Fukushima nuke plant worker tells of heat exhaustion, slipping safety standards

[AsahinaKimi]

A worker in the No. 1 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant is seen in this May 9 photo. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Electric Power Co.)


Safety rules and procedures at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant are being gradually relaxed, spreading anxiety and confusion amongst workers, according to a worker at the plant.

Furthermore, according to the worker, the lax safety attitude together with the extreme working environment, human error and workers being made to do jobs outside of their fields are creating a dangerous environment.

The worker, a veteran at a subcontractor company, says that last month he headed to the plant to help install a hose for removing radioactively contaminated water from a turbine building. After receiving his protective suit and full-face mask at the J Village sports center located around 20 kilometers south of the plant, he was driven by a company vehicle to the base of operations on the plant grounds. There he was given a radiation-measuring device, and he headed in to begin the work.

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