Abstract
A nuclear accident occurred in northern Japan at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) following a mega-earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011. A large number of workers were engaged in the related works, which has shifted from emergency response to cooling of the fuel bars, stabilization of nuclear reactors by establishing cooling systems, and decommissioning of the nuclear reactors. In addition, a lot of workers were also engaged in rehabilitation of contaminated areas. Various health issues occurred among the workers. An emergency-care system for workers, including transportation to hospitals, has been one of the highest concerns, and an occupational health system did not function well. It took a few months to establish the systems. The workers were exposed to multiple health hazards, such as radiation, heat stress and psychological stress, and there were trade-offs among the hazards. Outbreak of infectious diseases and fitness for duties of temporary workers were also significant concerns from expert viewpoints. Experts in occupational health, emergency medicine, and other specialties did their best to manage the situations in cooperate with the Japanese government and TEPCO. There are several lessons learned from the experiences. Emergency response plans at national, local, and company levels should be reviewed and be improved for disasters in the future.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Cabinet Office, Government Japan. (2014). Bosai Kihon Keikaku. http://www.bousai.go.jp/taisaku/keikaku/pdf/kihon_basic_plan141128.pdf. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Crane, M. A., Cho, H. G., & Landrigan, P. J. (2014). Implications of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) for the public health response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Industrial Health, 52, 5–12.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2013). Results of supervision/instructions to employers of decontamination works (January–June, 2013) and request to the employers. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/workers/dr/dr/pr_130724.html. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2014a). A report of experts committee on the way of epidemiological studies for the workers engaged in emergency work in the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/0000047387.html. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2014b). Response and action taken by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan on radiation protection for workers involved in the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/workers/tepco/rp/irpw.pdf. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2014c). Results of supervision/instructions to employers of decontamination works. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/workers/dr/dr/pr_140312.html. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2014d). Results of supervision/instructions to employers of decontamination works (January–June 2014). http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/workers/dr/dr/pr_140807.html. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Mori, K., Tateishi, S., Hiraoka, K., Kubo, T., Okazaki, R., Suzuki, K., et al. (2013). How occupational health can contribute in a disaster and what we should prepare for the future—Lessons learned through support activities of a medical school at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Summer 2011. Journal of Occupational Health, 55, 6–10.
Mori, K., Tateishi, S., Kubo, T., Okazaki, R., Suzuki, K., Kobayashi, Y., et al. (2014). Transition of occupational health issues associated with stabilization and decommissioning of the nuclear reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant through 2013. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56, 1145–1152.
Morimura, N., Asari, Y., Yamaguchi, Y., Asanuma, K., Tase, C., Sakamoto, T., et al. (2013). Members of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, Emergency, Task Force on the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident (JAAM-TF-FNPPA). Emergency/disaster medical support in the restoration project for the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Emergency Medicine Journal, 30, 997–1002.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan. (2011). A report of investigation on fitness of respirators in the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Stabilization Center (J-village). http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/2r9852000001ri1k-att/2r9852000001ri6e.pdf. Accessed 01 May 2015.
Ojino, M., & Ishii, M. (2014). Reconstruction of the radiation emergency medical system from the acute to the sub-acute phases after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant crisis. Japan Medical Association Journal, 57, 40–48.
Sano, S. Y., Tanigawa, T., Shigemura, J., Satoh, Y., Yoshino, A., Fujii, C., et al. (2012). Complexities of the stress experienced by employees of the Fukushima nuclear plants. Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi, 114, 1274–1283. (in Japanese).
Shigemura, J., Tanigawa, T., Nishi, D., Matsuoka, Y., Nomura, S., & Yoshino, A. (2014). Associations between disaster exposures, peritraumatic distress, and posttraumatic stress responses in Fukushima nuclear plant workers following the 2011 nuclear accident: The Fukushima NEWS Project study. PLoS ONE, 9, e87516.
Shigemura, J., Tanigawa, T., Saito, I., & Nomura, S. (2012). Psychological distress in workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Journal of the American Medical Association, 15(308), 667–669.
Tanigawa, K., Hosoi, Y., Terasawa, S., Kondo, H., Asari, Y., Shishido, F., et al. (2011). Lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident; the initial 5 days medical activities after the accident. Journal of Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, 22, 782–791. (in Japanese).
Tsubokura, M., Nihei, M., Sato, K., Masaki, S., Sakuma, Y., Kato, S., et al. (2013). Measurement of internal radiation exposure among decontamination workers in villages near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Health Physics, 105, 379–381.
Wada, K., Yoshikawa, T., Hayashi, T., & Aizawa, Y. (2012a). Emergency response technical work at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant: Occupational health challenges posed by the nuclear disaster. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 69, 599–602.
Wada, K., Yoshikawa, T., & Murata, M. (2012b). Decontamination work in the area surrounding Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: Another occupational health challenge of the nuclear disaster. Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health, 67, 128–132.
Yasui, S. (2013). Engineering case report: Lessons learned: Radiological protection for emergency workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi APP (part 1). Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene, 10, D151–D158.
Yasui, S. (2014). Lessons learned: Medical health care management for emergency workers at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi APP accident. Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene, 11, D49–D58.
Yasui, S. (2015). 250 mSv: Temporary increase in the emergency exposure dose limit in response to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident and its decision making process. Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene, 12, D35–D42.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mori, K., Tateishi, S., Hiraoka, K. (2016). Health Issues of Workers Engaged in Operations Related to the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In: Shimazu, A., Bin Nordin, R., Dollard, M., Oakman, J. (eds) Psychosocial Factors at Work in the Asia Pacific. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44400-0_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44400-0_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-44399-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-44400-0
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)