The High-Radiation Lives and Risks of Nuclear-Nomad Subcontractors

Harperdog writes "Gabrielle Hecht has an interesting piece on the subcontracted workers of the nuclear energy industry, in Japan and elsewhere. These workers face far more exposure to radiation than salaried workers; in Japan, 90% of the nuclear workforce is contracted. This is an eye-opening look at a practice that 'carries exceptional risks and implications. And until these are recognized and documented, complex social and physiological realities will continue to be hidden.' A good read, but I would like to know how the Fukushima 50 are doing."

Comments

are they really not tracked?

[Trepidity]

I was under the impression that in the U.S., at least, radiation dosage was tracked on a lifetime basis via a Nuclear Regulatory Commission database, REIRS, and anyone working at a nuclear facility, even on a contract basis, has to have the numbers from their dosage monitoring submitted to it. I don't think you can get away with laying them off and then someone else rehiring them while pretending they're a new person, because their dosage will get filed under the same social-security number in REIRS.

Re:are they really not tracked?

[Diamonddavej]

The Japanese have a centralised dosimetry system developed by Chiyoda Technol Corporation, the GD-450 glass badge and FGD-650 reader/central computer server. It's used by the Japanese nuclear industry, hospitals, civilian background monitoring etc. For example, they handed out 230,000 glass badges to civilians last September, so the system can handle large numbers (ave. dose was 0.26 mSv over 3 months). Also, the badges contain an ID printed on the front and hidden inside, to prevent tampering. So it seems the Japanese do have a well organised centralised system to monitor worker doses.

Also, the IAEA released a Fukushima Daiichi status report on 2 November 2011, it contains a table of worker exposures (table 3). The highest doses in September, involved 7 workers who got 20-50 mSv (the ave. dose of 1047 workers was 1.8 mSv). I can't imagine gypsy workers could get substantially higher doses and in much greater numbers (unless they all falsify their glass badges and swim in the spent fuel pools). So I seriously doubt the article's allegations.

See: Fukushima Daiichi Status Report - 2 November 2011 - IAEA

50, my guess

[hcs_$reboot]

I would like to know how the Fukushima 50 are doing

Fukushima 15 are (still) living a happy life with their family
Fukushima 25 are (still) living, at the hospital

"Nuclear Ginza"

[Sparkles010]

The BBC produced an excellent and troubling documentary about Japan's “contracted” labour within the nuclear industry. It also covers exposure to radiation in general in across the workforce. Search for "Nuclear Ginza"

Re:A way to alleviate liability by corporations.

[petermgreen]

Ferom TFA it seems the workers themselves are deliberately cricumventing the exposure measurements so they can earn more money before they are laid off for hitting their raditation quota.

Re:Translation:

[CrimsonAvenger]

If a huge company fucks up and causes a $50 billion mess, they might be on the hook for $50 billion, but if a smaller contractor does, they declare bankruptcy, their $500 million in assets get seized, and someone else is responsible for sorting out the remaining $49.5 billion of the mess.

No. At least not in Louisiana.

Don't know about elsewhere, but down here, your employer is liable for anything that happens at his plant that is work-related. So a contractor (employed by a small company) doing work on one of Entergy's nuclear reactors ten miles south-west of here screws up, causes massive meltdown and total loss of New Orleans makes ENTERGY liable (their plant, their (indirect) employee) for billions and billions.