SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
"I couldn't believe that such slipshod work was being done, even if it was part of stopgap measures," 48-year-old Yoshitatsu Uechi told The Asahi Shimbun.
During his work between July 2 and Dec. 6, 2012 at the plant, he was sent to fix an opening in a radioactive water storage tank--an opening that he saw was being closed with just adhesive tape.
Uechi's job was to remove the tape, cover the hole with a sealant and to cover the area with a steel plate. He told the Japanese paper he was instructed to use just four bolts to hold the steel plate, even though the plate had holes for 8.
Uechi also said that some second-hand materials were used. In addition, Asahi Shimbun reports,
wire nets were used instead of reinforcing bars during the placement of concrete for storage tank foundations.
And to save on the sealing agent used to join metal sheets of the storage tanks, waterproof sheets were applied along the joints inside flange-type cylindrical tanks. Some of these tanks were later found to be leaking radioactive water.
Previous reporting revealed that workers at the plant were dealing with health problems, poor wages and falling morale, while a recent investigation by Reuters showed that private labor contractors in Japan were "recruiting" homeless people to work on the clean-up for less than minimum wage.
Plant operator TEPCO has been slammed for mishap after mishap in what has been described as a "permanent crisis" that demands a global take-over.
________________
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
"I couldn't believe that such slipshod work was being done, even if it was part of stopgap measures," 48-year-old Yoshitatsu Uechi told The Asahi Shimbun.
During his work between July 2 and Dec. 6, 2012 at the plant, he was sent to fix an opening in a radioactive water storage tank--an opening that he saw was being closed with just adhesive tape.
Uechi's job was to remove the tape, cover the hole with a sealant and to cover the area with a steel plate. He told the Japanese paper he was instructed to use just four bolts to hold the steel plate, even though the plate had holes for 8.
Uechi also said that some second-hand materials were used. In addition, Asahi Shimbun reports,
wire nets were used instead of reinforcing bars during the placement of concrete for storage tank foundations.
And to save on the sealing agent used to join metal sheets of the storage tanks, waterproof sheets were applied along the joints inside flange-type cylindrical tanks. Some of these tanks were later found to be leaking radioactive water.
Previous reporting revealed that workers at the plant were dealing with health problems, poor wages and falling morale, while a recent investigation by Reuters showed that private labor contractors in Japan were "recruiting" homeless people to work on the clean-up for less than minimum wage.
Plant operator TEPCO has been slammed for mishap after mishap in what has been described as a "permanent crisis" that demands a global take-over.
________________
"I couldn't believe that such slipshod work was being done, even if it was part of stopgap measures," 48-year-old Yoshitatsu Uechi told The Asahi Shimbun.
During his work between July 2 and Dec. 6, 2012 at the plant, he was sent to fix an opening in a radioactive water storage tank--an opening that he saw was being closed with just adhesive tape.
Uechi's job was to remove the tape, cover the hole with a sealant and to cover the area with a steel plate. He told the Japanese paper he was instructed to use just four bolts to hold the steel plate, even though the plate had holes for 8.
Uechi also said that some second-hand materials were used. In addition, Asahi Shimbun reports,
wire nets were used instead of reinforcing bars during the placement of concrete for storage tank foundations.
And to save on the sealing agent used to join metal sheets of the storage tanks, waterproof sheets were applied along the joints inside flange-type cylindrical tanks. Some of these tanks were later found to be leaking radioactive water.
Previous reporting revealed that workers at the plant were dealing with health problems, poor wages and falling morale, while a recent investigation by Reuters showed that private labor contractors in Japan were "recruiting" homeless people to work on the clean-up for less than minimum wage.
Plant operator TEPCO has been slammed for mishap after mishap in what has been described as a "permanent crisis" that demands a global take-over.
________________