Accidential Exposure of Industrial Radiography Worker


Print View Posted on: 26 December 2024

Event Date: 24 August 2018 Event Type: Radiation Source
Event Location: Korea, Republic of, Geoje INES Rating: 2 (Final)

On August 24, 2018, during industrial radiography using a sealed radiation source (Ir-192, 1.22 TBq), the radiation source became stuck inside the guide tube, making it impossible to retrieve. During the initial response, the remote control cable was incorrectly assembled in the opposite direction, but the worker did not notice this mistake. The worker believed that the source had been safely retrieved into a shielding container, but instead, the source was pushed outside the container and remained inside the guide tube. When the worker attempted to detach the guide tube from the shielding container, the source became exposed. The worker then physically handled the source capsule with bare hands, resulting in radiation exposure. At the time, the worker did not have a radiation detector, so the exact position of the source was unknown. The source was later safely retrieved by another worker. The worker’s hand equivalent dose was assessed as 960 mSv, which exceeds the dose limit.

INES Rating: 2 - Incident (Final) as per 30 January 2019
Release beyond authorized limits? No
Overexposure of a member of the public? No
Overexposure of a worker? Yes

Contamination spread within the facility? No
Damage to radiological barriers (incl. fuel damage) within the facility? No

Degradation of Defence In-Depth Yes

Person injured physically or casualty? No
Is there a continuing problem? No

Changsu Park
Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS)

cspark@kins.re.kr
https://www.kins.re.kr
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