Engineer Culture and Craftsmanship: The Quiet Underlying Strength Fostered by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's On-Site Capabilities (1970-2011)

Engineer Culture and Craftsmanship: The Quiet Underlying Strength Fostered by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's On-Site Capabilities (1970-2011)
Since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was first opened, engineers who had long been familiar with the site had gathered to form a unique culture. They are craftsmen who have the ability to physically memorize even the slightest differences in equipment quirks and sounds, and to detect any sign of abnormality. If a problem occurred, they would go to the site, not to their desks, to touch the equipment and make judgments based on their experience. Their appearance was a manifestation of the craftsmanship that is the starting point of Japan as an industrialized country.
From the 1970s to the 1980s, Japan's manufacturing industry was globally competitive, and engineers were highly valued. Japan's rapid economic growth was supported by the skills of skilled workers trained onsite, and the nuclear power industry was no exception. The generation that supported the early days of Fukushima Daiichi learned more from the equipment itself than from textbooks, and accumulated knowledge by experiencing the limits and possibilities of the technology. This physical knowledge played an important role in the response to the accident in later years.
On the other hand, since the 1990s, the wave of efficiency and rationalization in society has led to an emphasis on written procedures and numerical management rather than the experience of craftspeople. The power companies as a whole have experienced a generational shift in engineers, making it difficult for the accumulation of skilled labor to be passed on in an organized manner. Nevertheless, veteran engineers with many years of experience remained at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and their presence supported on-site decision-making.
Fukushima Daiichi certainly had a strong on-site capability. They had a sense of mission to protect the nuclear reactors and faced the technology through their bodies. This craftsmanship was the foundation of the safety culture, and it fostered the ability to sense changes in the facilities. Craftsmanship is a form of respect and sincerity in the face of technology, and it supported the small decisions they made every day.
In the midst of the reality of the accident, this on-site capability supported the front line. Despite a series of unexpected situations, the judgment of engineers who knew the habits of the equipment prevented the crisis from escalating in many situations. The craftsmanship fostered by the on-site culture shows how important the human power behind a giant system is.