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| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 52603 | 10 March 2017 13:08:00 | 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 |