A nuclear gypsy is a temporary worker who performs the least desirable work in the
nuclear power industry.
Japanese writer
Kunio Horie gave this name to "contract workers who have traditionally performed the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs for Japan's power utilities."
While the term became more widely used after the 2011
Fukushima disaster, the Japanese nuclear industry has used such contracted maintenance and sanitary workers since the 1970s.
The term is used with contempt for transient workers, based on the sometimes-derogatory name for the
Romani people.
Also called a ''jumper'', nuclear gypsies move from one temporary assignment to another nuclear power plant.
These are "construction workers, truck drivers, and unemployed men ...
me ... recruited from day-labor centers where jobless people gather hoping to find work." About a hundred subcontractors employ about 3,000 workers, compared to about 400 workers directly employed by
TEPCO.
These temporary workers often have several
motives for working under dangerous conditions, which may be high in
radioactivity:
most often cited are "high wages and a sense of duty", but they also do not comprehend the grave risks involved.
For example, one worker interviewed by ''The Guardian'' worked temporarily to assist his mother financially, which paid more than
truck driving
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
, but he did not realise until after the project completed that he'd been exposed to twice the
radiation dose
Ionizing radiation (or ionising radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them. Some particles can travel ...
allowed by law.
Like all those who depend on casual work for survival, some workers may have
alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-relat ...
or have other personal issues that make them unsuitable for permanent work.
After a 1992 recession, some workers jumped for scarce work at the
Fukushima nuclear power plant.
In 2011, they were paid the equivalent of $127 per day—much more than many other
unskilled labor jobs, but a fraction of what the TEPCO staff earned.
Other
occupational stressors include heat, stifling uniforms and poor-quality food served in the
company mess.
There have been insufficient "rest areas ... water coolers, and ... coolant vests to prevent heatstroke," historically, but those problems are now being addressed.
See also
*
Construction worker
*
Radioactive contamination
*
Workplace hazards
An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the Nation ...
*
Nuclear labor issues
References
{{reflist
External links
* Inaba, Minoru. "Daytona Beach Morning Journal". https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19800917&id=3VAfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=39EEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2629,313727. Sept. 17, 1980.
Energy law
Industrial occupations
Nuclear power