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| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 46948 | 8 June 2011 05:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Damaged Moisture Density Gauge | The following information was received via facsimile: This event occurred at a construction job site in Northern Kentucky on the Westbound I-275 to Southbound KY-17 ramp, 30 feet up the ramp and approximately six feet from the outside edge of the roadway. A pickup truck backed over a Humboldt moisture density gauge (model 5001, S/N 3182, 11 mCi Cs-137, 44 mCi Am-241:Be) while the gauge was in "backscatter mode." The operator had stepped away as instructed during the backscatter reading. The operator could not stop the pickup driver. The insertion handle on the gauge broke. The gauge shutter could not be closed. There was no apparent contamination of the site per a survey. Readings around the gauge were near background except the beam from the non-closable shutter. The licensee placed the gauge on the ground in a storage building with the beam pointed into the earth. A survey was conducted around the broken gauge and the site was secured. A check was made for contamination at the job site, on the transport truck, and in the storage area. The gauge was transported on June 9, 2011 to the normal secure storage site at the DOT secure storage shed in Frankfort, KY. On June 10, 2011 the Kentucky Radiation Health Branch (KRHB) surveyed the gauge and inspected the site. KRHB advised the licensee that the device should not be disturbed until trained and licensed persons could package and ship the gauge. KRHP advised the licensee to secure the dosimetry of persons involved. KRHB will review, inspect and consider enforcement actions after the damaged device is secure. Dosimetry was not available at the time of this report, but it will be obtained for affected individuals. | ||
| ENS 54070 | 14 May 2019 20:20:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State - Unattended Gauge Damaged by Bulldozer | The following was received via e-mail: On May 14, 2019, at approximately 1620 (EDT) Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, (KY RML# 201-086-51) reported that a Humboldt 5001 EZ, serial number 3133 moisture density gauge had been severely damaged and partially buried by a bulldozer, at a road construction project in Madison County located near Richmond KY. The gauge contained 0.37 GigaBq (10 milliCi) Cesium-137 (serial number 8273GQ) and 1.48 GigaBq (40 milliCi) Americium-24:Beryllium (serial number NJ03357). The technician had been taking some readings, while waiting for more rock to be put in place and put the device in safety mode and set it on top of pile of Dense Graded Aggregate. He then walked over about 80 feet to talk to an operator when it was run over by a bulldozer. KY Radiation Health Branch personnel were on the scene at approximately 1800 (EDT) and determined that the top of the source rod had been broken off and the outer case of the gauge was cracked. There was no leakage detected and the survey of the broken case showed readings = 10mR/hr on contact indicating that the shielding had not been compromised. The area was taped off in a 30 foot circle surrounding the damaged device till it was recovered by the Fayette County HAZMAT Team and placed into a 55 gallon drum, sealed and removed to a storage facility. The Radiation Safety Office indicated that a final decision on the disposition of the gauge will be forthcoming, and that retraining of the employee would be a priority, to include emphasis on surveillance and situational awareness at jobsites. KY Event No.: KY190005 |