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NRC NEWS
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II
101 Marietta St., Suite 2900, Atlanta, GA 30323 | | CONTACT: |
Ken Clark (Phone: 404-331-5503, E-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov ) |
| Roger Hannah (Phone 404-331-7878, E-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov ) |
No. II-96-90 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ken Clark or Roger Hannah (Friday, November 8, 1996)
Telephone: (404) 331-5503 or 331-7878
NRC TO SEND SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO BRISTOL, VIRGINIA
TO REVIEW INDUSTRIAL WORKER'S OVEREXPOSURE TO RADIATION
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff announced Friday that it will send a
special Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) next week to Bristol, Virginia to review
circumstances associated with an apparent overexposure to the hand of a worker using a
radioactive device to measure the density of soil at a number of temporary job sites this
year.
Professional Service Industries, Inc., of Bristol notified the NRC on November 6
that a technician had reported a concern that reddening and blisters on the hand may
have resulted from radiation exposure. The technician had operated a gauging device
containing up to 10 millicuries of radioactive cesium-137 in a source at the end of a rod
and up to 50 millicuries of americium-241 within the gauge housing. The cesium
source is housed within the gauge and pushed out and into the ground during use.
NRC officials said the technician reported routinely touching the cesium source
during operation due to difficulties in pushing it out of its housing during a six-month
period. Based upon November 8 interviews with the technician and a reenactment of
events, the company determined that the technician probably received an overexposure
to the hand of more than 50 rems, the NRC's annual limit for such exposure. The NRC
concurs that the technician probably exceeded the regulatory limit by a significant
amount.
The NRC's regional office in Atlanta has issued a Confirmatory Action Letter to
the company to document proposed corrective actions. The AIT will arrive at the site
next week to review circumstances associated with the event, including a determination
of the dose to the technician's hand, the cause of the gauge malfunction, and training of
licensee personnel.
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