Alaska Firm R&M Engineering Faces Fines for Losing Radioactive Material

R&M Engineering in Juneau, Alaska faces fines imposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failing to secure a portable nuclear gauge that contained radioactive material. The proposed fine would be $3,250 if the company does not challenge the ruling or request an alternate resolution.

In August of 2006, an employee of R&M left a portable gauge in the back of a pickup while he went inside an office. The gauge was not secured in the bed of the truck. Later that same day, the same employee lost the gauge when it fell out of the back of the truck. A member of the public happened upon the gauge and returned it to the company shortly thereafter. However, the NRC requires radioactive material to be closely monitored and under the control of licensed users of said material. R&M now faces fines for the employee's failure to have the gauge in his possession and under his surveillance.

R&M, an engineering firm that works for the Alaska Department of Transportation among other clients, has since taken steps to prevent this lapse in possession happening in the future. These steps include tie-downs installed in company trucks and surprise field inspections to make sure that gauge users are following the NRC requirements.

The NRC wrote a letter to R&M in which the Region IV Administrator admonished the company because "the failure to maintain adequate security of portable gauges and the loss of the gauge could have resulted in unintended radiation doses to members of the public if the sealed sources were moved from the locked and shielded position."

The NRC investigation accuses R&M of three violations: A failure to secure the gauge, losing the gauge and "a willful failure to follow applicable requirements when transporting a portable gauge." R&M did not dispute any of the violations involved in the case. Since the gauge did not cause any harm, and because the company is taking measures to correct the issue, the NRC lowered the possible fine imposed on the firm to the lowest civil penalty for a "loss of source." However, the firm may be subjected to increased scrutiny from the NRC in the future.

Nuclear gauges are used primarily to measure the thickness of asphalt and other materials used in road construction. The radioactive material is encased in stainless steel and is in such a small amount that it could not cause major damage over a large area. To be licensed to use the portable nuclear gauge, one must receive formal radiation safety training and pass a test to become certified.

Source: US Nuclear Regulatory Commission