ENS 49046
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
20:25 May 16, 2013 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Contamination Event Requires Area to Be Restricted for Greater than 24 Hours |
| Event Description | The following information was obtained from the State of Texas via E-mail:
On May 16, 2013 at 1525 [CDT], the licensee contacted the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] to report a contamination event which required access to an area to be restricted for more than 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> due to an unplanned contamination event. The licensee had received a drum containing 18 nuclear gauges from a facility licensed in the State of North Carolina (NC). The Texas licensee was to dismantle the gauges and dispose of the sources. The Texas licensee stated the gauges had been leak tested by the NC licensee and the leak test results were below regulatory levels. The Texas licensee stated they performed a contamination survey of the drum before they began removing the gauges. A licensee's worker removed the first gauge in preparation to remove the source. The gauge was a Berthold model LB 7400 gauge containing a Cs-137 source. When the worker opened the shutter of the gauge to remove the source, they found a piece of lead inside the gauge cavity between the gauge shutter and the source. As the worker removed the piece of lead they noted the background radiation readings where increasing. The worker stopped work and notified his supervisor. A contamination survey found that the workers hands, shirt sleeves, the table top, the floor in the immediate work area, and the worker's personal dosimetry were contaminated. The workers contaminated shirt and dosimetry were removed and his hands were decontaminated. The worker's face was surveyed for contamination, none was detected. The licensee's Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) stated that worker was decontaminated within 15 minutes of the event occurring. The RSO stated that the individual had not exceeded any exposure limits based on their electronic dosimeter reading. The licensee attempted to decontaminate the table top and the floor in the work area, but some areas remain contaminated. Access to the area remains restricted. The Texas licensee has contacted the NC licensee and notified them of the event. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300. Texas Incident #: I-9080 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Thermo Process Instruments Lp Sugar Land, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | 03524 |
| Organization: | Texas Department Of Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+-2.48 h-0.103 days <br />-0.0148 weeks <br />-0.0034 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Art Tucker 17:56 May 16, 2013 |
| NRC Officer: | John Shoemaker |
| Last Updated: | May 16, 2013 |
| 49046 - NRC Website | |
Thermo Process Instruments Lp with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 509872015-04-14T21:00:00014 April 2015 21:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Source Capsule Breached Resulting in Contaminated Area and Individual ENS 490462013-05-16T20:25:00016 May 2013 20:25:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Contamination Event Requires Area to Be Restricted for Greater than 24 Hours 2015-04-14T21:00:00 | |