INES-event
INES 2

Exposure of a worker during radiographic inspections

On 18th April 2014, ASN was informed by the DCNS of an incident which occurred during the night of 17th to 18th April 2014 during radiographic inspections on the Nantes – Indret à La Montagne site. A team, consisting of an operator from the OTECMI company’s Plabennec office and an operator from the SGS Qualitest Industrie company’s Harfleur office, was carrying out radiographic inspections using a gamma ray projector containing a sealed radioactive source of iridium 192 with an activity of 1.95 TBq (terabecquerels) in one of the workshops on the DCNS site.

Believing the inspection to be completed, the operator of the SGS Qualitest Industrie company entered the safety zone to remove the film, even though the radioactive source was not in the protection position.

After being alerted by the radiographer from the OTECMI company, the operator from the SGS Qualitest Industrie company moved away from this zone. The two staff members then warned the persons with competence for radiation protection from their companies and the DCNS.

Owing to the limited duration of the exposure (about one minute), the dose received by the operator, recorded at 5.3 millisieverts (mSv) by his active dosimeter and at 2.85 mSv by his passive dosimeter, has no health consequences and is below the annual regulation dose limit of 20 mSv for a worker exposed during the course of his professional activity.

Location: DCNS site
Event date: Fri, 18-04-2014
Nuclear event report
Legenda & explanation