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.