Assessing the effect of mandatory progress reporting on treatment requirements identified during health examinations at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: A time series analysis.

Koji Mori,Akira Ogami,Kazuyuki Igari,Katsunori Suzuki,Yoshifumi Kiyomoto,Toru Yoshikawa,Yuichi Kobayashi,Hiroyuki Tahara,Ryuji Okazaki,Ko Hiraoka,Futoshi Kawashita,Kota Fukai,Kazuhiro Sakai,Hiroshi Kikuchi,Takeshi Hayashi,Masaki Kobashi,Seiichiro Tateishi,Tatsuhiko Kubo,Yoshihisa Fujino

doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12111

Abstract

ObjectivesAt the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, run by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, new procedures were introduced as part of the fitness for duty program in July 2016. These were designed to ensure that treatment and further investigations identified as necessary during health examinations were carried out. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the initiative by testing whether workers who needed further health examinations obtained them promptly, and whether the number with unmet health needs decreased and the number of workers being treated increased.MethodsThe primary contractors reported aggregated quarterly results of health examinations of both their own and their subcontractors’ employees, and follow‐up visits to medical institutions were also reported over the next two quarters. The study used data for the period from July 2016 to December 2018. Incident rate ratios were estimated using a multilevel Poisson regression model, including the logarithm of the number of workers who took health examination for each primary contractor company as offset. The linear trend was assessed by treating the number of periods as a continuous variable.ResultsThe incident rate ratio for workers who needed treatment having a follow‐up examination promptly showed a significant decrease over time. The incident rate ratio for those with unmet needs decreased, and those being treated increased over time.ConclusionsThe findings showed that the initiative was effective, with the number of early visits for further health examinations increasing and a decrease in the number of people with unmet health needs.

Highlights

The findings showed that the initiative was effective, with the number of early visits for further health examinations increasing and a decrease in the number of people with unmet health needs
A nuclear accident classified as Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant run by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) as a result of the Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake of March 11, 2011 and the resulting tsunami
After the accident, a significant number of workers employed by TEPCO, nuclear reactor manufacturers, general construction companies, and subcontractors were engaged in reactor stabilization, decontamination, and decommissioning operations

Summary

Introduction

A nuclear accident classified as Level 7 (serious accident) on the International Nuclear Event Scale occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant run by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) as a result of the Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake of March 11, 2011 and the resulting tsunami. After the accident, a significant number of workers employed by TEPCO, nuclear reactor manufacturers, general construction companies, and subcontractors were engaged in reactor stabilization, decontamination, and decommissioning operations. Preventive measures against radiation hazards, heatstroke, and pandemics were put in place and strengthened. There have been a number of incidents of workers dying at work from myocardial infarction and stroke, suggesting that improved measures were needed to check fitness for duty and provide preventive advice.[1,4]

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