| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center Event Reports For
07/20/2007 - 07/23/2007 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
 | General Information or Other | Event Number: 43496 | Rep Org: COLORADO DEPT OF HEALTH
Licensee: NOT PROVIDED
Region: 4
City: State: CO
County:
License #: NOT PROVIDED
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: ED STROUD
HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ | Notification Date: 07/17/2007
Notification Time: 11:49 [ET]
Event Date: 07/11/2007
Event Time: [MDT]
Last Update Date: 07/17/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
GREG PICK (R4)
SANDRA WASTLER (FSME)
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MOISTURE GAUGE SOURCE DISCONNECTED FROM CABLE
The State provided the following information via facsimile:
"This is the initial notification for an incident that occurred on 7/11/07. A broad-scope licensee reported the loss and recovery of a 50 mCi, Am:Be source from a CPN Model 503DR soil moisture gauge. The gauge was being used as part of an irrigation/moisture study in an agricultural field located about 10 miles south of Sterling, CO. The licensee reported that the source/detector assembly became disconnected from the cable during use, and fell to the bottom of a test hole. The gauge users notified their RSO, and he was able to respond to the scene, retrieve the source, and place it back into the shielded position within the gauge using a remote handling tool. There were no radiation exposures to the gauge users or members of the public, and the RSO estimated his exposure to be less than 20 millirem. The licensee has contacted the manufacturer and is investigating the cause of the problem." |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 43497 | Rep Org: ARIZONA RADIATION REGULATORY AGENCY
Licensee: TERRACON CONSULTANTS, INC.
Region: 4
City: TUSCON State: AZ
County:
License #: AZ 10-130
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: AUBREY GODWIN
HQ OPS Officer: JASON KOZAL | Notification Date: 07/17/2007
Notification Time: 14:26 [ET]
Event Date: 07/17/2007
Event Time: 09:00 [MST]
Last Update Date: 07/17/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
GREG PICK (R4)
SANDRA WASTLER (FSME)
MEXICO (E-MAIL) ()
ILTAB (E-MAIL) ()
|
| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE
The State provided the following information via email:
"At approximately 9:00 AM July 17, 2007, the Agency was informed that the Licensee had a gauge in a pickup truck traveling north from 67 Avenue and Lower Buckeye to I-10 noticed at the I-10 ramp the gauge was missing. He began the trip at approximately 7:00 AM. The Gauge case was secured in the truck as required. He did not put the gauge in the case however. The gauge is a Troxler Model 3430, Serial Number 39005 and contains 8 mCi of Cesium-137 and 40 mCi Am:Be-241. The Company plans a press release and will offer a reward for the gauge.
"Phoenix PD is investigating.
"The Agency continues to investigate this event.
"The states of CA, NV, CO, UT, and NM and Mexico and U.S. NRC and FBI are being notified of this event."
Arizona report number: 07-010
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. |
| Other Nuclear Material | Event Number: 43508 | Rep Org: OCEANEERING INTERNATIONAL
Licensee: OCEANEERING INTERNATIONAL
Region: 4
City: HOUMA State: LA
County:
License #: LA-7396-L01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DAVID BOUDREAUX
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 07/20/2007
Notification Time: 17:28 [ET]
Event Date: 05/22/2007
Event Time: [CDT]
Last Update Date: 07/20/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
20.2202(b)(1) - PERS OVEREXPOSURE/TEDE >= 5 REM
| Person (Organization):
ANTHONY GODY (R4)
E. WILLIAM BRACH (NMSS)
| Event Text POSSIBLE OVEREXPOSURE EVENT DURING RADIOGRAPHY IN GULF OF MEXICO
Oceaneering International received a report from Landauer that two of their radiographers had May badge exposures of 5467 millirem and 5549 millirem (deep dose) respectively. The radiographers had been working on a pipe laying barge about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana during the month of May when these potential overexposures occurred. Oceaneering International immediately stopped work of one of the radiographers. The other radiographer had already stopped working due to a personal injury. Interviews with the radiographers indicated that both individuals had removed their shirts during work on a hot day with their exposure badges still attached to the shirts The shirts could have been placed in a location that was near the radiography work and picked up the exposure. Both radiographers had self-reading dosimetry that was read and logged daily. The total May exposures logged on the self-reading dosimeters were 126 millirem and 147 millirem respectively.
Oceaneering International is licensed under an Agreement State license from the State of Louisiana. This event has already been reported to the State of Louisiana and is under investigation by the State (See Agreement State Report EN#43481). However, after the RSO for Oceaneering International had discussions with NRC Region IV (Leonardi) about this event, the RSO decided to report the event to the Operations Center since the event occurred offshore and is under NRC jurisdiction at the time it occurred. |
| Other Nuclear Material | Event Number: 43510 | Rep Org: MATTINGLY TESTING SERVICES
Licensee: MATTINGLY TESTING SERVICES
Region: 4
City: LAUREL State: MT
County:
License #: 25-21479-01
Agreement: N
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DENNIS FICEK
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 07/20/2007
Notification Time: 21:00 [ET]
Event Date: 07/20/2007
Event Time: 17:00 [MDT]
Last Update Date: 07/20/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
OTHER UNSPEC REQMNT
| Person (Organization):
ANTHONY GODY (R4)
E. WILLIAM BRACH (FSME)
LEN WERT (R4)
CHUCK CAIN (R4)
VIVIAN CAMPBELL (R4)
BILL MAIER (R4)
BRUCE MALLETT (R4)
CHARLES MILLER (FSME)
| Event Text RADIOGRAPHY CAMERA SOURCE STUCK IN GUIDE TUBE
A manager from the licensee's company called to inform the NRC of a problem involving a radiography camera with a source stuck in the guide tube. The radiography camera, an INC IR-100 with a 97 curie Iridium-192 source, was being used at the Cenex Refinery in Laurel, MT. The camera was perched at an elevated location on an I-beam when the collimator fell and put a sharp bend in the guide tube. The radiographer attempted to retract the source but was unable to get it past the bend. The radiographer left the camera and unretracted source in its work location to minimize his exposure to the source after ensuring that it was well secured.
The radiographer established a 2 millirem boundary around the camera location and then attempted to call the RSO. The radiographer also called a company manager who responded to the site and subsequently contacted the NRC. Currently there is no health and safety concern because the area is cordoned off and the location of the camera is in a part of the refinery that is being expanded (new construction) so there is no concern about refinery worker exposure. The RSO is not at his home and cannot be reached by cell because of the spotty cell coverage in many parts of Montana. The licensee plans to maintain 24 hour around the clock coverage of the boundary and camera until expertise can be brought to the site to recover the source or place it in a condition where it can be removed from its current location without excessive exposure. There are currently 5 employees from the company onsite to maintain this coverage. The licensee will continue to attempt to contact the RSO but the worst case condition may require coverage to be extended until normal working hours on Monday morning (7/23) when the RSO comes back to town. The licensee is also trying to contact the RSO of a competitive radiography company in the area that could lend assistance.
The licensee's representative plans to brief the NRC in approximately 12 hours on the status of their efforts to secure the source.
* * * UPDATE FROM LICENSEE (FICEK) TO HUFFMAN AT 2300 EDT ON 7/20/07 * * *
The licensee was able to fabricate a tool using a 15 foot section of conduit with a vice grip taped to the end. Using this tool, they were able to push the collimator up level with the camera and straighten the bend in the guide tube. The radiographer was then able to crank the source back into the camera. The source is now in its safe shielded position and has been secured in the company truck and the licensee is preparing to leave the site. The licensee did not know what level of exposure the radiographer received during this event but did not believe it was excessive.
R4DO (Gody), R4 (Wert), and NMSS EO (Brach) notified. | |