RADIOGRAPHY SOURCE STUCK IN SOURCE TUBE
On 2/19/2018, a crew was performing work at the Phillips 66 Refinery in Billings, Montana. While moving the source into the open position, a loud noise was heard originating from the exposure set up area. The crew immediately attempted to crank the source back into the fully shielded position, but the attempt was unsuccessful. It was determined that the part to be inspected had tipped over and fallen onto the source tube, resulting in a crimp which prevented the source from being retracted into the fully shielded position. The source was shielded with lead plates, the crimp reduced, and the source successfully retracted into the fully shielded position. No members of the general public were exposed to any radiation and no workers received a dose exceeding the limit for personnel working with radiation sources. The source tube involved in this incident has been removed from service and destroyed. The exposure device involved in this incident has been inspected, checked for proper functionality, found to be in working order, and returned to service. The device was a QSA 880D exposure device containing an Iridium-192 source. |