341 / 536
Number of events
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Deficient
marking
Intrusion
in marked zone
Miscellaneous
Other human factors
Fall of a device
Loss of
source control
GRAPH 8:
Main causes of industrial radiography events notified to ASN in 2013-2015
Outside BNIs
In BNIs
Diagram of the bunker.
Over-exposure of a female operator
employed by an industrial radiography
contractor – Apave Sudeurope SAS,
in Colomiers (Haute-Garonne
département)
On 31st July 2015, a female operator of the Colomiers agency
of the company Apave Sudeurope was accidentally exposed
in the agency’s bunker to radiation emitted by an X-ray generator
used for industrial radiography.
The operator entered the bunker without realising that the device was
emitting ionising radiation. She was directly exposed to the beam
from the X-ray tube for several minutes. As soon as this abnormal
situation was detected, Apave Sudeurope suspended utilisation of
the facility and requested emergency development of the operator’s
passive dosimeter. It notified ASN of this event on 4th August 2015.
On 5th August 2015, ASN inspectors and a labour inspector
conducted an on-site inspection in the presence of the company’s
occupational physician. Apave Sudeurope informed the inspectors
that the safety device that stops X-ray emission when the bunker
doors are open had been intentionally disabled shortly before
the event on account of a technical failure (see diagram of
bunker). This constitutes a deviation from the regulations and
a serious failure in the radiation protection organisation.
The operator’s passive dosimeter measured an effective dose
of 82 millisieverts, substantially higher than the regulatory annual
effective dose limit (20 millisieverts for a person exposed
to ionising radiation in the course of their professional activity).
As the whole-body exposure of the operator was not uniform,
some parts of the body may have received higher doses.
ASN mandated IRSN, its technical expert, to conduct a finer
reconstruction of the received doses. These were evaluated at
1.5 Sv in equivalent dose on the skin of the hands and 144 mSv
at the body trunk in the primary beam.
TO BE NOTED
ASN rated this event level 2 on the INES radiological events scale
which comprises 8 levels from 0 to 7.
BUNKER
Wall shielding against X-rays
Under normal conditions, X-ray emission
stops when the doors are opened
Control console
Zone where the radiation is very intense
when the device is operating
X-ray generator
341
CHAPTER 10:
INDUSTRIAL, RESEARCH AND VETERINARY USES AND SOURCE SECURITY
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015