Event Notification Report for December 15, 2005

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
12/14/2005 - 12/15/2005

** EVENT NUMBERS **


42192 42195 42198

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General Information or Other Event Number: 42192
Rep Org: CALIFORNIA RADIATION CONTROL PRGM
Licensee: MFG, INC.
Region: 4
City: IRVINE State: CA
County:
License #: 7326-30
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: BARBARA HAMRICK
HQ OPS Officer: STEVE SANDIN
Notification Date: 12/09/2005
Notification Time: 10:55 [ET]
Event Date: 12/08/2005
Event Time: 15:00 [PST]
Last Update Date: 12/09/2005
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
KRISS KENNEDY (R4)
TOM ESSIG (NMSS)
MEXICO via fax ()
TAS via email ()

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT INVOLVING A STOLEN TROXLER MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

The following information was received via email:

"On December 8, 2005, the California Radiologic Health Branch received notification from the Office of Emergency Services that one moisture density gauge (Troxler Model 3440, SN 31824, containing up to 9 mCi Cs-137 and up to 44 mCi Am-241) had been stolen from MFG, Inc. The gauge, along with a few other items, was stolen from the licensee's storage unit in Santa Ana, CA. The transport case was still in the storage unit, but the gauge was missing. The California Radiologic Health Branch is following up with the licensee to obtain more information."

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.

* * * UPDATE FROM D. KRAJEWSKI TO P. SNYDER AT 1835 ON 12/8/05 * * *

The State of California representative called to correct the earlier report due to additional information they received. The transport case housing the gauge was also stolen with the gauge. The State provided the following information via e-mail: "The door to the facility had been pried open. The lock to the wooden storage box (which housed the gauge / gauge transport case) was still fastened, but the side of the wooden storage box had been pried open and the transport case and the gauge were gone. The California Radiologic Health Branch is following up with the licensee to obtain more information and to get a copy of the latest leak test."

Notified R4DO K. Kennedy and NMSS EO M. Wayne Hodges.

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General Information or Other Event Number: 42195
Rep Org: NV DIV OF RAD HEALTH
Licensee: KLIENFELDER, INC
Region: 4
City: RENO State: NV
County:
License #: 00-11-0086-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: MORGAN TYLER
HQ OPS Officer: BILL GOTT
Notification Date: 12/09/2005
Notification Time: 19:48 [ET]
Event Date: 12/09/2005
Event Time: 14:00 [PST]
Last Update Date: 12/12/2005
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
KRISS KENNEDY (R4)
M. WAYNE HODGES (NMSS)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

The licensee provided the following information via facsimile:

"On December 9, 2005 approximately between 11:50 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. [the gauge operator] lost a Nuclear Gauge (Troxler Moisture Density Gauge, Model 3430, s/n 35182, 8 millicuries Cs-137 and 40 millicuries Am-241:Be).

"[The gauge operator] was out at Del Webb Somersett, Village 8 to perform compaction tests with the Nuclear Gauge. [The gauge operator] arrived on the job-site and parked his truck at the intersection of Hidden River Way and Del Webb Parkway. He got his equipment ready to so he could begin to test the soil compaction. He took the gauge out of the safety box, and left it in the bed of his truck with the tailgate down.

"The contractor, ran into rock while excavating, and it was taking longer than normal to lay the pipe backfill. On and off for the next two hours [the gauge operator] watched from his truck. Lunchtime rolled around and the gauge operator left the jobsite for lunch. He did not put the gauge back in the safety box, or put his tailgate back up.

"This is the route that [the gauge operator] took to go to lunch. He took Del Webb Parkway East to Somersett Parkway. He took Somersett Parkway all the way to Mae Anne. After turning left onto Mae Anne he drove to KFC located in the Wal-Mart complex near McCarran Blvd. He went through the drive-thru at KFC, got his lunch and drove back to the job-site by the exact same route. When back on Del Webb Parkway he ran over a piece of steel and got out of his truck to see what he ran over. When he got out, he saw that the tailgate was down on his truck and that the gauge was gone. This was approximately 12:15 p.m. When [the gauge operator] saw the gauge was gone he got in his truck and retraced all of his steps looking for the gauge. He did not find it. The workers on the job site were asked if they had seen the gauge and no one had."

The licensee notified the Reno Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff's Department.

Event Report ID NV-05-006.

* * * UPDATE TO ABRAMOVITZ RECEIVED VIA FAX AT 10:04 ON 12/12/05 * * *

"The gauge has been found and is now in the possession of the licensee. Some gauge electronics appeared to be missing, but the source appears to be intact. The gauge has been leak tested." Nevada has updated the Event Report ID Number from NV-05-006 to NV-05-009.

Notified NMSS (Morell), R4DO (Johnson), and TAS (via E-mail).

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.

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General Information or Other Event Number: 42198
Rep Org: NC DIV OF RADIATION PROTECTION
Licensee: SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, USA
Region: 1
City: RALEIGH State: NC
County:
License #: 092-0895-1
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: MARION EADDY
HQ OPS Officer: JOHN KNOKE
Notification Date: 12/12/2005
Notification Time: 17:30 [ET]
Event Date: 12/09/2005
Event Time: 21:30 [EST]
Last Update Date: 12/12/2005
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1)
M. WAYNE HODGES (NMSS)
TAS - email ()

Event Text

STOLEN SEALED CALIBRATION SOURCE - 2 MILLICURIES OF AM-241

"The North Carolina Radioactive Materials Branch was notified at 16:00 [EST] today [12/12/05] of the theft of an Am-241 sealed calibration and reference source from a Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. (N.C. Radioactive Materials License No. 068-0895-1) service vehicle. The theft occurred on 09 December 2005 between 21:30 and 23:00 in Statesville, NC.

"The information for the missing source is as follows:
Isotope: Am-241
Activity: 2 millicuries
Make: AEA Technology
Model: AMC.P3
Serial No.: 0182LX

"The theft occurred at a restaurant parking lot in Statesville, NC. The source was contained within a locked tool-box stored inside of the locked service vehicle. The passenger side window was broken and the toolbox was taken, along with other items, from the vehicle.

"The licensee notified the Statesville, NC police department [Report No. 05-4284] and the police have conducted a preliminary investigation into the break-in/theft. The licensee has drafted a press release and is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the source.

"The Radioactive Materials Branch continues to monitor the situation and will update the NRC when new information becomes available."


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.

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