Inspection Division
Labour Standards Bureau
Office for Radiation Protection of Workers
Industrial Health division
Occupational Safety and Health Department
Labour Standards Bureau
Press Release
Current status of supervision and instructions provided to employers engaged in decontamination works.
Current status of supervision, and instructions provided to employers engaged in decontamination works in Fukushima Prefecture are summarized below.
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Current status of supervision, and supervision provided to employers engaged in decontamination works in Fukushima Prefecture are summarized below.
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau, via Labour Standards Inspection Offices, has issued supervision and instructions to 242 employers (as of 31 December 2012) in order to ensure proper conditions of employment and the safety and health of workers engaged in decontamination works.
Among those employers, a total of 108 employers were recognized as being in violation of applicable laws such as the Labour Standards Act or Industrial Safety and Health Act (violation rate of 45%). Instruction to correct said violations was given accordingly.
(1)No. of supervised employers 242 employers (2)No. of violators 108 employers (violation rate of 45%) (3)No. of cases of violation 219
○ Details of major violations
(1)Those relevant to conditions of employment Clear statement of wages and other conditions of employment (Article 15 of LS Act) 11Non-payment of wage (Article 24 of LS Act) 6Preparation of lists of workers (Article 107 of LS Act) 7Preparation of payroll books (Article 108 of LS Act) 7(2)Those relevant to safety and health Measurement of dose (Article 5 of the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 8Prior survey (Article 7 of the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 34Contamination survey of those leaving the contaminated area (Article 14 of the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 17Contamination survey of articles taken out from the contaminated area (Article 15 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 12Use of protective equipment (Article 16 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 9Implementation of special education (Article 19 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 14Implementation of special medical examination (Article 20 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 21Provision of radiation measurement devices (Article 26 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination) 8
*: ・Payroll deduction made without a labour-management agreement: 2 cases
Note: This is a preliminary report. Detailed analysis results will be provided later.
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Actions other than supervision/instruction to employers engaged in decontamination works.
(1) Special duty (decontamination) allowance- On November 2012, the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau requested TEPCO’s primary contractors (21 employers) ensure clarification of documented conditions of employment, including decontamination allowance and wages, by presenting a sample of an employment notice.
- On November 2011, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), a framework was established whereby the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau provides information to the Fukushima Office for Environmental Restoration in cases of identified unpaid decontamination allowance in its supervision/instruction. To date, information has been provided on eight cases.
The Labour Standards Act specifies instructions to correct any violation of Article 24 of the Act (regarding the full payment of wages) in cases where wages ensured by an employment contract are not paid.
(2) Measures to prevent radiation hazards during decontamination related works-
Guidance was collectively provided for employers engaged in decontamination regarding the
content of the
Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination.* (Said guidance was provided a total of 5
times for 500
persons during the period from June to August 2012.)
* Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards at Works to Decontaminate Soil and Wastes Contaminated by Radioactive Materials Resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Related Works - The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau conducted theoretical lectures on special education for operation leaders of the decontamination employers to disseminate rules and regulations in detail. (Said lectures were given a total of 9 times for 1,613 persons during the period from December 2011 to February 2012.)
- Textbook of special education for decontamination workers, instructional movies that support the practical training of instrument handling in the special education, and Q & A were made available through the MHLW website. In addition, leaflets for workers and employers were distributed to relevant employers.
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Supervision in the future
Supervision will be provided to employers engaged in decontamination works. In case of non-compliance, with regulations related to the Labour Standards Act instructions for corrective actions will strictly be provided to relevant employers.
- Press release (PDF)