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| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 56895 | 17 December 2023 21:31:00 | The following information was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA-OHS) via email: The IEMA-OHS Operations Center was contacted at 1712 CDT on December 17, 2023, by the radiation safety officer for Sterigenics to report a stuck source rack. The rack reportedly became stuck around 2300 on December 16, 2023, with approximately 10 percent of the sources above the pool level. The area was isolated with an additional restricted area established to maintain occupational exposures within limits. At this time, no public or occupational exposures above regulatory limits have been reported. This matter has a 24-hour reporting requirement under 32 Ill. Adm. Code 346.830 which was met by the licensee. IEMA-OHS inspectors will arrive at the facility on 12/18 to evaluate timelines for corrective action and the efficacy of safety systems. Staff will also evaluate the site and review staff dosimetry, potential impacts to source capsule integrity, any anticipated heat impacts, and plans for quality assurance of the impacted system(s). Source type: sealed source irradiator Radionuclide: Co-60 Activity: 24 MCi (888 PBq) Model no.: C-188 Illinois report no.: IL230036
The following information was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA-OHS) via email: Agency staff arrived at the site on 12/18/23 and surveys indicate no public or occupational exposure levels above normal operation. The source rack is still stuck in the unshielded position. The Agency continues to monitor the situation and will update when additional information is available. Notified R3DO (Edwards), NMSS (via email).
The following information was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA-OHS) via email: The Licensee reports 18 modules (3 rows), constituting 626,000 curies of Co-60, in the B/C cell remain stuck in the unshielded position due to product carts impeding travel of the rack. The sources are below the point of product cart impact. A second IEMA-OHS inspection was conducted to increase coordination on response activities and obtain additional data on the following: security requirements (all operational), radiation levels (700 microR/hour maximum reading), dosimetry procedures (transitioned to digital dosimetry which is read daily and employed at a 40 mrem/day investigational level), total occupational doses to date (20 mrem), exposure rate maps including access points used for radiation hardened cameras, personnel access, pool conductivity (within specifications), updated operations and emergency procedures (confirmed), on site staff and safety culture (satisfactory, additional manufacturer health physics staff brought in to assist), fire hazards (none at this time), status of deionizer (satisfactory), and mitigation planning. The Licensee is awaiting cameras and remote vehicles capable of withstanding radiation levels and manipulating product totes. The facility was confirmed to be in a safe and stable condition and ongoing response operations will be coordinated with IEMA-OHS. IEMA-OHS has now transitioned to weekly inspections until the incident is remedied. Updates will be provided as they become available. Notified R3DO (Stoedter), NMSS (via email).
The following information was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA-OHS) via email: The source rack was successfully returned to the shielded position. Sterigenics staff employed engineered tooling to access the stuck rack through roof projections on the evening of 1/25/24. IEMA-OHS staff were on site to observe setup and operations throughout the week. A review of digital dosimetry in use for all phases of the operations indicates there were no occupational exposures in excess of regulatory limits. Full report and root cause analysis pending. This report will be updated. Notified R3DO (Orlikowski), NMSS (via email). |
| ENS 56134 | 30 September 2022 16:51:00 | The following information was received from the state of Illinois (the Agency) via email: At approximately 1200 CDT on September 27, 2022, the Radiation Safety Officer for Illinois Institute of Technology (RML IL-01739-01), contacted the Agency to advise of a missing Cf-252 source, which has decayed to approximately 25 nanocuries. Reportedly, approximately 30 minutes earlier, radiation protection staff noticed the door to the source storage room was unlocked and the padlock found beneath a desk. An inventory of the room led to the discovery the Cf-252 source was missing. It is unclear if this involved intentional theft. The licensee states they will continue to search for the source until Monday and will then report the theft to public safety. Agency staff requested that appropriate context for the hazard be communicated to law enforcement as well, if reported. The Agency is awaiting additional information on source model/serial number. Illinois incident no.: IL220036 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 55954 | 21 June 2022 17:00:00 | The following was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency via email: Agency efforts to annually verify the inventory of registrant's generally licensed devices resulted in a declaration of loss by a registrant, Universal Scrap Metals, 9223657. Specifically, a Niton LLC, x-ray fluorescence analyzer (model XLp-818 PQ, serial number 9690), containing 30.0 mCi of Am-241 could not be located. The device was one of five, and the other four have been verified. On May 31, 2022 the registrant indicated they could not locate the device, but wanted to check several other departments before declaring it lost. The amount of americium present, although not representing a significant public safety concern, requires immediate reporting to the US NRC. The registrant failed to notify the Agency of disposal, transfer or loss. This matter will be (tracked until corrective action is provided.) Illinois Item Number: IL220021
The licensee provided new training for personnel and new procedures. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency closed the event. Notified R3DO (Hills). Notified via email: NMSS Event Notification and ILTAB. 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 54702 | 11 May 2020 21:55:00 | The following was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency via email: The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) communications center was notified at approximately 1942 (CDT) on 5/11/20 by the radiation safety officer for Testing Service Corp., license number IL-01178-01, to advise that a gauge user operating a Troxler model 3440 was struck by a bulldozer. The gauge user is reportedly fine, but the gauge was destroyed. The density gauge, serial number 72404, contains 8 mCi of Cs-137 and 40 mCi of Am-241/Be. Reportedly the source rod remained intact and both sources were identified and recovered into a lead drum. The licensee does possess a Geiger Muller survey meter and reported an external survey rate of 0.4 mR/hour on the outside of the drum (0.0 mR/hour is the reported background). The incident occurred at the southeast corner of Vollmer and Harlem in Matteson, IL. The sources were transported back to the licensee's facility. Agency inspectors are meeting with the licensee at 0700 (CDT) on 5/12/20 to verify the recovery of both sources, perform gross leak tests, advise on appropriate follow-up actions, and perform a site survey in Matteson. The licensee has already been in contact with the manufacturer for advice and instructions for returning the sources. Illinois Event No.: IL200007 |