Semantic search
| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 47428 | 10 November 2011 20:10:00 | On November 10th, the radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6774). During the shift, the source was cranked in and the camera was surveyed per the proper procedure. There were no abnormal readings observed during the survey and the key was turned to the lock position. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not fully seated. The 2 mR/hr boundary was reconfirmed and the Foreman and Supervisor were notified. The camera was surveyed and noted as being safe to transport. The camera was tagged out and placed in the Permanent Storage facility. A trained radiographer removed and cleaned the locking system. The locking system was successfully reinstalled. The camera has been returned to service. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6774 Source S/N: 70129B Source Activity: 63.4 curies Source Type: Ir-192 Source Model # QSA 87703 There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. See similar events: 47418, 46533, 46323, 46233, 46052, 46051, 45669, 45648, 45609, 45544, 45524, 45496, 45469, 45384. |
| ENS 47418 | 6 November 2011 13:04:00 | A radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunction of the locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device. After completing radiography activities, the source was cranked in however, the source was still 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the fully retracted position. There were no abnormal readings observed and the key was turned to the locked position. The crew has been trained for this type of situation. They dismantled the lock, cleaned it, rebuilt it, and retracted the source to its fully retracted position. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6774 Source S/N: 70129B Source Activity: 80 curies Source Type: Ir192 There was no exposure from this event.
The following report was received via fax: On November 5th, the radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6774). During the shift, the source was cranked in and the camera was surveyed per the proper procedure. There were no abnormal readings observed during the survey and the key was turned to the lock position. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not fully seated. The 2 mR/hr boundary was reconfirmed and the Foreman and Supervisor were notified. The camera was surveyed and noted as being safe to transport. The camera was tagged out and placed in the Permanent Storage facility. A trained radiographer removed and cleaned the locking system. The locking system was successfully reinstalled. The camera has been returned to service. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6774 Source S/N: 70129B Source Activity: 63.4 curies Source Type: Ir-192 Source Model # QSA 87703 There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. Notified the R4DO (Hay) and FSME (Camper). |
| ENS 46533 | 11 January 2011 10:29:00 | On January 10th, the radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6631). During the shift the source was cranked in and the camera was surveyed per the proper procedure. There were no abnormal readings observed during the survey and the key was turned to the lock position. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not fully seated. The 2 mR/Hr boundary was reconfirmed and the night foreman was notified. The camera was surveyed and noted as being safe to transport. The camera was tagged out and placed in the permanent storage facility. A trained radiographer removed and cleaned the locking system. The locking system was successfully reinstalled. The camera has been returned to service. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device SIN: 6631 Source SIN: 666928 Source Activity: 95 curies Source Type: Ir192 Source Model # QSA 87703 There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. |
| ENS 46323 | 9 October 2010 21:03:00 | On October 9, the radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunction of the locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device. After completing radiography activities, the source was cranked in and the camera was surveyed per the proper procedure. There were no abnormal readings observed during the survey and the key was turned to the lock position. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not fully seated. The 2 mR/Hr boundary was reconfirmed and the Radiation Safety Supervisor was notified. A trained radiographer came to the site and removed the locking system and cleaned it. The locking system was successfully reinstalled. The camera has been returned to service. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6631 Source S/N: P661 Source Activity: 61 curies Source Type: Ir192 Source Model # INC Model 32 There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. |
| ENS 46233 | 7 September 2010 11:54:00 | On September 4th the radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6631). At the end of the shift the source was cranked in and the camera was surveyed per the proper procedure. There were no abnormal readings observed during the survey and the key was turned to the lock position. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not fully seated. The 2 mR/Hr boundary was reconfirmed and the Radiation Safety Supervisor was notified. A trained radiographer came to the site and removed the locking system and cleaned it. The locking system was successfully reinstalled. The camera has been returned to service. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6631 Source S/N: P661 Source Activity: 84 curies Source Type: Ir192 Source Model # INC Model 32 There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. |
| ENS 46052 | 29 June 2010 13:04:00 | On June 29th (at approximately 0100), the radiography crew working the Alpine Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 exposure device (serial number 4814). During the night shift the locking mechanism on the exposure device would not operate properly. When the locking latch was depressed the source could not be moved to the exposed position. When retract pressure was applied, the locking device would not 'pop up', it had to be moved manually. The source never left the safe and secure position. The trained radiographer who can work on the locking mechanism decided that the camera would be tagged out and returned to the manufacturer for repair. The camera will be shipped (on today). There was no exposure to the crew or the General Public during this incident. The IR-100 unit uses a 52 Curie Ir-192 source. Source S/N: P311. The licensee has informed Region 4. |
| ENS 46051 | 29 June 2010 12:50:00 | On June 29th (at approximately midnight), the radiography crew working the Alpine Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6757). During the night shift the locking mechanism tripped prematurely. A survey of the exposure device did not reveal any abnormal readings. When the crank assembly was disconnected it was noted that the pigtail was not in the proper position. A trained technician removed the locking assembly and cleaned dirt from the locking assembly. The exposure device was reassembled with the source in the safe and secure position. There was no exposure to the crew or the General Public during this incident. The IR-100 device uses a 60 Curie Ir-192 source. Source S/N: P344. The licensee has informed Region 4. |
| ENS 45669 | 1 February 2010 13:07:00 | On January 31st, two different radiography crews working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on the same INC IR-100 exposure device (serial number 6621). During the night shift, the locking mechanism tripped prematurely (approximately 1/4 inch before the retracted lock position). A survey of the exposure device did not reveal any abnormal readings. When the crank assembly was disconnected, it was noted that the pigtail was not in the proper position. A trained technician removed the locking assembly and cleaned dirt and ice from the assembly. The exposure device was reassembled with the source in the safe and secure position. The day shift utilized the same device and experienced the same situation. When the lock was removed to be cleaned, there was a build up of ice in the locking assembly. The exposure device was reassembled with the source in the safe and secure position. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100; Device S/N: 6621; Source S/N: O835; Source Activity: 85 curies; Source Type: Ir-192. The weather was minus 15 degrees with a wind speed of 18 knots. There was no exposure to the crew or the General Public during this incident. |
| ENS 45648 | 22 January 2010 11:39:00 | On January 22, 2010, a radiography crew working the Alpine Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska had a camera source that failed to fully retract back into the camera. The technician was able to restore the source to the shielded position and the camera has been returned to the vault. The locking mechanism will be repaired later today. At the time of this report it is believed that the camera contains a 70 Ci Iridium-192 source.
On January 22nd a radiography crew working the Alpine Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device. When preparing to perform the second exposure of the shift (Ir-192, 84 curies) the locking bar deployed prematurely. The crew reset the locking bar and the locking mechanism tripped again when the cranks were rotated. The exposure device was surveyed, no abnormal readings noticed, and prepared for disassembly. When the crank assembly was removed it was noted that the pigtail was not in the proper position, approximately 1/4 inch further inside the camera than normal. The shipping plugs were placed appropriately and the exposure device was tagged out and transported back to the storage vault. When the trained technician attempted to remove the locking assembly, one set screw could not be removed. The remaining set screws were replaced and the camera will be shipped back to the manufacturer for repair. The weather was minus 17 degrees with a wind speed of 18 knots. There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. Notified the R4DO (Werner) and FSME (Camper).
The report is being updated to provide source and exposure device information. Exposure Device: Industrial Nuclear IR-100 Device S/N: 6761 Source S/N: 0820 Source Type: 82.4 curies, IR-192 Notified R4DO (Pick) and FSME Daytime EO (McIntosh). |
| ENS 45609 | 6 January 2010 11:41:00 | On January 6th a radiography crew working the Kuparuk Oil Field on the North Slope of Alaska experienced a malfunctioning locking system on an INC IR-100 exposure device. When returning the source (Ir-192, 108 curies) the locking bar deployed prematurely. The crew reset the locking bar and was able to return the source to the safe and secure position. The crew was working a remote location using a Tucker (tracked machine for traveling over snow) and called for the night foreman. They met at a drill site where the exposure device was reconnected to the drive cables. The source was extended and then retracted. It was noticed that on the return the crank assembly became hard to turn. After the locking bar tripped, the exposure device was surveyed with no noticeable indication that the source was not in the safe and secure position. When the crank assembly was disconnected it was noted that the pig tail was not in its proper position. The exposure device was transported back to the main office. When the lock was disassembled there the technician noted: 'The lock chamber had a reasonable amount of grit coated to the internals.' It should be noted that the exposure device had just been received the day prior. The weather was minus 10 degrees with a wind speed of 10 knots. The lock assembly was cleaned and reassembled as was the crank assembly. There was no exposure to the crew or the general public during this incident. |
| ENS 45544 | 7 December 2009 16:42:00 | Technicians were performing radiography when the source in an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 radiography camera was unable to be fully retracted. This was caused by a frozen lock on the device which occurred due to freezing weather conditions. A certified technician serviced the lock. The lock was returned to a fully functional condition, and the source was returned to the safe and secure position. No personnel over exposure occurred. The licensee could not provide the source number of the Ir-192 source at the time of the report. The camera number is 4812. Similar events: EN #45384, 45469, 45524 |
| ENS 45524 | 27 November 2009 15:36:00 | Technicians were performing radiography when the source in an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 radiography camera was unable to be fully retracted. This was caused by a frozen lock on the device which occurred due to freezing weather conditions. A certified technician serviced the lock. The lock was returned to a fully functional condition, and the source was returned to the safe and secure position. No personnel over exposure occurred. The licensee could not provide the serial number of the camera at the time of the report due to the remote location where the radiography was taking place. Similar events: EN #45384, 45469, 45496 |
| ENS 45496 | 13 November 2009 10:30:00 | Technicians were performing radiography at the Kuparuk Oil Field in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska when the source in an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 radiography camera, serial number 6643 was unable to be fully retracted. This was caused by a frozen lock on the device which occurred due to weather conditions of blowing snow and freezing rain. A certified technician serviced the lock. The lock was returned to fully functional condition and the source was returned to the safe and secure position. The device has a 101 Ci Ir-192 source. No personnel over exposures occurred. |
| ENS 45469 | 27 October 2009 15:59:00 | On October 27, 2009, at approximately 0045 hours local time, in the Kuparuk Oil Field in the North Slope Borough, Alaska, the source in an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 radiography camera, serial number 6620 was unable to be fully retracted. This was judged to be due to a frozen lock on the device which occurred due to weather conditions of blowing snow and freezing rain. A certified technician serviced the lock. The lock was returned to fully functional condition and the source was returned to the safe and secure position at approximately 0130 hours. The device has a 60 Ci Ir-192 source. No personnel over exposures occurred. |
| ENS 45384 | 27 September 2009 12:30:00 | Technicians were performing radiography at the Kuparuk Oil Field in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The IR-100 camera experienced a lockout with the source within the camera but not fully retracted. The technicians were trained on this problem and were able to reset the lockout and fully retract the source. No exposure resulted from resetting the lockout. The IR-100 camera contains less than 100 Ci of Ir-192. |
| ENS 44888 | 3 March 2009 19:47:00 | Radiography technicians were performing pipeline corrosion shots on piping in the North Slope of Alaska when they inadvertently locked the source outside of the shielded position in the camera while retracting the source. The technicians were using an Industrial Nuclear Corporation (INC) IR-100 camera which contains a nominal 120 Curie (original strength) Ir-192 source. When the technicians realized what had occurred, they immediately cordoned off the area and requested help. A trained camera technician arrived and, after shielding the source, was able to manipulate the key lock and retract the source into the safe (shielded) position. The highest radiation reading observed behind the camera was 40 mR/hr. Exposures to all personnel involved in the recovery of the source was less than 20 mR. Since the radiography was being performed in a remote location, there was no chance of exposure to any members of the general public. Currently, the camera has been removed from service and is being sent to INC for inspection and maintenance.
After receiving all the reports by the parties concerned it was not a malfunction of the exposure device that caused this event. The event occurred due to snow and ice build up in the locking mechanism and the radiographer turning the key inadvertently. This report will be forwarded to Region IV. Notified R4DO (Proulx) and FSME (McIntosh) |
| ENS 44329 | 30 June 2008 17:23:00 | On June 23rd at approximately 8 p.m., at a temporary job site (located at a refinery in Sinclair, Wyoming) a Kakivik Asset Management radiography crew experienced the premature tripping of the automatic locking device on a INC IR-100 exposure device. During retraction of the source it was noted that the locking device had returned to the trapped position. When the crank handles were moved back and forth to insure that it had, it was noted that the source traveled back out of the exposure device. The radiographer immediately took control of the cranks and the assistant moved back to the unrestricted area. The source was returned to the collimator and the lock reset to capture the source. Upon retraction the event occurred again. This happened three times. The radiographer with help from other crew members established a secure unrestricted area. The Night Supervisor, the Lead Radiographer and RSO were notified. Prior to their arrival the radiographer on-site turned the key and this effectively left the source in the camera but not in the safe and secure position. The radiography was being performed at a fabrication shop during a turnaround and the RSO made the decision to have the exposure device placed in the lead lined transportation box and moved to a more secure location away from the General Public. The vehicle was surveyed and the radiation levels for the driver were < 1 mR/Hr. The vehicle was locked and placed under constant surveillance until INC (manufacturer) could be contacted. RSO contacted INC at 7 a.m. the following morning and explained the situation. Their RSO indicated that the Lead Radiographer under his guidance could reset the lock and secure the source in the safe and secure position. This was accomplished successfully. Kakivik's Material License (#50-27667-01) does allow for the retrieval of sources. At no time was the General Public in any danger of coming into the restricted area. The lead radiographer, radiographer and assistant radiographer received 80, 65 and 55 Mr on the 23rd of June respectively and 80, 25 and 5 Mr on the 24th. (Doses for the lead radiographer on the 23 and 24th June were accumulated during event response. Doses for the radiographer and the assistant radiographer were a mix of normal radiography and event response on 23 June, and doses on 24 June were due to event response.) The camera has been removed from service and returned to INC for evaluation. The camera received annual maintenance at the INC facilities November 5, 2007. |