information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
20 Janvier 2015
January 20, 2015
This photo taken on Jan. 19, 2015 and provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) shows an opening atop a water storage tank which a worker fell into, at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.)
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150120p2g00m0dm064000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two workers died Tuesday in separate accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the nearby Daini complex, despite Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s pledge to improve working conditions at the site of the 2011 nuclear disaster.
According to TEPCO and local police, a 55-year-old worker fell into a 10-meter-high water storage tank during inspections on Monday. He was taken to hospital but confirmed dead early Tuesday.
Later Tuesday, a worker aged 48 at the Daini nuclear power plant, which escaped severe damage in the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster, died when crushed by equipment.
The fatal accidents follow the death of a worker buried by gravel last March at the Daiichi complex. The number of industrial accidents at the Daiichi site has increased this fiscal year as TEPCO stepped up its cleanup efforts and had up to 7,000 workers engaged there.
TEPCO said 23 workers were injured in fiscal 2013 at the Daiichi site, while at least 40 laborers were involved in accidents there from April to November 2014. The increase in accidents prompted labor inspectors last week to call for thorough preventive measures.
"We will do our utmost to prevent such accidents and to steadily proceed with the decommissioning work," Akira Ono, the head of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, told a press conference on Tuesday.
TEPCO said it plans to suspend all cleanup work at the plant on Wednesday for safety checks.
s died Tuesday in separate incidents at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant and the nearby No. 2 complex.
The fatality at No. 1 was first there since March, although there has been a rise in the number of industrial accidents at the site as Tokyo Electric Power Co. stepped up cleanup efforts and brought in more workers.
Tepco has said at least 40 workers were involved in accidents at No. 1 from last April to November, prompting labor inspectors last week to call for thorough preventive measures.
The utility has routinely pledged to improve work conditions at the site.
Kyodo, Reuters
Two workers died Tuesday in separate incidents at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant and the nearby No. 2 complex.
A 55-year-old worker at No. 1 fell into a 10-meter-high water tank during inspections Monday. He was taken to a hospital but was confirmed dead in the early hours of Tuesday.
Later, a worker in his 40s at the No. 2 plant, which escaped severe damage in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, died after equipment fell on him.
In a statement, Akira Ono, manager of the No. 1 plant, expressed sorrow for the death of the first worker, who was not named but was identified as an employee of construction company Hazama Ando Corp.
“We are deeply sorry for the death of the worker and express our deepest condolences to the family,” Ono said. “We promise to implement measures to ensure that such tragedy does not occur again.”
Hazama Ando had no immediate comment.
The number of accidents at Fukushima No. 1 has almost doubled this fiscal year to 55. The increase came as Tepco ramped up cleanup efforts and doubled the number of workers at the site to nearly 7,000.
In March, a worker died after being buried in gravel while digging a ditch.
Tepco has been widely criticized for its handling of the cleanup. Until last year it struggled to contain leaks of radioactive water from hastily built tanks at the site, and it has repeatedly promised to improve working conditions.
Most workers inside the plant are contract laborers hired by multiple layers of construction companies. Reporters in 2013 revealed widespread labor abuses, including workers who said their pay was skimmed and that there was little scrutiny of working conditions.
“It’s not just the number of accidents that has been on the rise. It’s the serious cases, including deaths and serious injuries that have risen,” said Katsuyoshi Ito, a local labor inspector overseeing Fukushima No. 1. “We have asked Tepco to improve the situation.”
Jan. 20, 2015 - Updated 08:02 UTC+1
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
A worker at the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant has died after getting his head stuck in machinery.
The accident occurred Tuesday morning inside a waste disposal building.
The man in his 40s had been doing inspection work on the 5th floor. He died at a hospital in Iwaki city after being airlifted by emergency helicopter.
The accident comes a day after another worker fell into an empty water tank during inspection work at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The man in his 50s died early Tuesday.
Safety has been an issue for Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates both plants.
In March last year, a worker died after being buried under a pile of earth and sand. In November, 3 workers were injured when steel construction material fell on them.
Both occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi facility, where about 7000 people work every day to scrap its reactors.
TEPCO officials say the company will investigate the cause of the accidents and take steps to prevent a recurrence.
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