Action time line after the Great East Japan Earthquake
10 January 2012
Some functions of the database being developed for the long-term health care of workers who had been engaged in works at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant have become available, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has started receiving inquiries, due to retirement or career change, on radiation exposure dose from the workers who are not involved in the radiation works now.
Press release.27 December 2011
Radiation exposure dose of the workers who had been engaged in the emergency works until November were reported from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). There were 10 workers for whom contact information was missing.
16 December 2011
Upon completion of Step 2 of the roadmap, the ministerial ordinance stipulating exemptions from the exposure dose limit of emergency work was abolished.
Press release.1 & 2 December 2011
The Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (MHLW, Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau) conducted an on-site inspection at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and other related facilities. It was found that TEPCO had established a set of signs for the operation of mobile cranes to be used among the relevant contractors, however, the set of signs was not made known to all of the relevant contractors in violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. The Director of the Tomioka Labour Standards Inspection Office issued a recommendation directing TEPCO to correct this (9 December 2011).
21 November 2011
Consultation with and recommendation from the Labor Policy Council were made on the ministerial ordinance to abolish the exemptions from the radiation exposure dose limit that had been raised to 250 mSv for some works upon the completion of the process to achieve the state of cold shutdown at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Step 2 of the roadmap) to be achieved before the end of this year.
Press release.31 October 2011
Radiation exposure dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in September and those during March through August that had not been reported yet were reported by TEPCO. There were 173 workers whose doses had not been measured, including 16 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was provided to TEPCO to search for the missing workers and to implement properly the radiation exposure dose measurements.
24 October 2011
Consultation with and recommendation from the Labor Policy Council were made on the ordinance to reduce the increased upper limit on the radiation exposure dose to the original 100 mSv for the workers who will be engaged in the emergency works after the revised date (1 November 2011) except those workers engaged in the emergency actions to respond to loss of cooling functions at the reactor facility etc. or its surrounding where radiation exposure dose rate may exceed 0.1 mSv/h.
Press release.14 October 2011
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan, issued a report compiling the results of the survey on the fitting conditions of the full-face masks used in the emergency works and the Institute’s recommendations on the proper use of the masks. The MHLW provided TEPCO with guidance on actions to be taken based on the suggestions made in the report (in particular, the level of contact between the respiratory protective equipment and the face of worker wearing it).
Press release.11 October 2011
The Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards was revised to mandate the employers to submit records of radiation exposure dose and medical examination results for the long-term health care for the emergency workers. Furthermore, the Guideline on maintaining and improving health for the emergency workers at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was issued; this guideline defines implementation of the inspections in response to the radiation exposure dose.
Press release.5 October 2011
The Fukushima branch of the Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau) conducted an on-site inspection at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The Director of the Tomioka Labour Standards Inspection Office issued a recommendation directing correction of the items in violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act pertaining to body contamination of workers, etc. on 31 August 2011.
30 September 2011
Radiation exposure dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in August and those during March through June that had not been reported yet were reported by TEPCO. There were 16 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was given to TEPCO to search for the missing workers and to implement properly the exposure dose measurement.
30 September 2011
Consultation with and recommendation from the Labor Policy Council were made on the outline of the draft Ministerial Ordinance for partial revision of the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards, to mandate that employers submit records of radiation exposure dose, etc. for the long-term health care for the emergency workers in response to the report from the expert meeting.
Press release.26 September 2011
Expert meeting on the long-term health care for the workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was concluded and the corresponding report was compiled and issued.
Press release.15 September 2011
Radiation exposure dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in July and those during March through June that had not been reported yet were reported by TEPCO. There were 65 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was given to TEPCO to search for the missing workers and to implement properly the exposure dose measurement. In addition, an instruction was also given to TEPCO to investigate the causes of the occurrence of unexpected external exposure and body contamination and to take actions to prevent their reoccurrence.
31 August 2011
Committed dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in June and radiation
exposure dose of
the workers during March through May that had not been reported yet were reported by TEPCO. There were
88 workers
whose contact information was missing. An instruction was given to TEPCO to conduct a thorough search
and to submit
a report again.
An instruction was given to TEPCO to organize a task group to identify the works associated with high
exposure dose
and locations with high exposure dose rates as well as to study measures to reduce exposure dose, with
the aim of
reducing exposure dose limit for the emergency workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant.
30-31 August 2011
The Director of the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau issued a recommendation to 15 employers including TEPCO and 6 primary contractors, directing them to correct the items in violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act pertaining to measurement of internal dose once within three months to be provided to the workers who were engaged in the emergency works. In addition, a board member of TEPCO was summoned to the headquarters to explain the details of the recommendation on correction and he was given a strong warning. Instructions were also given to the headquarters of the primary contractors.
10 August 2011
Committed dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in May and exposure dose of workers during March and April that had not been reported yet were reported by TEPCO. There were 143 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was given to TEPCO to conduct a thorough search and to submit a report again. Since the work notice had not been submitted for the work that caused unexpected exposure, TEPCO was instructed to submit such work notices promptly and to take appropriate measures to reduce exposure dose.
5 August 2011
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau presented matters to be noted in implementing the special medical examinations for the emergency workers to the relevant employers and provided instruction on submitting a report describing how the special medical examinations were conducted.
3 August 2011
Data items to be included in the database for the long-term health care for the workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plan and the frameworks of the health care were formulated and issued as an integrated overall design.
Press release.29 July 2011
According to the additional report from TEPCO about radiation exposure dose to emergency workers, the internal doses have not been measured for 440 workers among those who were engaged in the emergency works in March and April, including 184 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was provided to TEPCO to conduct a thorough search for the missing workers and to submit a report again.
22 July 2011
In addition to an instruction to TEPCO, an instruction was provided to 22 primary contractors to investigate the workers whose internal exposures had not been measured and evaluated and to ensure those workers have the medical examinations promptly, and to establish a safety and health control system that involves the relevant subcontractors.
14 July 2011
The Director of the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau issued a recommendation to TEPCO directing it to correct the items in violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act pertaining to the use of effective respiratory protective equipment.
13 July 2011
Committed dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in April were reported by TEPCO. There were approximately 1300 workers, whose committed dose had not been measured, including 118 workers whose contact information was missing. An instruction was given to TEPCO to implement a thorough search and to submit a report again, as well as to establish a system to inform workers in writing of their external exposure dose on a daily basis and to enhance safety and health education, including providing workers with an overview of the workers’ accident compensation insurance system.
11 July 2011
In response to the report from TEPCO that radiation exposure dose of three additional workers among workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant exceeded the dose limit of 250 mSv (six workers in total), the Fukushima Branch of the Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau) conducted an on-site inspection at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
1 July 2011
The Director of the Tomioka Labour Standards Inspection Office issued a recommendation to the relevant contractors directing them to correct the item in violation, in response to a report indicating that a worker left the seismically isolated building without attaching a filter on his face mask.
30 June 2011
In order to improve the medical care system for workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the MHLW and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology have supported the dispatch of a new medical team and established a 24 hour coverage medical system with multiple numbers of medical doctors together with existing dispatched medical doctors from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan and rosai hospitals.
Press release.An instruction was given to TEPCO to mitigate the situations whereby the measurement and evaluation of radiation exposure dose of the emergency workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant tended to be delayed, and whereby the responses to correction of the work notices about emergency works were significantly delayed.
27 June 2011
An instruction was provided to the primary contractors who are engaged in the emergency works at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to submit a report, on a monthly basis, with respect to the following items: the contract system diagram, the description of the involved works, the number of workers at subcontractors, how safety and health education is conducted, and how medical examinations are conducted.
22 June 2011
In response to a report that a worker had removed his mask and was smoking while seated in the
operator’s seat of a
crane on 15 June at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the Director of the Tomioka Labour
Standards
Inspection Office issued a recommendation to the relevant contractors to correct items in violation of
the
Industrial Safety and Health Act pertaining to prohibition of smoking by workers at workplaces where
they could
inhale radioactive materials.
In relation to such violations as that no filters were attached to the masks of workers who were engaged
in the
emergency works and that a worker had removed his mask and was smoking, which occurred at the TEPCO
Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, an instruction card was also given to TEPCO from the Director of the
Tomioka Labour
Standards Inspection Office to provide the relevant contractors with guidance on conducting a thorough
education of
workers to prevent such recurrences.
20 June 2011
The radiation exposure dose of the workers who were newly engaged in the emergency works in March were reported by TEPCO. An instruction was given to TEPCO to conduct measurement of committed dose quickly for the workers, including those whose contact information was missing, and exclude those workers whose exposure dose exceeded the provisional 200 mSv from the emergency works, and not to assign the workers whose committed dose exceeded the provisional 100 mSv to work at the places that were likely to cause internal exposures, until the results of the detailed measurement were obtained.
14 June 2011
An instruction was given to TEPCO not to assign the workers whose committed dose exceeded the provisional 100 mSv to work at the places that were likely to cause internal exposures, until the results of the detailed measurement were obtained.
13 June 2011
In response to the report from TEPCO that radiation exposure dose of six additional workers among the
workers at
the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant may exceed the exposure dose limit of 250 mSv, an
instruction was
given to TEPCO to exclude those workers whose exposure dose exceeded the provisional 200 mSv from the
emergency
works.
In response to a report indicating that a worker did not attach a filter on his mask during work at the
TEPCO
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on 13 June, an instruction was given to TEPCO to reinstruct
workers including
those of the subcontractors in how to wear masks properly.
10 June 2011
In order to enhance measures to prevent heat stroke at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, an instruction was given to TEPCO to suspend works during the high temperature period from 2 to 5 p.m. in July and August, with consideration of meeting the work schedule to achieve restoration of the plant.
Press release.7 June 2011
In response to the report from TEPCO that the dose of two workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant might exceed the radiation exposure dose limit of 250 mSv, the Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (MHLW, Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau) conducted an on-site inspection at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
30 May 2011
Based on the on-site inspection at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on 27 May, the Director
of the
Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau issued a recommendation to TEPCO and others directing them to
correct the items
in violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act pertaining to the radiation exposure of three
workers.
Because it was found that the committed dose of two workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant may
exceed 250 mSv, an instruction was given to TEPCO to finalize assessment of the committed dose of the
said two
workers and to implement promptly the measurement of committed dose for all workers that have been
engaged in the
emergency works.
29 May 2011
In order to improve a medical care system for workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization has dispatched medical doctors. A 24-hour coverage medical system with medical doctors was established in cooperation with the presently dispatched medical doctors from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Press release.27 May 2011
The MHLW proposed to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency,
according to the direction by the Prime Minister, that estimations should be made for the numbers and
types of
workers with special or advanced techniques required for the emergency works at the TEPCO Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant when the emergency works have made progress in accordance with the current roadmap, and the
cooperation
of such workers should be fostered to deal with any contingencies .
The Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (MHLW, Fukushima
Prefectural Labour Bureau, Tomioka Labour Standards Inspection Office) conducted an on-site inspection
at the TEPCO
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
23 May 2011
According to the “Policy for actions to respond to nuclear disaster victims in the immediate future”, an instruction was provided to TEPCO to establish a safety and health control system, enhance the radiation exposure control and safety and health education, and to submit work notices of certain types of emergency works to the Labour Standards Inspection Office at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
20 May 2011
In order to promote actions for health care of workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant specified in the “Policy for actions to respond to nuclear disaster victims in the immediate future” (Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, 17 May 2011), the MHLW Office for Promotion of Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was established (renamed as the Office for Radiation Protection of Workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on 8 June 2011).
15 May-30 June 2011: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
and
25 May-early in July: Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant
Medical doctors were dispatched from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, in order to conduct the medical examinations of the workers in the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and TEPCO Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant.
13 May 2011
The MHLW requested TEPCO and others to disseminate the provisions stipulated in the laws that working conditions shall be clearly indicated when recruiting workers, filing offers for posting job offerings, or concluding a labour contract.
Press release.Based on the results of the on-site inspection at J-village on 2 May, the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau provided TEPCO with instructions again to implement thorough exposure dose control and special medical examinations and measurement of committed dose. The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau also requested TEPCO to improve the living environment, to address physical and mental disorders among workers, and to improve measures to prevent heat stroke among workers to ensure their good health care.
2 May 2011
On-site inspection at J-village.
30 April 2011
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau provided TEPCO with an oral instruction to survey the workers whose committed dose is likely to be high among the workers engaged in emergency works at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
28 April 2011
The MHLW provided the headquarters of TEPCO with an instruction to implement a thorough control of
radiation
exposure dose according to the notification issued on 25 April 2011, and requested that any workers,
including
those of the subcontractors, should be dealt with equally with respect to working conditions after they
are engaged
in the emergency works.
A notification was sent to the District Labour Bureaus on matters to be noted when providing
instructions about
radiation exposure dose to those workers who are going to be engaged in normal radiation works after
they have been
engaged in the emergency works at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Press release
25 April 2011
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau gave an instruction to employers to provide special medical examinations once within a month in principle to the workers whose effective dose during the work exceeded 100 mSv, and whose working period was longer than one month, in addition to the special medical examinations given after completing the emergency works.
10 April 2011
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau gave an instruction to employers about special medical examinations to be provided to three workers who were exposed to high radiation on 24 March.
30 March 2011
The Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau received a report on improvements implemented according to the instructions provided from the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (24 and 26 March). On that occasion, an oral instruction was provided from the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to implement a thorough measurement of individual exposure dose and control of the exposure dose limit.
24 and 26 March 2011
In response to the industrial accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant where three workers were exposed to radiation on 24 March, an oral instruction was provided (24 March) from the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to establish a safety and health control system before resuming the work. An instruction in writing was also provided by issuing an instruction card (26 March).
16 March 2011
In response to the enforcement of the ordinance (14 March), the Fukushima Prefectural Labour Bureau summarized the ordinance and provided an instruction to implement special medical examinations to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In addition, MHLW summoned the officials in charge at the TEPCO headquarters to explain the instruction to them and to request they properly manage the plant.
14 March 2011
A notification was issued to District Labour Bureaus informing them of the ordinance specifying the raise of the effective dose limit for workers from 100 mSv to 250 mSv in the case of an unavoidable emergency requiring emergency response measures to be taken to prevent spread of the nuclear disaster at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Public notification of the relevant ministerial ordinance in the official gazette, 15 March) and of its enforcement (on 14 March).
Press release
11 March 2011
The Fukushima Medical University (designated a secondary radiation emergency medical care facility) established a nuclear patient receiving system. (Fukushima Rosai Hospital (designated a primary radiation emergency medical care facility) and Kashima Rosai Hospital establish a receiving and supporting system.)