The following was provided by the State of
North Carolina via e-mail:
A Troxler portable nuclear gauge belonging to Kam Engineering Services was run over by a smooth drum roller and has been damaged.
The event occurred near the intersection of Normandy Street and Half Street in Fort Bragg, NC. Fort Bragg is under a NRC license and the licensee should be working under reciprocity.
The licensee does not possess any survey instruments but they have an agreement to borrow one from Troxler (RTP, NC.) Someone has been dispatched to Troxler to get a meter and to take it back to the accident site.
The RSO is on-site and has cordoned off a 20 foot circle around the gauge.
The licensee will notify the State of North Carolina when additional survey results are available. The gauge contained 9 milliCuries Cs-137 and 44 milliCuries of Am-241.
- * * UPDATE FROM HENRY BARNES TO JOE O'HARA VIA E-MAIL AT 1703 ON 6/30/11 * * *
The RSO called [the state]. The area was surveyed and the dose rate at the 20 ft boundary was 0.02 - 0.04 mR/hr. The RSO worked his way toward the damaged gauge and the readings remained constant. At 1 meter, the reading was still 0.2 mR/hr (Transport Index) On contact, the gauge was about 7 mR/hr. The RSO repositioned the gauge and sent pictures to Troxler. Troxler said it appeared that the tungsten blocks were still in place and there was no damage to the source shielding. The RSO (per Troxler instructions) then placed the gauge in the transport box and locked it.
The damaged gauge is being transported to the company office tonight and will be transported to Troxler tomorrow.
Notified R1DO(Welling) and FSME(Jackson)
Incident NC 11-35.