Moscow, Russia, 3 April 2020 - Rosatom has taken all the necessary measures to safeguard both the health of its employees continuing to work on-site and the non-stop and safe operation of NPPs across Russia in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This includes the safety of operational staff working at nuclear facilities, all of whom were granted special living conditions in a 2 April 2020 order signed by Andrei Petrov, Director General of Rosenergoatom, the Rosatom subsidiary in charge of operating Russia’s NPPs.
“Both our operational personnel, who ensure that our nuclear facilities continue running, and our reserve shift personnel, who replace operational personnel when necessary, will be housed in the plants’ recreation complexes” said Petrov, emphasising that workers would be cleared to move in to clinics only after undergoing mandatory testing for the coronavirus and giving their individual consent.
Each worker will be provided with meals and private accommodation, have the time and the resources to partake in leisure activities, and undergo constant medical evaluation. Special transportation, subjected to continuous disinfection, has also been provided to carry the personnel to and from work.
Assistance to the families of operational personnel – for instance, grocery deliveries or other urgent domestic tasks – will be provided upon request by volunteers, amongst them members of local youth organizations based at nuclear power plants. At present, volunteers in a number of “nuclear cities” – cities whose working populations are predominantly employed in nuclear research and the maintenance of nuclear power plants – are already providing assistance to elderly and disabled people, as well as holding information sessions on social distancing and other measures to help prevent the spread of infection. All volunteers are equipped with personal protective equipment.
As life-supporting enterprises, Russian nuclear power plants continue to generate electricity in this time of crisis. We have taken extensive measures to ensure the safety of personnel, including constantly monitoring workers’ temperatures, regularly disinfecting rooms and vehicles, providing personal protective equipment, and enabling all supporting services employees to work remotely.