Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

In Focus: Radiation Protection at Works Relating to TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

To:
Directors
Prefectural Labour Bureaus
From:
Director
Labour Standards Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Official seal imprinted)
18 November 2014
Labour Standards Bureau Notification
No. 1118-6

Revision of Guidelines Such as That on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works

To prevent radiation hazards for workers engaged in works to decontaminate soil and wastes contaminated by radioactive materials, works for collecting waste, etc. and works to dispose of nuclear accident-derived wastes, etc., discharged in the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku District off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake) that occurred on 11 March 2011, (referred to as "decontamination and related works"), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has enforced the 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 (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) No.152 of 2011; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination") and the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards (Ordinance of the Ministry of Labour No.41 of 1972; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance"), and has established as well the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 1222-6, 22 December 2011), the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 0615-6, 15 June 2012), and the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Waste Disposal (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No.0412-6, as of 12 April 2013) and is instructing all those concerned to comply properly with these ordinances and guidelines.

The guidelines were revised as shown below in terms of factors used for the simplified radioactivity measurement of the soil etc. You are strongly requested to make those known to all concerned contractors, and prefectural and municipal authorities within your jurisdiction, and properly promote the prevention of radiation hazards during decontamination and related works, in consideration of the revised provisions.

It should be noted that the Deputy Vice-Minister of the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), the Director-General of the Environmental Management Bureau of MOE, the Director-General of the Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Director-General of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Director-General of the Reconstruction Agency, and the Vice-Secretary General of the Team in Charge of Assisting the Lives of Disaster Victims of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters of the Cabinet Office have been notified as in Annex 4, that the prefectural governors of Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Niigata and Shizuoka have been notified as in Annex 5, and that related employers’ groups have been notified as in Annex 6.

Notes
1. Revised provisions
  1. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works, Section 7-3 was revised as shown in Section 1 of Annex 1, Attachment 6-1 as shown in Annex 2, and Attachment 6-2 as shown in Annex 3.
  2. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate, Section 6-2 was revised as shown in Section 2 of Annex 1.
  3. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-Derived Wastes Disposal Works, Section 9-3 was revised as shown in Section 3 of Annex 1 and Table-1 in Attachment 1-1 as shown in Annex 2.
Annex1
  1. Section 7-3 of the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works was revised as shown below:
     
    1. Follow-up on results of the medical examinations
       
      1. Employers of workers engaged in decontamination works, etc. should seek advice from a medical doctor about the results of the medical examinations described in 1 or 2 above (limited to workers who were diagnosed as abnormal in the said medical examinations items) in the following manner:

        (a) A medical doctor’s opinion should be sought within three months from the date of a medical examination.

        (b) The opinions and observations of the medical doctor should be recorded in each employee’s personal medical examination card.

      2. Employers of workers engaged in decontamination works, etc. should inform those workers for decontamination and related works who had the said examinations of their medical examination results without delay.
      3. Employers of workers engaged in decontamination works, etc., when the medical examinations described in 1 above (limited to those conducted regularly) have been conducted, should submit the "Report of results on the ionizing radiation medical examinations for decontamination, etc." to the relevant Head of the Labour Standards Inspection Office without delay.
      4. When a worker has, or is suspected to have, or may have a radiation hazard ailment based on the results of the medical examinations described in 1 or 2 above , the employers of the workers engaged in decontamination works, etc. should take the necessary measures to maintain the health of the worker including transferring him/her to another workplace or changing the specific work, minimizing the radiation exposure time and changing the method of work and so forth, until there are no doubts about the worker’s radiation hazard ailment or its possibility.

  2. Section 6-2 of the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate was revised as shown below:
     
    1. Follow-up on results of the medical examinations
       
      1. Employers of workers engaged in works under a designated dose rate should seek advice from a medical doctor about the results of the medical examinations described in 1 above (limited to workers who were diagnosed as abnormal in the said medical examinations items) in the following manner :

        (a) A medical doctor’s opinion should be sought within three months from the date of a medical examination.

        (b) The opinions and observations of the medical doctor should be recorded in each employee’s personal medical examination card.

      2. Employers of workers engaged in works under a designated dose rate should inform those workers who had the said examinations of the results of their medical examinations without delay.
      3. When a worker has, or is suspected to have, or may have a radiation hazard ailment based on the results of the medical examinations described in 1 above, the employers of workers engaged in works under a designated dose rate should take the necessary measures to maintain the health of the worker including transferring him/her to another workplace or changing the specific work, minimizing the radiation exposure time and changing the method of work and so forth, until there are no doubts about the worker’s radiation hazard ailment or its possibility.

  3. Section 9-3 of the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-Derived Wastes Disposal Works was revised as shown below:
     
    1. Follow-up on results of the medical examinations
       
      1. Disposal operator employers should seek advice from a medical doctor about the medical examination results in 1 or 2 above (limited to workers who were diagnosed as abnormal in the said medical examination items) in accordance with the provisions below:

        (a) A medical doctor’s opinion should be sought within three months from the date of a medical examination.

        (b) The opinions and observations of the medical doctor should be recorded in each employee’s personal medical examination card.

      2. Disposal operator should inform workers engaged in accident-derived waste disposal who had the said examinations of the results of their medical examinations without delay.
      3. Disposal operator, when the medical examinations described in 1 above (limited to those conducted regularly) have been conducted, should submit the "Report on the ionizing radiation medical examination results" to the relevant Head of the Labour Standard Inspection Office without delay.
      4. When a worker has, or is suspected to have, or may have a radiation hazard ailment based on the results of the medical examinations, the disposal operator should take the necessary measures to maintain the health of the worker including transferring him/her to another workplace or changing the specific work, minimizing the radiation exposure time and changing the method of work and so forth, until there are no doubts about the worker’s radiation hazard ailment or its possibility.
Annex2
Table 1: Factor X values listed by the measurement date and type of container for removed materials
Measurement date Factor X values
V5 containers Sandbag Flexible
containers
200 L drum cans 2 L polyethylene bottles
Until October 2014 3.7E+04 8.3E+0E 1.1E+07 2.9E+06 1.1E+05
Until January 2015 3.8E+04 8.5E+05 1.1E+07 2.9E+06 1.1E+05
Until April 2015 3.8E+04 8.6E+05 1.1E+07 3.0E+06 1.1E+05
Until July 2015 3.9E+04 8.8E+05 1.2E+07 3.0E+06 1.1E+05
Until October 2015 3.9E+04 8.9E+05 1.2E+07 3.1E+06 1.1E+05
Until January 2016 4.0E+04 9.0E+05 1.2E+07 3.1E+06 1.2E+05
Until April 2016 4.0E+04 9.1E+05 1.2E+07 3.2E+06 1.2E+05
Until July 2016 4.1E+04 9.3E+05 1.2E+07 3.2E+06 1.2E+05
Until October 2016 4.2E+04 9.4E+05 1.2E+07 3.3E+06 1.2E+05
Until January 2017 4.2E+04 9.5E+05 1.3E+07 3.3E+06 1.2E+05
Until April 2017 4.3E+04 9.6E+05 1.3E+07 3.3E+06 1.2E+05
Until July 2017 4.3E+04 9.7E+05 1.3E+07 3.4E+06 1.2E+05
Until October 2017 4.3E+04 9.8E+05 1.3E+07 3.4E+06 1.3E+05
Until January 2018 4.4E+04 9.9E+05 1.3E+07 3.5E+06 1.3E+05
Annex3

Attachment 6-2 Simplified procedures for measurement of radioactivity concentration of agricultural soil

  1. Method to determine that the radioactivity (total radioactivity of Cs-134 and Cs-137) in agricultural soil is lower than 10,000 Bq/kg based on the average ambient dose rate at the height of 1 m from the ground surface
    1)
    Measure the average ambient dose rate A (μSv/h) at the workplace (farmland) before starting the work (See Attachment 5 for the measurement method)
    2)
    Select the estimation formula depending on the type of farmland and type of soil*1 as summarized in Table 1.
    3)
    Estimate the radioactivity concentration of Cs in the agricultural soil (15 cm in depth), by substituting the measurement A (μSv/h) into the formula selected in Step 2).
    Ambient dose rate A (μSv/h) x Factor X – Factor Y
    = Radioactivity concentration (total of Cs-134 and Cs-137) (Bq/kg)
    (Example)
    Radioactivity concentration of Cs in Andosols for a “rice paddy in other areas” when the average ambient dose rate is 0.2 μSv/h (Estimation formula: C)*2

0.2 x 6,260 – 327 = 925 Bq/kg (Estimated)

Table 1: Selection of estimation formula
Zone Type of farmland Type of soil Formula Factor X Factor Y
Evacuation area Non-decontaminated farmland A 4,010 0
Decontaminated farmland *3 B 3,590 0
Other areas Rice paddy Andosol C 6,260 327
Non-Andosol D 5,040 148
Agricultural field Andosol E 4,720 185
Non-Andosol F 3,960 135
Orchard・Pasture G 3,060 0

*1 Whether or not the soil of the farmland is an Andosol type can be checked using the soil distribution map on the webpage of the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Science (http://agrimesh.dc.affrc.go.jp/soil_db/).

*2 The conversion factors will change due to radioactivity decay with time. The estimation formula will be revised before the change becomes so large as not to be negligible.

*3 Farmland which has been deeply plowed or from which topsoil has been stripped.

Table 1: Selection of estimation formula
Ambient Dose Rate
(μSv/h)
Cs Concentration
(Bq/kg)
Ambient Dose Rate
(μSv/h)
Cs Concentration
(Bq/kg)
Ambient Dose Rate
(μSv/h)
Cs Concentration
(Bq/kg)
0.1 401 1.1 4,411 2.1 8,421
0.2 802 1.2 4,812 2.2 8,822
0.3 1,203 1.3 5,213 2.3 9,223
0.4 1,604 1.4 5,614 2.4 9,624
0.5 2,005 1.5 6,015 2.5 10,025
0.6 2.406 1.6 6,416 2.6 10,426
0.7 2,807 1.7 6,817 2.7 10,827
0.8 3,208 1.8 7,218 2.8 11,228
0.9 3,609 1.9 7,619 2.9 11,629
1.0 4,010 2.0 8,020 3.0 12,030
Annex4
To:
Deputy Vice-Minister of the Ministry of the Environment (MOE)
Director-General of the Environmental Management Bureau of MOE
Director-General of the Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Director-General of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Director-General of the Reconstruction Agency
Vice-Secretary General of the Team in Charge of Assisting the Lives of Disaster Victims of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters of the Cabinet Office
From:
Director
Labour Standards Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
18 November 2014
Labour Standards Bureau Notification
No. 1118-3

Revision of Guidelines Such as That on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works

Your continued understanding and extra cooperation in the work of the Industrial Safety and Health Administration are gratefully acknowledged.

To prevent radiation hazards for workers engaged in works to decontaminate soil and wastes contaminated by radioactive materials, works for collecting waste, etc. and works to dispose of nuclear accident-derived wastes, etc., discharged in the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku District off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake) that occurred on 11 March 2011, (referred to as "decontamination and related works"), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has enforced the 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 (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) No.152 of 2011; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination") and the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards (Ordinance of the Ministry of Labour No.41 of 1972; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance"), and has established as well the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 1222-6, 22 December 2011), the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 0615-6, 15 June 2012), and the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Waste Disposal (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No.0412-6, as of 12 April 2013) and is instructing all those concerned to comply properly with these ordinances and guidelines.

The guidelines were revised as shown below in terms of factors used for the simplified radioactivity measurement of the soil etc.

You are strongly requested to make those known to all concerned contractors as well as self-employed workers, residents and volunteers who are engaged in decontamination and related works or works under a designated dose rate to which the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination does not apply, in consideration of the revised provisions.

Notes
1. Revised provisions
  1. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works, Section 7-3 was revised as shown in Section 1 of Annex 1, Attachment 6-1 as shown in Annex 2, and Attachment 6-2 as shown in Annex 3.
  2. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate, Section 6-2 was revised as shown in Section 2 of Annex 1.
  3. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Wastes Disposal Works, Section 9-3 was revised as shown in Section 3 of Annex 1 and Table-1 in the Attachment 1-1 as shown in Annex 2.
Annex5
To:
Prefectural governors, as listed on a separate sheet
From:
Director
Labour Standards Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
18 November 2014
Labour Standards Bureau Notification
No. 1118-4

Revision of Guidelines Such as That on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works

Your continued understanding and extra cooperation in the work of the Industrial Safety and Health Administration are gratefully acknowledged.

To prevent radiation hazards for workers engaged in works to decontaminate soil and wastes contaminated by radioactive materials, works for collecting wastes, etc. and works to dispose of nuclear accident-derived wastes, etc., discharged in the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku District off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake) that occurred on 11 March 2011, (referred to as "decontamination and related works"), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has enforced the 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 (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) No.152 of 2011; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination") and the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards (Ordinance of the Ministry of Labour No.41 of 1972; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance"), and has established as well the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 1222-6, 22 December 2011), the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 0615-6, 15 June 2012), and the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Waste Disposal (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No.0412-6, as of 12 April 2013) and is instructing all those concerned to comply properly with these ordinances and guidelines.

The guidelines were revised as shown below in terms of factors used for the simplified radioactivity measurement of the soil etc.

You are strongly requested to make those known to municipal authorities within your jurisdiction, in consideration of the revised provisions.

Notes
1. Revised provisions
  1. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works, Section 7-3 was revised as shown in Section 1 of Annex 1, Attachment 6-1 as shown in Annex 2, and Attachment 6-2 as shown in Annex 3.
  2. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate, Section 6-2 was revised as shown in Section 2 of Annex 1.
  3. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Wastes Disposal Works, Section 9-3 was revised as shown in Section 3 of Annex 1 and Table-1 in the Attachment 1-1 as shown in Annex 2.

Separate sheet (List of Prefectural Governors)

Iwate
Miyagi
Yamagata
Fukushima
Ibaraki
Tochigi
Gunma
Saitama
Chiba
Tokyo
Niigata
Shizuoka

Annex6
To:
Chairpersons of the concerned employers’ groups, as listed on a separate sheet
From:
Director
Labour Standards Bureau
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
18 November 2014
Labour Standards Bureau Notification
No. 1118-5

Revision of Guidelines Such as That on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works

Your continued understanding and extra cooperation in the work of the Industrial Safety and Health Administration are gratefully acknowledged.

To prevent radiation hazards for workers engaged in works to decontaminate soil and wastes contaminated by radioactive materials, works for collecting wastes, etc. and works to dispose of nuclear accident-derived wastes, etc., discharged in the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku District off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake) that occurred on 11 March 2011, (referred to as "decontamination and related works"), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has enforced the 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 (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) No.152 of 2011; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination") and the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards (Ordinance of the Ministry of Labour No.41 of 1972; referred to as the "Ionizing Radiation Ordinance"), and has established as well the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 1222-6, 22 December 2011), the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No. 0615-6, 15 June 2012), and the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Waste Disposal (Labour Standards Bureau Notification No.0412-6, as of 12 April 2013) and is instructing all those concerned to comply properly with these ordinances and guidelines.

The guidelines were revised as shown below in terms of factors used for the simplified radioactivity measurement of the soil etc.

You are requested to make those known to your group members and properly promote the prevention of radiation hazards during decontamination and related works, in consideration of the revised provisions.

Notes
1. Revised provisions
  1. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Decontamination and Related Works, Section 7-3 was revised as shown in Section 1 of Annex 1, Attachment 6-1 as shown in Annex 2, and Attachment 6-2 as shown in Annex 3.
  2. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Works under a Designated Dose Rate, Section 6-2 was revised as shown in Section 2 of Annex 1.
  3. For the Guideline on Prevention of Radiation Hazards for Workers Engaged in Nuclear Accident-derived Wastes Disposal Works, Section 9-3 was revised as shown in Section 3 of Annex 1 and Table-1 in the Attachment 1-1 as shown in Annex 2.

Separate sheet (List of the employers’ groups)

Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association
Japan Construction Occupational Safety and Health Association
Japan Land Transportation Industry Safety and Health Association
Japan Port Transport Industry Safety and Health Association
Japan Forestry and Timber Manufacturing Labour Accident Prevention Association
National General Contractors Association of Japan
Japan Federation of Construction Contractors
National Federation of Industrial Waste Management Associations
National Federation of Forest Owners’ Co-operative Association
Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives
Japan Trucking Association
Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC)
Radiation Effects Association
Technical Advisory Council on Remediation and Waste Management