and performed a general survey to ensure that there are no other sources in the scrap metals. It was confirmed that there are no other sources in the load. The source was marked as an Amersham Model CDR.562 Cs-137 source S/N CB557 with an initial activity of 260 microcuries on 13 December 1990. The decayed activity as of 11/4/2022 is about 124.5 microcuries. The RMP inspector coordinated with a local medical physicist and determined that this source was on the list of the inventory, which was conducted in April 2007, of one of the local diagnostic medical imaging centers, whose license was terminated in January 2009. The source was supposed to be transferred to another local hospital during the termination of the license. Currently, the RMP is working with Gerdau Metal Recycling Company and a local health physicist for the proper disposal of the source. The report will be updated. Virginia Event Report ID: VA220004 THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A 'Less than Cat 3' LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf | ||
| ENS 54774 | 9 July 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Portable Moisture Density Gauge Damaged | The following report was received from the Commonwealth of Virginia via email: On July 9, 2020, a representative of the Virginia Radioactive Materials Program (VRMP) received a report from a licensee through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management that a portable nuclear moisture /density gauge was damaged at a temporary jobsite in Manassas, Virginia. The VRMP contacted the licensee immediately and learned that a Bobcat V519 forklift struck the gauge (CPN MC1 Elite, Serial # 30950, containing 10 milliCuries of Cesium-137 and 50 milliCuries of Americium-241/Beryllium). The incident occurred while the gauge operator was running a gauge standardization count in front of the forklift. The guide tube of the gauge was bent and the case was scratched. However, the sources were in the shielded position and the shielding integrity was not damaged. The licensee performed a survey of the gauge and readings observed were less than 0.4 mR/hr at three (3) feet distance from the gauge. The gauge was put in its transport box and returned to the Manassas office. Wipe test samples were taken and results are pending. The VRMP is working with the licensee to obtain additional information and this report will be updated once the licensee's investigation is complete and the information is received. Virginia report no.: VA-20-003 | ||
| ENS 54682 | 24 April 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Fixed Gauge Shutter Test Failure | The following was received from the Commonwealth of Virginia via email: On April 24, 2020, a licensee reported that the shutter of a fixed gauge used to measure the level of material inside a process vessel was stuck in the open position. This incident was identified on April 24, 2020, during the biennial leak testing of the source. The gauge is a Ronan Engineering Company, device (Model SA-1, serial number SO-VA-7063), and Source (Model SA1-F37, serial number M7451), containing 40 mCi of Cs-137. The report indicated that the impacted site personnel were notified immediately and barriers were erected to prevent access to the gauge area. Based on the report, there was no public exposure or environmental release from this event. The licensee has contacted the manufacturer (Ronan Engineering Company) for further investigation and to fix the problem. The Virginia Office of Radiological Health will review the licensee's written report and determine if additional actions are needed to be taken. | ||
| ENS 54910 | 31 July 2019 14:28:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Camera Source Unable to Retract | The following was reported by the Virginia Office of Radiological Health, via email: On August 26, 2019, the Virginia Office of Radiological Health (ORH) received an incident report from the licensee, MISTRAS GROUP, Inc. The source, 66 curies of Ir-192, could not be retracted to its shielded position during radiographic work. The radiographic work involved inspecting a water tank located in an open space. The incident occurred on July 31, 2019, at about 1028 EDT at a temporary jobsite located in White Post, Virginia. The incident occurred because a magnetic stand that was utilized to support the source tube fell during an exposure, creating a kink in the source tube and preventing full retraction back to the shielded position. The radiography crew immediately established a new boundary, notified the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and customer, and relocated all workers outside the boundary area. A radiation survey was performed immediately at the new boundary and the measurement did not exceed 2 mR in any one hour. The site was supervised by the radiography crew until the RSO arrived at the scene and repositioned the source back to its shielding position safely. The pocket dosimeters indicated that the RSO, the radiographer, and assistant radiographer received 28 mrem, 20 mrem, and 10 mrem, respectively. In addition, the whole body dosimeters were sent to Landauer for analysis and no significant radiation exposures were reported to the RSO, Radiographer, and Assistant Radiographer. On August 28, 2019, the ORH inspector conducted a reactive inspection and it was found that the root causes of the incident were identified properly by the licensee and corrective actions, including training on procedures, on radiographic techniques, and on set up for that particular type of radiography work were discussed with the radiographer. The ORH determined that this incident is closed. The report from Virginia also stated: This incident was reported to the NRC through NMED on August 29, 2019 as if it was a 30-day notification requirement. However, the 2020 Virginia IMPEP review team discovered that it should have been classified as a 24-hour notification requirement. Accordingly, this report is being sent to correct the error. Event Report ID No: VA-19004 |