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UNITED STATESNUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONOFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDSWASHINGTON, D.C. 20555

January 15, 1998

**Addressees**

All portable gauge licensees

**Purpose**

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice (IN) to share some recent incidents of theftsof portable gauges with addressees and to remind licensees of their responsibilities to prevent loss and damage to portablegauges. It is expected that recipients will review this information for applicability to their licensed activities and consideractions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, suggestions contained in this information notice are not NRCrequirements; therefore no specific action nor written response is required.

**Description of Circumstances**

In the year and a half from February 1996 through August 1997, a total of 33 thefts of portable gauges were reported byNRC and Agreement State licensees. In almost all of these cases, the licensee complied with regulatory requirements bysecuring stored, licensed material from unauthorized removal or access.

Twenty-one of the thefts involved devices stored in vehicles (e.g., parked in shopping areas during the day, at gauge userresidences overnight) and 12 thefts were from storage facilities (e.g., trailers at job sites, storage sheds). In three of thethefts, vehicles with the devices in them were stolen (one with the ignition key left in the vehicle). Out of the 21 thefts fromvehicles, only one licensee appears to have not followed expected security requirements. Out of the 12 thefts from storagefacilities, only one licensee appears to have not followed expected security requirements. Some representative examples ofsuch thefts of portable gauges follow.

Case 1: A portable gauge was stolen from a vehicle parked at a private residence. The gauge was last accounted for duringthe evening, when it was located within a locked pickup truck. The gauge's source rod was locked in a shielded positionand the entire gauge was in a locked transportation case chained to the truck bed. The gauge was identified as missing earlythe next morning. The truck had been broken open and the chain locking the gauge's transportation case to the truck wascut to access the portable gauge. The licensee reported the theft to the local media, the State, and NRC.

Case 2: A portable gauge was stolen from the back of a pickup truck at a stop while enroute back to the office. The gaugeuser was returning to the office after completing work at a job site. The source rod was locked in its shielded position andthe gauge was locked in its transport case. The transport case was chained and locked to the bed of the pickup truck. Whenthe gauge user returned to the truck, the cap of the truck was unlocked and the gauge, transport case, chains, and locks weremissing. The licensee notified NRC and local police, who informed the media. The licensee also contacted the gaugemanufacturer and requested that it place this gauge on the manufacturer's "stolen gauge list."

Case 3: Two portable gauges were stolen from a temporary job site over a holiday weekend. The gauges were stored in alocked, metal storage unit. The locks and chains securing the gauges were both cut. Also stolen were other tools and apickup truck. The local police, NRC and the gauge manufacturers were notified. The licensee issued a press release andoffered a reward for the return of the gauges. Five days later police recovered the gauges from the garage of the thief whowas arrested later that afternoon.

Case 4: A portable gauge was stolen from a locked storage shed at the licensee's corporate office. The gauge was in itsshipping container and had been stored in a locked plywood cabinet within the locked storage shed. The licensee plans tomove the storage location of its gauges to the basement of its building.

**Discussion**

Portable gauges are used extensively by NRC and Agreement State licensees. Thefts involving gauges appear to beoccurring more frequently, especially when gauges are left unattended. The requirements for control and security oflicensed material are given in 10 CFR 20.1801 and 20.1802. Control and security requirements may also be found on theNRC license and within Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations.

NRC licensees transporting portable gauges are subject to the regulations in 10 CFR Part 71. Section 71.5(a) incorporatescertain regulations (49 CFR 170-189) of the Department of Transportation (DOT), to which these licensees are also subject.Licensees who transport gauges to and from temporary job sites in private vehicles are shippers acting as private carriers,and as such, must comply with DOT regulations governing both shippers and carriers. Title 49 CFR 177.842(d) requiresthat packages containing radioactive material (i.e., the gauge in its case) must be blocked and braced to prevent themovement of the package during transportation. For pickup trucks, this requirement is usually met when the gauge issecured within its case, and the case is secured and locked to the bed of the truck.

Licensees may want to consider taking further precautions such as concealing the gauge from view, increasing surveillancein high crime areas, and including a discussion of this IN in periodic or special gauge user training to heighten awareness tothis growing problem.

**Related Generic Communications**

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If you have any questions about the information inthis notice, please contact the technical contact listed below or the appropriate regional office.

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