ENS Event | |
|---|---|
14:00 Jun 14, 2012 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report Involving Five Damaged Nuclear Gauge Housings |
| Event Description | The following information was provided by the State of Texas via email:
On June 15, 2012, the Agency [Texas Dept. of Health] was notified by a licensee that the shutters on five Berthold Technologies Model LB300ML nuclear gauges were stuck in the open position. Open is the normal operating position for the shutters. The sources were manufactured in December of 2011 and each contained an original activity of 4.0 millicuries of cobalt - 60. The licensee was not able to provide serial numbers for the gauges or sources. The gauges are used in a steel mold and protected inside of the mold housing. An electrical power failure at the facility caused molten steel to pour on the gauge protective housing and leak into the area around the gauges. The licensee contacted a service provider who inspected the gauges on June 15, 2012. The service provider stated that the shutters would not operate, but the sources did not appear to be affected. The licensee stated that there was no increased risk of exposure to their workers due to the failed shutters. The licensee stated that the sources would be leak tested on June 15, 2012. The licensee intends to replace the gauge housing and reuse the sources from the gauges. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA 300. Texas Incident No.: I-8960 THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf Note: This device is assigned an IAEA Category 3 value based on the actual radioactivity of the source, not on the device type. (Reference IAEA RG-G-1.9) |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Nucor Steel Texas Division Jewett, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | 02504 |
| Organization: | Texas Department Of Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+27.62 h1.151 days <br />0.164 weeks <br />0.0378 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Art Tucker 17:37 Jun 15, 2012 |
| NRC Officer: | Steve Sandin |
| Last Updated: | Jun 15, 2012 |
| 48031 - NRC Website | |
Nucor Steel Texas Division with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 480312012-06-14T14:00:00014 June 2012 14:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving Five Damaged Nuclear Gauge Housings 2012-06-14T14:00:00 | |