Chapter VIII.  Medical Examination

(Medical Examination)

Article 56. The employer shall periodically provide medical examinations by a medical doctor of the following checkup items to those workers who regularly engage in the radiation work and enter the controlled area, at the time of employment, before the transfer to the said work, and then periodically in every six months.

(1)  Previous exposure (The place, kinds and duration of exposure and the impairment caused by the exposure to the radiation and the presence of subjective symptoms and other effects of the exposure shall be checked for those who have experienced exposure previously.)

(2)  Examination of white blood cell count and white blood cell percentage.

(3)  Examination of red blood cell count, hemoglobin content and hematocrit value.

(4)  Examination of eyes for cataracts.

(5)  Dermatological examination.

 2. Among the checkup items in the preceding paragraph, those prescribed in item 4 of the paragraph may be omitted depending on the type, etc., of radiation sources used with respect to medical examinations required at the time of employment or reassigned to said work.

3.  All or some of the checkup items 2 to 5 to be carried out periodically in the medical examination in the preceding paragraph 1 may be omitted if deemed unnecessary by the physician.

4.  Notwithstanding the provisions prescribed in paragraph 1, medical examinations for workers whose effective dose exposure does not exceed five mSv over the one year ending on the day that the medical examination specified in the same paragraph (limited to those to be carried out periodically; hereinafter the same in this paragraph) is scheduled to be carried out, and also whose effective dose exposure is unlikely to exceed five mSv over the following one year starting on the day that said medical examination is scheduled to be carried out, shall not require the inclusion of items 2 through 5 if deemed unnecessary by the physician.

5.  At the time of the medical examination under the provisions of paragraph 1, the employer shall submit data showing the dose to which said workers have been exposed since the last medical examination to the physician (or the necessary data to estimate the dose in case such volumes cannot be derived by calculation [e.g., the necessary data to describe the situation in which said workers have been exposed to said radiation in case such data is not available]).

(Recording of Results of Medical Examinations)

Article 57.  The employer shall prepare the Individual Ionizing Radiation Medical Examination Cards (Form No.1) based on the results of the medical examinations provided for by paragraph 1 of the preceding Article (including medical examinations received by workers under the proviso of paragraph 5 of Article 66 of the Law and called the "Ionizing Radiation Medical Examination" in the following Article and Article 59) and keep the cards for a period of 30 years. However, it is not applied when the employer hands over those Individual Ionizing Radiation Medical Examination Cards to the institutions designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare after the custody for 5 years.

(Hearing the Views of the Physician Concerning the Results of the Medical Examination)

Article 57-2. Under the provisions of Article 66-4 of the Law, the views of the physician based on the results of the ionizing radiation medical examination shall be heard in compliance with the following stipulations:

(1)  Within three months of the date when the ionizing radiation medical examination was carried out (where the proviso of paragraph 5 of Article 66 of the Law applies, the date when said worker submitted the document showing the results of the medical examination to the employer).

(2)  The views of the physician shall be recorded on the Individual Ionizing Radiation Medical Examination Cards.

(Reports on Results of Medical Examinations)

Article 58.  When the employer has medical doctors carry out medical examinations, as provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 56, (restricted only to those done periodically), he shall submit without delay the Report on the Results of the Medical Examinations on Ionizing Radiation (Form No. 2) to the Chief of the competent Labour Standards Inspection Office.

(Measures based on Medical Examination, etc.)

Article 59.  In terms of those in whom there have occurred radiation hazards or if there is doubt about the development of the said hazards, or there may occur the said hazards, when judged there is no possibility of doubt and fear, the employer shall assume measures necessary for maintenance of health of those individuals, thereby to change the working place or the type of work, shorten the periods of time for which the said ones, change working methods into new ones, etc.