lilly.. it would be very useful to try and get our hands on... 'WORK CONTROL PROCEDURES" there and .. what we have in the states called... RADIOLOGICAL WORK PERMITS
by dean 7/12/2011 12:06:05 PM
they must have some form of equivalency documentation for standard jobs...
by dean 7/12/2011 12:06:34 PM
and the excuse that they are short on dosimetry doesn't fly because they normally bring in hundreds of people to work those outages and would have to have instruments for them..
by dean 7/12/2011 12:07:19 PM
also would be nice to know what the subcontract work documentation looks like for the subcontracted crafts and workers who come to support reactor outages.
by dean 7/12/2011 12:08:01 PM
@dean yea, we need to find out if everyone has dosimetery or not. There is zero excuse by not for them not to. I remember seeing large shipments sent by other countries of units. They have had plenty of time to get them so that seems like if they are not giving everyone a unit it is to avoid knowing their exposure.
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:09:09 PM
@dean The standard paperwork might be available in a final report form via NISA. They might have forms online for plants to copy. I can put it on the research list.
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:10:17 PM
they should also have tons of dosimetery instrumentation from the other plants that could be brought in if FUKUSHIMA ones were ruined as part of the accident..
by dean 7/12/2011 12:10:29 PM
good lilly .. also try to search for fukushima subcontract requirements
by dean 7/12/2011 12:10:56 PM
by dean 7/12/2011 12:12:24 PM
What is clear is that the contract laborers are routinely exposed to the highest level of radiation: in 2009 according to NISA, of those who received a dose between 5 and 10 millisieverts (mSv), there were 671 contract laborers against 36 regular employees. Those who received between 10 and 15 mSv were comprised of 220 contract laborers and 2 regular workers, while 35 contract workers and no regular workers were exposed to a dose between 15 and 20 mSv.
Since contract laborers move from one nuclear plant to another, depending on the maintenance schedule of the various reactors, they lack access to their individual cumulative dose for one year or for many years. NISA compiles only the cumulative dose for each nuclear plant. The result is that the whole system is opaque, thus complicating the procedure for workers who need to apply for occupational hazards compensation.
by dean 7/12/2011 12:13:48 PM
It looks like the senior corps is at the plant and may start working. Looking for an english version
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:13:54 PM
@dean the whole system is a mess. Workers have ambiguous relationships about who they work for and who is responsible for work injuries or any benefits. The lack of unified dose tracking seems to follow that whole messed up system.
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:16:47 PM
that article is good
by dean 7/12/2011 12:16:50 PM
@dean there are some other articles on aspects of the worker situation like that. We should try to re-find the others and put them together into a post on the website.
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:18:00 PM
One worker with heatstroke working at Daini sounds like he recovered.
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:19:23 PM
true... I watched a video some time ago for a routine job in one of those plants.. there was a 50 gallon barrel which probably had some waste in it and they were going to transfer it over to a pallet... there were probably 10 workers and they all seemed to point here and there so it was hard to tell who the boss was.... the workers had to strap around the barrel, lift it to a hand fork lift and move it... well, they had problems... you would see workers darting in and out.. probably knowing that the barrell was HOT... there was one rad technician trying to measure things... they finally gave up on lifting it and all of a sudden 10 workers peeled out behind columns, boxes etc. where they were hiding from probably the rad level.. they rushed the barrel and rolled it upgright over to the pallet.... IT WAS TRUELY disorganized..
by dean 7/12/2011 12:20:14 PM
According to the ads that circulate on SMS, and which are relayed on Twitter, wages offered are around 10,000 yen per day (84 euros), which is about double the average salary for a young temporary employee, but does not represent an exceptional offer either. This would mean that, despite the sacrifice of those who agree to go there, TEPCO continues to skimp on wages. Last week, the Tokyo Shimbun published testimonies of people who refused to come to work at the plant.
by dean 7/12/2011 12:23:12 PM
wonder what SMS is... and they must have some twitter places that recruiters have
by dean 7/12/2011 12:23:35 PM
You won’t come? The wording “over fifty” suggests that in order to come work on the site, you must be ready to die … Elsewhere, I read that there are locals who are willing to do the maximum because they do not want to see everything lost for thirty years, or for a thousand years, to come. Finally, Saturday, April 2, the Mainichi newspaper published an interview with an employee of TEPCO who describes the extreme difficulty of the conditions for intervention and the patched-together systems they are compelled to use to protect themselves, like wrapping themselves in plastic bags, for lack of appropriate protective suits.
Only the bosses are furnished with dosimeters. According to another worker present on that day, Friday the 11th, many simply went home carrying their dosimeter. TEPCO confirms that, due to the tsunami, a large number of dosimeters were damaged. Out of 5000, there remain no more than 320. The manufacturer has virtually no more stock, and Toshiba has sent them only 50.
by dean 7/12/2011 12:24:39 PM
@dean There seems to be the skilled traveling refueling crews, the skilled traveling contractors for things like electrical, then the clean up guys who are unskilled and treated like disposable workers.
SMS is text messaging systems but can do bulk posts out. Will need to see if we can figure out some of these recruiters and follow their posts
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:24:50 PM
yes @ lilly.. those nuclear work force people go around in the states as well.... One time I met a man who was working and I asked.. how do you find work?.. he said.. well there is this web site called ROADWHORE.COM... it sounded strange but I went there and it opened up to a whole ton of companies, jobs etc.
by dean 7/12/2011 12:27:07 PM
lilly check the notes on the bottom of that article.. # 1 interesting
by dean 7/12/2011 12:29:27 PM
www.cnic.jp needs the english translation
by dean 7/12/2011 12:30:14 PM
oops.. it's there
by dean 7/12/2011 12:30:26 PM
Hi dean, thanks for the link below
by bo 7/12/2011 12:31:38 PM
Cnic needs the english translation of the documentary?
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:32:15 PM
@lillymunster thanks for your kind words accompanying my article over at SimplyInfo
by bo 7/12/2011 12:33:28 PM
@bo your welcome. :-)
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:34:12 PM
by dean 7/12/2011 12:37:00 PM
Sounds like now TEPCO is waffling on making workers pay for food and the plant manager is opposing it. via twitter
by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:37:38 PM
hi bo... your article was very nicely done bo, ty for your dedication to your profession and for hanging in there like you do
by dean 7/12/2011 12:37:44 PM
I would make you a nice tuna sushi bo but my tuna looks kinda funny...
by dean 7/12/2011 12:38:19 PM
@dean thanks a lot. Just doing my part. And thanks for the offer, but I'm trying to pass on tuna at the moment!
by bo 7/12/2011 12:39:16 PM
Kan considers nationalizing nuclear power
english.kyodonews.jpby lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:42:29 PM
last nite I was thinking.. in situations like this were radiation and contamination are present, the industry tends to try to play it down, raise limits to new levels then say all is ok... etc etc etc... I wish they would reset the clock and say.. people we have the contamination and radiation, it's not leaving any time soon and then begin in a new paradigm of protective measures, edcuation, real involvment by gov't and agencies. it's not going away
by dean 7/12/2011 12:42:45 PM
gm Diane_NJ
by dean 7/12/2011 12:43:03 PM
@dean how true. It is amazing that in a situation like this that denial seems to strike them as a wise course to pursue.
by bo 7/12/2011 12:44:14 PM
Govt to look into quake related suicides
mdn.mainichi.jpby lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:47:23 PM
@bo, if.. that is 'IF' they would approach it that way.. the government of japan would begin to regain credibility because after all ... you know they have the technical base and technology base and could be leaders in the world for actions following disasters in the nuclear world
by dean 7/12/2011 12:48:44 PM
Nuclear crisis minister wants barrier built quickly
mdn.mainichi.jp Temp housing promotes link between elderly & children
mdn.mainichi.jp by lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:48:57 PM
schools told to avoid beef until safer system in place
www.fnn-news.comby lillymunster 7/12/2011 12:51:44 PM
@dean absolutely. Additionally, where is the opportunistic politician who wants to get out in front of this mass of public opinion? You would think that 70-80% public opinion against nuclear power would make politicians drool. But primarily, it is an opportunity for Japan to establish itself as the leader in both disaster response and decentralized alternative energy
by bo 7/12/2011 12:51:54 PM
www.roadtechs.com we need to find the Japan equivalent web page to this one...
by dean 7/12/2011 12:53:37 PM
Article about Safecast volunteers - "Japan's citizen scientists map radiation, DIY-style" worldblog.msnbc.msn.comby Diane_NJ 7/12/2011 12:42:43 PM
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