• one A Japanese nuclear plant had its workers mix uranium by hand in buckets, instead of using machines as it was supposed to. This somewhat predictably exposed hundreds to increased radiation, and two later died.
• two Kei Sugaoka, now in California, used to be a plant engineer. He recalls being told to cut out video of the plant’s steam-leaking pipes before sending it for review. He told this to TEPCO, but no action was taken until he went public. source

• Protest over the Mark 1 reactor The Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor, as we mentioned yesterday, has a long history of safety concerns, so much so that 35 years ago, General Electric scientist Dale G. Bridenbaugh and two of his fellow employees resigned in protest over the design. He worried that the containment system wasn’t prepared to deal with a massive loss of coolant, which seems on the spot.
• The high price of poor oversight Also unveiled by Wikileaks, a U.S. cable indicates that Tokyo opposed a court order relating to nuclear safety. The court ruled that an earthquake of a magnitude over 6.5 could cause radiation exposure. Japan’s rebuttal: “Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency believes the reactor is safe and that all safety analyses were appropriately conducted.” source

Boron’s (possibly) stabilizing effect

• 52.6 tons of Boron that South Korea is giving Japan

• » That is, obviously, a lot of Boron. The Japanese are hoping this emergency shipment from the South Korean government will help them stabilize the reactor crises happening at the Fukushima Plant. The element, which is crucial in the process of stopping nuclear reactions, will be mixed into the seawater that’s being used to try to cool the fuel rods. South Korea is really coming through for Japan on this one; their own Boron stockpile has been mostly used up at Fukushima.

• Taniguchi has been a weak manager and advocate, particularly with respect to confronting Japan’s own safety practices, and he is a particular disappointment to the United States for his unloved-step-child treatment of the Office of Nuclear Security.
• A U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks • On Tomohiro Tanaguchi, the man who was the IAEA’s (International Atomic Energy Agency) Deputy Director General for the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security from 2001 to 2009. While another cable reveals that Tanaguchi urged fellow officials to focus more on nuclear power safety in 2008 (which seems like the sort of thing you shouldn’t need to tell the IAEA), it seems that this plea late in his career was not enough to salvage the opinion of American diplomats, who express a great degree of angst over the state of Japan’s nuclear earthquake preparedness. Tomohiro departed his position in 2009, leaving the position to another Japanese member, Yukiya Amano, who currently holds the post. source

• Unheeded warning of the day: The Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor’s containment system, produced by General Electric in the 1960s, has been the subject of pointed safety concerns for nearly forty years. Stephen Hanauer, then an official with the Atomic Energy Commission, wrote in 1972 that the Mark 1’s pressure systems posed an unacceptable risk of hydrogen explosion, and should be discontinued. You probably know where this is going- the Fukushima Plant in Japan uses the Mark 1, as do twenty-three American reactors. A critical difference between these and the more highly regarded pressurized water reactors? The Mark 1’s containment vessel is “physically less robust.” So, because apparently this needs saying, don’t skimp on nuclear reactor containment.  source

• YES airlifts are assisting Libyan refugee border crossings source

• » Just get me outta here: Much to the relief of aid agencies and arbiters, the enormous surge of people fleeing Libya by way of the Tunisian border, estimated in recent days at around 150,000, is now getting support from aerial transport, easing the burden on the escape route. Aircraft have been activated from Britain, Egypt, and France, among others. This relieves much concern about a pressurized, very volatile situation the last few days due to the intense crowding being endured by these refugees.

• cloud The recent rash of police killings throughout America, claiming the lives of two and wounding at least nine in a 24-hour period.
• silver lining The casualty rate for police over the last twenty years has been improving, despite the ever-present dangers of the job. source

• The trend toward putting more environmentally friendly, quiet vehicles on the road has unintentionally jeopardized the safety and independence of the blind and other pedestrians.
• Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y) • Regarding the House’s recent passage of a new bill requiring auto regulators to set minimum decibel levels for hybrid vehicles. Because hybrids are so quiet, pedestrians sometimes don’t hear ’em coming, and so they get hit. It’s a particularly big issue for the visually impaired, who often rely on a car’s noise to warn them of its presence. The bill has already passed the Senate and is on its way to becoming law. source

• $75,000 fine for safety violations source

• Every place I’ve ever worked, safety has been a distant second to production. If you take 30 minutes out of the day doing it right, that takes a lot out of the tonnage of the mine.
• Kentucky-based miner Billy Brannon • Regarding safety standards for miners. In the wake of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster last week, which killed 29, many are questioning whether the government’s regulatory administration, The Mine Safety and Health Administration, has enough teeth to properly take on organizations like Massey Energy. Unlike the EPA and FDA, the MSHA doesn’t make its investigators law enforcement officers, and the fines the group offers are mere pittances – $168,393 for Massey, for example. source

• This approach to convincing people to wear seat belts is a little art-damaged, but it’s definitely effective. Next time we’re riding in a car, we’re going to get a mom and daughter to wrap their arms around us. Just look at how effective they are in this living room!