nuclear-news

Fukushima workers faked radiation doses, to keep their jobs

Without faking the exposure level, the executive told the workers they would quickly reach the legally permissible annual exposure limit of 50 millisieverts,

Japan firm ‘told workers to lie about radiation dose’ News.com.au July 21, 2012 Workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan were apparently told to lie about radiation.
A SUBCONTRACTOR at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant reportedly told workers to lie about possible high radiation exposure.
An executive at construction firm Build-Up in December told about 10
of its workers to cover their dosimeters (devices used to measure
cumulative radiation exposure), with lead casings when working in
areas with high radiation, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

The action was apparently designed to under-report their exposure to
allow the company to continue working at the site of the worst nuclear
disaster in a generation, reports said……
Several workers at Build-Up told the Asahi that a senior official from
the firm who served as their on-site supervisor said in December he
used a lead casing and urged them to do the same.

Without faking the exposure level, the executive told the workers they would quickly reach the legally permissible annual exposure limit of 50 millisieverts, according to the Asahi.

The workers had a recording of their meeting, the newspaper said.

“Unless we hide it with lead, exposure will max out and we cannot
work,” the executive was heard saying in the recording, the Asahi
reported.

Some workers refused to wear it and left the company, the paper said.

The workers were hired for about four months through March to insulate
pipes at a water treatment facility, Kyodo News said.

The ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was starting to investigate
the matter, newspapers and Jiji Press reported.

Health ministry and Build-Up officials could not be reached for
comment.  http://www.news.com.au/news/japan-firm-told-workers-to-lie-about-radiation-dose/story-fnehlez2-1226431560841

July 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2012, secrets,lies and civil liberties