The following was received from the state of
Wisconsin via e-mail:
On April 26, 2019, Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) was notified that at the licensee's Kaukauna facility, a fixed gauge mounted to a coal chute had been damaged and failed with the shutter closed. The incident occurred on April 22, 2019. Maintenance staffs were repairing a valve located above an Ohmart/Vega Corporation Model SHLG-1 fixed gauge containing 5 mCi of Cs-137. The valve failed, rotated downward, and made contact with the shutter actuator handle which severed the handle from the device. The gauge was not in operation at the time of the incident and the shutter remained in the closed position, the licensee's [Radiation Safety Officer] (RSO) stated on the initial phone call that the shutter is now inoperable.
The maintenance staff called the RSO on the day of the incident and he instructed them to cordon off the area and perform surveys of the device. The surveys indicated that the source was not impacted and the RSO later performed confirmatory surveys that yielded similar results.
Wisconsin DHS intends to perform a reactive inspection when the licensee's service provider replaces the gauge; the date is still to be determined.
Event Report No.: WI 190001