- Workers engaged in rehabilitation and reconstruction works other than decontamination work at the revised evacuation areas should be protected against radiation hazards -
Today, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare consulted the Labor Policy Countil (Chaired by Prof. Yasuo Suwa, Hosei Graduate School of Regional Policy Design) concerning "Outline of the draft ministerial ordinance for revision of 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". As a result of Council discussions in the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (Chaired by Kouji Aizawa, Vice President of Kitazato University), the Council issured a recommendation to the Minister as stated in Annex 2. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will revise and promulgate the ordinances in accorance with the recommendation, and prepare for its enforcement.
Associated with the gradual changes to the demarcation of restricted areas and deliberate evacuation area designated by the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters associated with with the accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPP, anticipating restoration of daily life infrastructures (except decontamination works) and production industries are expacted to be started or restarted. This revision is based on the discussions on actions to prevent radiation hazards for workers engaged in rehabilitation and reconstruction works by the experts meeting - "Expert meeting on protecting radiological hazards of workers involved in decontamination work etc." (Chaired by Professor Koji Mori, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan) (the report from the expert meeting was issued on 27 April 2012).
The MHLW started the enforcement of 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 Ralated works" on 1 January 2012. However, the revision was required to expand the scope of the ordinance because the corrent version is applied only to employers who engage workers in decontamination work etc.
The revision is summarized in Appendices 3 and 4.