ENS 52759
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
05:00 May 15, 2017 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Potential Excessive Exposure Of Radiographer |
| Event Description | The following information was received from the Wisconsin Radiation Protection Section via email:
On May 15, 2017, radiographers with Acuren Inspection, Inc. were performing radiography on a boiler at Verso Paper in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. They were utilizing an approximately 90 Ci Se-75 source, with a 17.5 HVL [Half Value Layer] collimator to perform shots through the boiler wall. The assistant radiographer would position a panel on the inside of the boiler wall and then move to the far side of the boiler. The main radiographer would then position the collimator for multiple shots from the outside of the boiler. They were in contact via radio. At approximately 7:45 p.m., following a shot, the main radiographer approached the collimator with his survey meter. As he approached, he realized the source had not yet been cranked in, and began walking back to crank it in. At that time, he was contacted via radio by the asst. radiographer. Setting down his survey meter, he had a 30-40 second conversation. Following the conversation, he forgot what he had been in the process of doing, and approached the collimator without his survey meter, and positioned it for the next shot. Turning to walk back, he spotted his survey meter on the ground halfway to the crank, remembered he had yet to crank it in, and realized he had been exposed. He was wearing a functioning alarming rate meter that did not alarm. Acuren notified the state approximately three hours after the event on the evening of the 15th of the possible overexposure. The radiographer initially estimated he had held the source 10 seconds, and Acuren calculated this would result in approximately a 680 Rad dose to the hands. The radiographer was wearing a direct reading dosimeter on his chest which read 100 mR. Other whole body dosimetry is being processed. Following the event, the licensee had the radiographer do a mock performance 3 times. These indicated he held the collimated source approximately 3-5 second in each hand. QSA global is currently performing an independent dose calculation and the radiographer has been removed from duty. The radiographer is not currently experiencing any symptoms of acute radiation exposure. The department has dispatched inspectors to perform a site inspection. Wisconsin Event Report ID No.: WI-170007
The following update was received from the Wisconsin Radiation Protection Section via email: Wisconsin DHS [Department of Health Services] performed a site investigation on May 17, 2017. On the night of the event, there were approximately eight individuals supporting radiography at the temporary jobsite. Two individuals were performing radiography and the rest of the individuals were securing the boundaries. One radiographer was overexposed; no one else on the crew received an elevated dose due to the event. There was no exposure to members of the public. Inspectors confirmed that all radiography equipment (survey meters, alarming rate meters, etc.) was available and operational. The licensee determined that the radiographer held the collimator in his hands in a way that exposed his fingers to the uncollimated beam for several seconds on two separate occasions (once for each hand). The licensee contracted with a third-party to perform a dose assessment. The assessment shows a hand exposure of 176 rem per hand. DHS is evaluating these results. The radiographer's whole body badge was read by the dosimetry provider and showed a 152 millirem dose. This is consistent with the previously reported 100 mR direct-reading dosimeter exposure for May 15. Both the whole body badge and direct-reading dosimeter were located in the radiographer's left front shirt pocket. Wisconsin DHS is continuing to monitor the licensee's response, including medical follow-up of the affected individual. Notified R3DO (Cameron), NMSS Events, NMSS (Rivera-Capella), and NSIR (Milligan) by email.
The following information was received from the State of Wisconsin via facsimile: The source activity on the date of the incident was 96 curies. Notified R3DO (Kunowski), NMSS Events, NMSS (Rivera-Capella), and NSIR (Milligan) by email. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Acuren Inspection, Inc. Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (NRC Region 3) | |
| License number: | 133-2008-01 |
| Organization: | Wisconsin Radiation Protection |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+33.03 h1.376 days <br />0.197 weeks <br />0.0452 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Kyle Walton 14:02 May 16, 2017 |
| NRC Officer: | Jeff Herrera |
| Last Updated: | May 23, 2017 |
| 52759 - NRC Website | |
Acuren Inspection, Inc. with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 580092025-10-27T05:00:00027 October 2025 05:00:00
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