Business Maverick
World’s biggest nuclear plant may stay closed due to papers left on car roof
If you thought you were having a bad day at the office ... a week after Japanese regulators postponed the restart of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant due to safety lapses, a careless employee working from home added to the company’s woes.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata prefecture, said an employee placed a stack of documents on top of a car before driving off and losing them.
The mishap is the latest in a string of mistakes for the utility and is likely to further erode the regulator’s confidence in Tepco. Safety lapses and a strict regulatory process have stopped Japan from restarting most of its nuclear reactors shut in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The nation’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, which oversees safety protocols of Japan’s remaining 33 nuclear reactors, decided just last week to keep a de facto ban on the power station from resuming operations, saying that the utility’s preventative measures are inadequate.
Some of the papers were recovered by a local resident, Tepco said, adding that 38 pages were still unaccounted for. Tepco said it has warned its staff and management and will make sure all employees follow stringent rules on taking documents and information off-site. DM
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But how do the papers relate to starting up the power plant? Curious to know, but also curious to understand how this piece of unclear information was published.
I want to remark on the reading with comprehension test done on Gr 4’s in our country. I think that the problem lies squarely with the Department of Education and our minister. During the first three years of schooling, learners are taught in the vernacular and most learning areas are covered using the vernacular with little time left for English. Then they get to Gr 4 and are expected to do all learning areas in English except their vernacular as first language. The Pirls test is done in English, so hardly anyone is able to read it with comprehension, because they learned to read in their home language. And teachers tend to have a don’t-care attitude as long as they get their salaries. On the other hand – who can teach 74 learners in one class, many sitting on the floor or standing next to the walls? One teacher of such a class blatantly told a father that she doesn’t teach, she just marks books. So, being an ex-teacher myself, I am not surprised at this outcome! If they struggle at a young age and it isn’t rectified, how on earth can they pass matric or worse still become graduates????
Another thing that is bothering me, is the situation with water in Hammanskraal! The lady who helps me in my flat comes from Hammanskraal and they are fed up after 14 years without proper clean water! So far no party could clear up the water and now people are dying because of the disfunction of our so-called leaders! PLEASE DO SOMETHING!