nuclear-news

The Associated Press
Published Monday, April 8, 2013 6:33AM EDT

 

TOKYO — Experts who investigated Japan’s nuclear crisis say a watchdog’s oversight of the crippled plant’s operator is still too lax.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has been plagued with glitches. A blackout last month left the plant’s fuel storage pools without cooling for more than a day. Last Friday another cooling failure occurred, and hours later the operator reported a massive contaminated water leak from underground tanks.

The investigators said Monday that the Nuclear Regulation Authority is only rubber-stamping work by operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. at the plant that runs on makeshift equipment.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/japan-nuclear-safety-protocols-still-fall-short-investigators-say-1.1228328#ixzz2Pzh8BFOO

 

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT: ‘RESULT OF COLLUSION’

 

Thursday, 5 July 2012

 

Our Man is betting you haven’t read the report. But you probably should. So here’s Our Man’s executive summary after a quick glance through, that you can cut out and stick on your fridge:

• “The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot be regarded as a natural disaster.”
• “It was a profoundly manmade disaster — that could and should have been foreseen and prevented.”
• “…a multitude of errors and wilful negligence…”
• “It’s fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to ‘sticking with the program’; our groupism; and our insularity.”
• “The accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties.”
• “TEPCO was too quick to cite the tsunami as the cause of the nuclear accident and deny that the earthquake caused any damage.”
• “The residents’ confusion over the evacuation stemmed from the regulators’ negligence.”
• “The government and regulators are not fully committed to protecting public health and safety; that they have not acted to protect the health of the residents and to restore their welfare.”
• “The safety of nuclear energy in Japan and the public cannot be assured unless the regulators go through an essential transformation.”
• “Replacing people or changing the names of institutions will not solve the problems.”

http://www.ourmaninabiko.com/2012/07/fukushima-nuclear-accident-result-of.html