Sophisticated monitors at scrap yards and steel mills can detect minute amounts of radiation emanating from loads of scrap metal. But an intact gauge may not emit enough radiation to be detected, allowing a gauge to be melted with scrap metal in the furnace of a steel mill. Depending on the type of radioactive material, the steel product, the furnace dust, or the slag may be contaminated. Finally, there have been instances where contaminated steel products have entered the marketplace. Although many thousands of gauges are used in domestic industries, most of them are usually not a risk to life and property because they are in use, controlling industrial processes.
Licensees implement control mechanisms to reduce risk.
An effective control is one that operates immediately and continuously when gauges are at risk to prevent them from being inadvertently removed from their intended places. Although not typically viewed as a control, a gauge in use, controlling production, cannot be removed and discarded without drawing attention. When a gauge must be removed from a process unit, storage in an area that is dedicated only for gauges reduces the chances of the gauge being discarded with scrapped materials and equipment. An unused gauge that has been returned to a vendor is not at risk of being discarded into the recycling stream. Soft controls are less effective than hard controls in providing ICC because they do not always gain enough attention at the right times and they can be degraded by conditions and circumstances at facilities.