Event Notification Report for October 14, 2020
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
EVENT REPORTS FOR
10/13/2020 - 10/14/2020
Agreement State
Event Number: 54948
Rep Org: COLORADO DEPT OF HEALTH
Licensee: Olsson, Inc
Region: 4
City: Denver State: CO
County:
License #: CO 1189-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: Derek Bailey
HQ OPS Officer: Ossy Font
Licensee: Olsson, Inc
Region: 4
City: Denver State: CO
County:
License #: CO 1189-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: Derek Bailey
HQ OPS Officer: Ossy Font
Notification Date: 10/15/2020
Notification Time: 14:31 [ET]
Event Date: 10/14/2020
Event Time: 10:00 [MDT]
Last Update Date: 11/16/2020
Notification Time: 14:31 [ET]
Event Date: 10/14/2020
Event Time: 10:00 [MDT]
Last Update Date: 11/16/2020
Emergency Class: Non Emergency
10 CFR Section:
Agreement State
10 CFR Section:
Agreement State
Person (Organization):
RAY AZUA (R4DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)
ILTAB (EMAIL)
RAY AZUA (R4DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)
ILTAB (EMAIL)
EN Revision Imported Date: 11/17/2020
EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MISSING DENSITY GAUGE
The following was received from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
"[A Troxler 3440 (SN 23106) containing not more than 333 MBq (9 mCi) of cesium-137 and 1.63 GBq (44 mCi) of americium-241:beryllium; or 2.44 MBq (66 microCi) of californium-252] was reported missing after a licensee was unable to account for it during a routine inventory check. The material was noticed missing at approximately 1000 MDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. The event was reported to the CDPHE at approximately 1700 on October 14, 2020.
"No signs of a burglary at the facility are present. The last entry for the gauge in the utilization log is August 19, 2020. The licensee suspects that a former employee stole the gauge, the employee to last check-out the gauge was terminated on bad terms.
"The licensee is in the process of reporting the theft to the local police."
* * * UPDATE ON 11/16/10 AT 1513 EST FROM DEREK BAILEY TO THOMAS KENDZIA * * *
The following was received from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
"Following a police investigation the nuclear gauge was anonymously returned to the owner. On November 16, 2020, the missing nuclear density gauge was found chained to the fence at the Olsson office. It was discovered at 1015 MDT Olsson examined the gauge and found it to be in the proper original packaging with no apparent damage to the gauge's packaging, components, or sources of radiation. It was determined that the gauge was returned at approximately 2330 MDT November 15, 2020."
Notified the R4DO (Taylor), NMSS Events Notification (email), and ILTAB (email)
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
EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MISSING DENSITY GAUGE
The following was received from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
"[A Troxler 3440 (SN 23106) containing not more than 333 MBq (9 mCi) of cesium-137 and 1.63 GBq (44 mCi) of americium-241:beryllium; or 2.44 MBq (66 microCi) of californium-252] was reported missing after a licensee was unable to account for it during a routine inventory check. The material was noticed missing at approximately 1000 MDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. The event was reported to the CDPHE at approximately 1700 on October 14, 2020.
"No signs of a burglary at the facility are present. The last entry for the gauge in the utilization log is August 19, 2020. The licensee suspects that a former employee stole the gauge, the employee to last check-out the gauge was terminated on bad terms.
"The licensee is in the process of reporting the theft to the local police."
* * * UPDATE ON 11/16/10 AT 1513 EST FROM DEREK BAILEY TO THOMAS KENDZIA * * *
The following was received from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
"Following a police investigation the nuclear gauge was anonymously returned to the owner. On November 16, 2020, the missing nuclear density gauge was found chained to the fence at the Olsson office. It was discovered at 1015 MDT Olsson examined the gauge and found it to be in the proper original packaging with no apparent damage to the gauge's packaging, components, or sources of radiation. It was determined that the gauge was returned at approximately 2330 MDT November 15, 2020."
Notified the R4DO (Taylor), NMSS Events Notification (email), and ILTAB (email)
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
Agreement State
Event Number: 54949
Rep Org: TENNESSEE DIV OF RAD HEALTH
Licensee: Blues City Brewery
Region: 1
City: Memphis State: TN
County:
License #: GL-125
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: Andrew Holcomb
HQ OPS Officer: Ossy Font
Licensee: Blues City Brewery
Region: 1
City: Memphis State: TN
County:
License #: GL-125
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: Andrew Holcomb
HQ OPS Officer: Ossy Font
Notification Date: 10/15/2020
Notification Time: 17:29 [ET]
Event Date: 10/14/2020
Event Time: 15:00 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 11/12/2020
Notification Time: 17:29 [ET]
Event Date: 10/14/2020
Event Time: 15:00 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 11/12/2020
Emergency Class: Non Emergency
10 CFR Section:
Agreement State
10 CFR Section:
Agreement State
Person (Organization):
DON JACKSON (R1DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)
ILTAB (EMAIL)
DON JACKSON (R1DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)
ILTAB (EMAIL)
EN Revision Imported Date: 11/13/2020
EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST GAUGES
The following was received from the state of Tennessee via email:
"General licensee, Blues City Brewery, reported the loss of 3 gauges after contractor work that involved the movement of the gauges. Blues City reported the loss. It is possible that the gauges could have made it into the local scrap metal stream. From the scrap metal facility, the load that might have included the gauges went to a shredding facility in Alabama. The State of Alabama Radiation Control has been notified in case gauges are discovered at the shredding facility. The gauge is below:
"Manufacturer Model SN Isotope Activity
"Industrial Dynamics CI-2GV/3 44 Am-241 300 mCi
"Industrial Dynamics CI-2GV/3 46 Am-241 300 mCi
"Industrial Dynamics FT-100 33 Am-241 100 mCi"
TN event number: TN-20-152
* * * UPDATE ON 11/12/2020 AT 2014 EST FROM ROBERT SIMS TO BRIAN P. SMITH * * *
The following update was a summary of an email report received from the state of Mississippi concerning information pertaining to the lost gauges:
On October 19, 2020, the Tennessee Division of Radiological Health contacted the Mississippi Division of Radiological Health and the Alabama Department of Public Health Radiation Control concerning three lost gauges from the Blues City Brewery facility. The facility believes the gauges were lost in the July-August timeframe during construction on some of their lines. Blues City Brewery told the contractor to take the gauges to a storage area, but the contractor moved the wrong parts allegedly to the scrap yard. The scrap metal/gauges are believed to have been brokered by an unknown entity and allegedly sent to Iskiwitz Metals at 604 Marble Ave, Memphis, TN 38107. The Tennessee Division of Radiological Health sent someone to look for the gauges and survey for them, but they only found the detector for part of one of the devices. From Iskiwitz, the metal was believed to be sent to a shredder in TN and a scrap yard in Mississippi named Martin Brothers Scrap Metal located at 690 Belmont Rd, Sardis, MS 38666, then allegedly to a smelter in Alabama. Soil samples were taken at the scrap yard in Mississippi, however, readings show only background radiation. The gauges have not been found. Mississippi Division of Radiological Health considers the event closed.
Mississippi Event Number: MS-200004
Notified R1DO (Carfang), R4DO (Dixon), NMSS Events Notification (Email), ILTAB (Email)
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
EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST GAUGES
The following was received from the state of Tennessee via email:
"General licensee, Blues City Brewery, reported the loss of 3 gauges after contractor work that involved the movement of the gauges. Blues City reported the loss. It is possible that the gauges could have made it into the local scrap metal stream. From the scrap metal facility, the load that might have included the gauges went to a shredding facility in Alabama. The State of Alabama Radiation Control has been notified in case gauges are discovered at the shredding facility. The gauge is below:
"Manufacturer Model SN Isotope Activity
"Industrial Dynamics CI-2GV/3 44 Am-241 300 mCi
"Industrial Dynamics CI-2GV/3 46 Am-241 300 mCi
"Industrial Dynamics FT-100 33 Am-241 100 mCi"
TN event number: TN-20-152
* * * UPDATE ON 11/12/2020 AT 2014 EST FROM ROBERT SIMS TO BRIAN P. SMITH * * *
The following update was a summary of an email report received from the state of Mississippi concerning information pertaining to the lost gauges:
On October 19, 2020, the Tennessee Division of Radiological Health contacted the Mississippi Division of Radiological Health and the Alabama Department of Public Health Radiation Control concerning three lost gauges from the Blues City Brewery facility. The facility believes the gauges were lost in the July-August timeframe during construction on some of their lines. Blues City Brewery told the contractor to take the gauges to a storage area, but the contractor moved the wrong parts allegedly to the scrap yard. The scrap metal/gauges are believed to have been brokered by an unknown entity and allegedly sent to Iskiwitz Metals at 604 Marble Ave, Memphis, TN 38107. The Tennessee Division of Radiological Health sent someone to look for the gauges and survey for them, but they only found the detector for part of one of the devices. From Iskiwitz, the metal was believed to be sent to a shredder in TN and a scrap yard in Mississippi named Martin Brothers Scrap Metal located at 690 Belmont Rd, Sardis, MS 38666, then allegedly to a smelter in Alabama. Soil samples were taken at the scrap yard in Mississippi, however, readings show only background radiation. The gauges have not been found. Mississippi Division of Radiological Health considers the event closed.
Mississippi Event Number: MS-200004
Notified R1DO (Carfang), R4DO (Dixon), NMSS Events Notification (Email), ILTAB (Email)
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