TEPCO to Welcome Back Female Workers to Fukushima I Nuke Plant

Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is now so stable and safe that TEPCO wants to bring back female workers to the plant.

Yup, you heard it right. What better way is there to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the nuclear accident and to demonstrate how safe it has become, than to have female workers working at Fuku I again?

From Jiji Tsushin (3/9/2012):

女性も福島第１で再び作業へ＝「放射性物質減り環境改善」－東電

Women to work at Fukushima I Nuke Plant again, as "radioactive materials have decreased and the work conditions have improved", says TEPCO

　東京電力福島第１原発事故で、東電は９日、同原発の作業拠点である免震重要棟や５、６号機の原子炉建屋などの空間線量が減少したとして、女性作業員が働けるよう運用を見直すと発表した。昨年４月、同原発の女性作業員が３カ月で５ミリシーベルト以内と定められている線量限度を超えていたことが判明。経済産業省原子力安全・保安院から再発防止を指示され、女性作業員がいない状態が続いていた。

TEPCO announced on March 9 that the company would review the operation policy in order to allow female workers at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, as the air radiation levels in the Anti-Earthquake Building and the reactor buildings of Reactors 5 and 6 have dropped. In April last year, female workers at the plant were found to have exceeded the radiation exposure limit [for female nuclear workers] of 5 millisieverts in 3 months. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency then instructed TEPCO to come up with the countermeasure to prevent it from happening again, and there has been no female worker at the plant since.

　東電によると、免震重要棟１階の空間線量は、昨年３月の１時間当たり４７マイクロシーベルトから同年１１月には７．２マイクロシーベルトまで減少。運用の見直しにより、下請け会社の女性従業員が同原発で働くことも可能になる。医療作業などが想定されるという。

According to TEPCO, the air radiation level on the first floor of the Anti-Earthquake building dropped from 47 microsieverts/hour in March last year to 7.2 microsieverts/hour in November. By reviewing the policy, TEPCO could allow female workers from subcontractors to work at the plant. The company is expecting them to providing medical care and other tasks.

Let's see. 8 hours inside the building, 57.6 microsieverts per day, 288 microsieverts per week (assuming 5 days a week work), 1,152 microsieverts per month. 3,456 microsieverts (3.456 millisieverts) in 3 months, oh that's so within the 5 millisieverts/3 months limit.

Notice that the Jiji article talks about female workers from subcontractors, not TEPCO's own female employees. It also refers to Reactors 5 and 6. What kind of work is TEPCO envisioning female subcontract workers to do in the reactor buildings, I wonder?

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