Japan Plant Offers 'Jumpers' $5K a Day for Hazard Duty

Workers risk lives for high pay inside nuclear plant
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2011 4:40 PM CDT
Japan Nuclear Plant Pays 'Jumpers' $5,000 a Day for High-Risk Work Amid Radiation
Workers spray adhesive synthetic resin over the ground at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.   (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.)

How on earth do the operators of Japan's nuclear plant convince workers to risk their lives exposing themselves to huge doses of radiation? Money helps, apparently. TEPCO officials are advertising for so-called "jumpers" to carry out dangerous jobs for up to $5,000 a day, reports Reuters. They're called jumpers because they jump in to a contaminated area, complete a task, then race out. For many, it's not worth it.

"Ordinarily I'd consider that a dream job, but my wife was in tears and stopped me, so I declined," one would-be contract worker told a Japanese newspaper. (More Japan nuclear plant stories.)

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