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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.

1. 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)	11
   Non-payment of wage (Article 24 of LS Act)	6
   Preparation of lists of workers (Article 107 of LS Act)	7
   Preparation 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)	8
   Prior survey (Article 7 of the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	34
   Contamination survey of those leaving the contaminated area (Article 14 of the Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	17
   Contamination survey of articles taken out from the contaminated area (Article 15 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	12
   Use of protective equipment (Article 16 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	9
   Implementation of special education (Article 19 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	14
   Implementation of special medical examination (Article 20 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	21
   Provision of radiation measurement devices (Article 26 of Ionizing Radiation Ordinance for Decontamination)	8

   *: ・No payment of wages occurred for the hours spent on the measurement of internal exposure or special education: 4 cases
   *: ・Payroll deduction made without a labour-management agreement: 2 cases
   Note: This is a preliminary report. Detailed analysis results will be provided later.
   

2. Actions other than supervision/instruction to employers engaged in decontamination works.

   (1) Special duty (decontamination) allowance
   1. 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.
   2. 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.
   Note: Regarding decontamination, etc. ordered by the MOE, the conditions for placing an order should ensure payment of a special duty (decontamination) allowance in addition to the wages for all workers, including subcontracted workers.
   
   

   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
   1. 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
   2. 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.)
   3. 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.

3. 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.

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