(another) radiography overexposure

[William V Lipton <liptonw@dteenergy.com>]

Please see the NRC Event Report on a radiography overexposure in Texas.
What's disturbing about this event is that it does not seem to be a
one-time accident, but a programmatic failure.   The radiographer
received more than 3 rem on a monthly dosimeter, in October, 1999, yet
he apparently was allowed to continue working, and it is only now that
the licensee recognized the overexposure for 1999.

This is one area where the NRC has imposed substantial additional
regulation, in recent years - see 10 CFR 34.  However, there still seem
to be deficiencies in radiation safety programs for radiography.  I hope
that additional information is made available about this event, so that
the industry can incorporate the lessons learned.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com



|General Information or Other                     |Event Number:
36761       |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| REP ORG:  TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH           |NOTIFICATION DATE:
03/06/2000|
|LICENSEE:  GCT INSPECTION , INC                 |NOTIFICATION TIME:
16:05[EST]|
|    CITY:  SOUTH HOUSTON            REGION:  4  |EVENT DATE:
02/29/2000|
|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  TX |EVENT TIME:
12:00[CST]|
|LICENSE#:  TX-2378               AGREEMENT:  Y  |LAST UPDATE DATE:
03/06/2000|
|  DOCKET:
|+----------------------------+
|                                                |PERSON
ORGANIZATION |
|                                                |DAVID LOVELESS
R4      |
|                                                |BRIAN SMITH
NMSS    |
+------------------------------------------------+
|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  HELEN WATKINS
|                             |
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  DICK JOLLIFFE
|                             |
+------------------------------------------------+
|
|EMERGENCY CLASS:          N/A
|                             |
|10 CFR SECTION:
|                             |
|NAGR                     AGREEMENT STATE
|                             |
|
|                             |
|
|                             |
|
|                             |
|
|                             |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

                                   EVENT TEXT
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - RADIOGRAPHER RECEIVED ANNUAL EXPOSURE OF
5.205 Rem  |
| IN 1999
-                                                                    |
|
|
| On 02/29/00, Texas Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control
received |
| notification from GCT Inspection, Inc, South Houston, TX, that
a             |
| radiographer had received an annual exposure of 5.205 Rem during
1999.  3.34 |
| Rem had been received in the 09/15/99 - 10/14/99 monitoring time
period.  TX |
| Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control personnel are
requesting    |
| additional information and investigating this
incident.                      |
|
|
| TX Incident
#7574.                                                           |
|
|
| (Call the NRC operations officer for a state contact telephone
number.)      |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+




************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html