The following information was received from the State of
Texas via email:
On September 8, 2017, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services - Radiation Branch] was notified by the licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) that one of their crews had experienced a source disconnect on September 7, 2017 at a field site. The crew was using a SPEC 150 exposure device containing a 92 curie iridium - 192 source. The crew was working inside a shooting bay at a customer's location when the event occurred. The radiographers had completed an exposure and attempted to retract the source. The RSO stated the radiographers could not get the lock on the camera to trip. As they approached the camera they noted the dose rate reading on their dose rate meter was pegged so they retreated to the area where they operated the crank out device and called the RSO. The RSO, who is authorized by their license to recover sources, drove to the location and performed the source recovery. The RSO placed shielding over the source which was located in the collimator and removed the guide tube from the camera. The RSO found the drive cable sticking through the front of the camera. He disconnected the crank out device from the rear of the camera and found the drive cable had gone completely through the camera. The RSO found that the drive cable had broken inside the drive cable protective housing about 18 feet from the source. The RSO manually retracted the source into the camera by pulling on the drive cable. The source was returned to its fully shielded position. The licensee will send drive cable assembly to the manufacturer for inspection. No over exposure or exposure to a member of the general public occurred as a result of this event. Additional information on this event will be provided in accordance with SA-300.
Texas Incident #: I-9508