 INES 2 |
Radiographer Overexposure |
On July 25, 2006, the State of Texas notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that a radiographer received a committed dose of 123 mSv (12.3 rem), a dose in excess of the NRC’s annual occupational limit of 50 mSv (5 rem).
In June 2006, the licensee received a monthly dosimetry report specifying that one of its radiographers received a dose 123 mSv for the month of May 2006, and that the dose to the dosimeter was not static, which is indicative of an actual exposure. During the investigation, the licensee revealed that the worker routinely left his dosimeter in the work truck and concluded that the film badge, not the worker was exposed. The State of Texas continued the investigation, with an Agency investigator focusing on dose reconstruction.
On November 30, 2006, the State of Texas updated the information in NRC’s Nuclear Materials Event Database (NMED) concluding that the State would consider the exposure reported by the badge as accurate representation of the exposure to the worker and that the overexposure had occurred. A notice of violation will be issued.
Event date: Mon, 01-05-2006
