The following report was received from the
Texas Department of State Health Services via email:
On March 1, 2018, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] was notified by the licensee that at approximately 1630 CST on February 28, 2018, one of its technicians was performing a density test at a job site when an equipment operator veered off of his path and over into the path where the technician was testing. The technician was barely able to get out of the way of the heavy equipment, but was unable to move a Troxler Model 3440 Plus gauge and it was run over.
The gauge contains a 40 milliCurie Americium-241 source and an 8 milliCurie Cesium-137 source. The casing on the gauge was damaged and the Cesium source rod was bent. The technician straightened the rod and secured the gauge in its transport case.
The licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) responded to the site and performed a radiation survey of the ground where no elevated levels were identified. The RSO surveyed the device and radiation levels were between five and eight millirem/hour, which the RSO stated is higher than normal. The RSO has contacted the manufacturer for guidance. The gauge is in storage area at the licensee's facility. The gauge is not an exposure risk to any individual. The Agency will respond to the licensee's location to perform additional surveys. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300.
Texas Incident #: I-9548