LA County recovers potentially dangerous missing construction equipment

A potentially dangerous piece of construction equipment that’s used to measure the density of soil and roadway asphalt and went missing from a county truck in the Littlerock area was back in the hands of the county Department of Public Works Tuesday.

The device, known as a thin layer density gauge, was reported missing Thursday by public works crews testing the thickness of the roadway at the intersection of 110th Street East and Avenue R-4. The gauge was last seen about 4 p.m. Thursday in the truck bed of a marked LA County Public Works vehicle.

It remained unclear what happened to the device.

Public Works officials warned last week that the density gauge, which uses x-ray-type radiation to measure roadway thickness, can be hazardous if mishandled or damaged, and radiation sickness could occur.

Late Monday night, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced that a Littlerock resident had found the device and contacted her office. She said public works officials recovered the device and tested it, determining it was still intact and in working order.

“I am pleased the lost tool was recovered,” Barger said in a statement. “An individual contacted my office today to share that they had the gauge in their possession. I’m glad that my message to the community to do their part, be vigilant, and contact officials if found was heeded by the public.

“It’s a big relief to know that no one was hurt by radiation sickness in the process of recovering it. However, this cannot happen again. I am calling on Public Works to immediately report back to the Board with a corrective action plan to ensure this type of risk to the public never materializes again.”

Public works officials had offered a $1,000 reward for the device’s return. It was unclear if the person who contacted Barger’s office would receive the money.

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