deja vu all over again- another radiography overexposure

[William V Lipton <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM>]

Please see the NRC, PNO, pasted below.  Note that the preliminary dose

estimate is 70 rems DDE.  It's an estimate, since the radiographer was

not wearing his assigned primary dosimeter, and his pocket dosimeter was

off scale.  The radiographer did not use a survey instrument when

reposititioning his equipment and did not realize that the source had

not been completely retracted.  Also, he did not hear his alarming

ratemeter.



This problem seems to reoccur all too frequently.  Will it take a

fatality before the NRC takes effective corrective actions?



The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.



Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com



April 11, 2002



PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE -- PNO-IV-02-020



This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of

POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance.  The information is as

initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically

all that is known by the Region IV staff on this date.



Facility

Technical Welding Laboratory Inc.

Houston, Texas

License No.: L-02187

Texas Agreement State Licensee Licensee Emergency Classification

      Notification of Unusual Event

      Alert

      Site Area Emergency

      General Emergency

   X   Not Applicable





SUBJECT: OVEREXPOSURE IN EXCESS OF REGULATORY LIMITS



DESCRIPTION:



On April 10, 2002, the NRC was notified by the Texas Department of

Health, Bureau of Radiation Control (TDH) of an overexposure to an

individual conducting industrial radiography.  Technical Welding

Laboratory Inc., the Texas licensee, notified the TDH at 9:00 a.m. (CDT)

on April 10, 2002, that a radiographer had been exposed to an

uncollimated, 1295.0 GBq (35 Ci) cobalt-60 source while conducting

industrial radiography at a temporary job site located in Houston,

Texas.  The radiographer was conducting radiography inside a vessel at a

fabrication shop.   At 4:00 a.m. on April 10  the radiographer entered

the vessel to reposition the source for another exposure.   After

returning to the camera to crank out the source for the next exposure,

the radiographer discovered that the source had not been retracted into

the shielded position within the exposure device.  The radiographer

reported that his pocket dosimeter was off scale and that his

occupational dosimeter had inadvertently fallen from his belt while

waiting in the truck between exposures.  The radiographer indicated that

he could not hear his alarm ratemeter because of the background noise

and that he failed to use a survey meter before entering the vessel.

TDH has provided a preliminary dose estimate of 0.7 Sv (70 rems) whole

body based on the radiographer’s estimation that he was inside the

vessel for no more than 30 seconds.  The licensee has referred the

radiographer for medical followup and cytogenic studies.  TDH plans to

conduct an investigation at the site on the morning of April 16, 2002,

including a reenactment of the event.



Region IV received notification of this occurrence from NRC’s Operations

Center on April 10, 2002.  Region IV has informed NMSS, OEDO, OSTP, and

the Region’s SLO and PAO.



This information has been discussed with the State and is current as of

12:30 p.m. (CDT) on April 11, 2002.



CONTACTS: Vivian Campbell  Jack Whitten

  817-860-8143   817-860-8197





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