People Who Are with You - On Nuclear

　　

 

Some people love to see the mountains, while others love to see the water. Hou Guihe, who works in Haiyan County, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, loves to walk through the streets and alleys filled with smoke and fire at night, watching the lights on every household; Because behind every lit lamp represents a home. ” But none of these lights actually belong to her. Her home is in Shanghai, and she came to Haiyan for a special mission -; — Supervise the nuclear safety work of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant.

As a supervisor of the East China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station (hereinafter referred to as the East China Supervision Station) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, she spends more time with her colleagues, wearing a white safety helmet with NNSA (National Nuclear Safety Administration) and ERO (East China Supervision Station) printed on it, putting on a black reflective vest with NNSA printed on it, and tidying up her appearance; — For them, this is a solemn ceremony, which means that the supervisors of the nuclear safety supervision and management department are on duty on site. They walked through the nuclear power plant, discovered and solved problems, bravely shouldering the responsibility of maintaining nuclear safety.

“ You see, the lights in these homes are all lit up by nuclear power. ” Looking at the flickering lights in the family building of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, Hou Guihe's eyes lit up; The brightness like stars is guarded by us. ” There are many supervisors like her in the station, living in Shanghai and scattered in six provinces and one city in East China, silently guarding the lights of thousands of households at the nuclear power plant.

　　

 

Revere walking a tightrope between the crew and the crew

The brave guardians also have many tense things, such as the ringing of emergency phones.

“ Dingling Bell… … ” The familiar bell rings, calling to notify the nuclear power plant that there may be an emergency situation.

After confirming which unit had issued the warning, Si Yongjie (an outstanding Communist Party member of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment), who was then on duty at Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, bounced up from his seat, quickly changed his clothes, swiped his card, and passed through the gate, arriving at the main control room of the nuclear power plant.

“ What went wrong? Did you break down the three barriers? Does it cause environmental pollution? ” After a series of investigations, the warning was lifted and everyone present breathed a sigh of relief; — Many years have passed since this emergency situation, but Si Yongjie still cannot forget the tense mood at that time.

Every time he picks up his emergency phone, Si Yongjie's spirit becomes highly nervous, and sometimes he experiences auditory hallucinations while taking a shower, always feeling that the phone is ringing. “ Nuclear safety is no small matter, leakage, pollution, radiation, and every consequence is unimaginable. The Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union and the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan are both lessons learned from the past, reminding us to be extremely strict, cautious, meticulous, and practical. ” Si Yongjie said.

For frontline supervisors, every warning is a sword of Damocles hanging high above their heads, and the ringing of emergency calls is the horn of charge. When others are running outside, they must charge inside.

Recently, there was a typhoon; Du Suri; While wreaking havoc in the coastal areas of our country and seeking refuge at home, Si Yongjie and his colleagues packed their bedding and moved into the scene in order to respond promptly to emergencies. They stayed inside for 3 days; At that time, the wind speed was very high and the windows were scraping with a loud bang. ” Thinking of the roaring typhoon, they still have some palpitations:; The typhoon was very strong, but it did not meet the emergency conditions. Although we were very worried at the time, looking at the real-time monitoring data, we still had some confidence in our hearts. ”

Fortunately, emergency incidents rarely occur, and abnormal weather is not common. The problems faced by supervisors mostly come from daily inspections.

They will carry a manual called "POG (Guidelines for Nuclear Facility Regulation) Program Compilation" with them, and investigate each item in the manual one by one to find possible problems.

“ The key to discovering problems is to observe more and ask if there are any differences from usual on site. ” The person speaking is Hou Guihe, the leader of the Qinshan Supervision Group. She is a model bearer of the March 8th Red Flag of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, with a round face and a lot of laughter. Her limited skin‐ — Serious face, only open at the supervision site.

“ This little girl is so cute. ” When Hou Guihe first entered the scene, she was still a young girl in her early twenties, and the staff at the nuclear power plant couldn't help but tease her when she asked questions.

It's this cute little girl who, during an inspection, found that the company log wrote 'ldquo; Low range inert gas emitted from a chimney; Activity level 2 alarm;. This simple sentence caught her attention, and a tug of war ensued; — During the initial investigation of the incident, some personnel at the nuclear power plant had insufficient understanding and believed that there was no violation of regulations. However, she and her colleagues withstood the pressure, delved into the details, and ultimately confirmed that the on-site operators of the nuclear power plant accidentally opened the valve, causing the exhaust chimney to malfunction; Activity exceeds the limit of chemical technical specifications for a short period of time.

Every confirmed problem fits Hou Gui perfectly; Serious, serious, and professional; The imprint deepened, and this round faced girl who loved to smile became a part of others' lives; The Marquis wearing a white hat; The teasing among the staff has also turned into '; The supervisor is very strict, don't hide any problems;.

Professionalism forms a closed loop between external and internal supervision

“ The problems identified are precise and the regulatory requirements are strict and effective. ” This is the evaluation of the supervisors by the staff of the nuclear power plant. This major comes from continuous learning. Jia Fengcai is the leader of the Rongcheng Supervision Group of the Sixth Department of Nuclear Facility Supervision, and also a model bearer of the March 8th Red Flag of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. With 30 years of supervision experience, she still sticks to the front line, and new knowledge of nuclear power is a compulsory course for her.

“ What is the difference between the main pump of M310 and the main pump of Hualong No.1? What is the difference between EDS, ECS, IDS, and ZOS; … ” Jia Fengcai couldn't remember the details of how she persisted in working with injuries after undergoing surgery on her foot, but when it came to the differences between nuclear power units, she was straightforward. “ Not studying is not enough. What is the problem with the unit, is the reason reported by the nuclear power plant correct, and is the handling plan appropriate? These must be clear in order to truly do a good job in nuclear safety supervision. ” Jia Fengcai said.

“ New things cannot be learned completely. ” During the conversation, Jia Fengcai occasionally drips liquid into her eyes. “ Our eyesight is not very good in this field. We need to investigate problems on site, review various situation reports after returning, and spend time reading books and papers at night, which consumes a lot of visual acuity. ”

The mental and visual energy expended is exchanged for the sincere admiration of the nuclear power plant. “ The staff of nuclear power plants often take the initiative to report their work and problems. Some things don't need to be said, but they feel more at ease after saying them. ”

But earlier on, communication between nuclear power plants and monitoring stations was not as candid; — Discovering problems that require rectification can delay construction and power generation, resulting in economic losses of up to millions of yuan. Some employees of nuclear power plants are not proactive in facing rectification. But nuclear safety is more important, and professional knowledge and resolute attitude have become the weapons of the supervisors, who have improved their understanding of nuclear power plants through repeated exchanges.

But they have to face a real problem -; — Shortage of manpower. With the rapid development of China's nuclear power industry, more and more nuclear power plants are landing, and the speed of increasing supervision personnel is far behind the speed of nuclear power plant construction.

How to achieve more efficient supervision? The East China Supervision Station has turned its attention to the interior of the nuclear power plant. If we compare a nuclear power plant to a person, each department is its organ, and each employee is equivalent to the cells inside. Internal supervision is the body's immune system, while the East China Supervision Station is the hospital. The health obtained by going to the hospital for surgery every day is not as good as eliminating diseases in the bud through the good operation of the immune system.

The staff of nuclear power plants have become an important part of nuclear safety supervision. Every week, the staff of the East China Supervision Station will hold a supervision work meeting with the staff of the quality assurance, safety, engineering, commissioning and other departments of the operating unit to summarize the work of the week. Supervisors from different sites will also discuss each other's problems and ultimately find suitable solutions.

During this process, supervisors will present the discovered problems, potential consequences, and solutions to the staff of the nuclear power plant in a fragmented manner, and will also provide detailed explanations of nuclear safety related knowledge. The nuclear power plant realizes that it and the East China Supervision Station are a community of shared interests, with a common goal -; — Nuclear safety.

The closed chain formed by external supervision and internal supervision has turned.

　　

 

Jia Fengcai's work photo

Solitude seeks an outlet between individuals and collectives

Although the goals are the same, the roles of the East China Supervision Station and the nuclear power plant are ultimately different. Behind the on-site supervisors is the loneliness of rarely hearing from others.

On the day of heading to the San'ao Nuclear Power Plant, it was raining and the night was dark with high winds. The rainwater slid down the car window, blurring the line of sight. There are not many cars on the road, mostly wrapped in dense darkness, relying on dim headlights to illuminate the path ahead. Alone in the car, the sound of rainwater tapping on the car window echoed in my ears, and before my eyes was the endless stretch of high-voltage power lines in the darkness. A huge sense of loneliness rushed towards me.

Sitting alone, singing alone, and sleeping alone is the norm for on-site supervisors. Why do you feel lonely when there are so many people on site? Due to different roles, the role of supervisors determines that they must be alone.

“ We are a supervisory and law enforcement unit, and the nuclear power plant is the supervised unit. We exercise our supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the authorization of laws and regulations, and verify whether the enterprise fulfills its nuclear safety main responsibility in accordance with regulatory requirements. ” Yang Yiping, a representative of the 12th Shanghai Municipal Party Congress, spoke very bluntly. As the director of the Second Department of Nuclear Facility Supervision, she has had a lot of dealings with nuclear power plants. “ Even though we have a common goal and can cooperate with each other in our work, our roles are always different, and we go to the site to find problems. ”

The difference in roles brings enormous psychological pressure‐ — There are usually five to six thousand people operating a nuclear power plant, with a supervision team consisting of only four to five people, or even fewer. “ A person faces so many people every day and still has to pick and choose for them; Problems;. ” Yang Yiping talked about the psychological state of on-site supervision; Especially after discovering problems, there will be many people coming to explain and prove that there is no problem, which puts a lot of pressure on the supervisors. ”

This may be glimpsed from the office settings. In the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, there are thousands of offices of various sizes, but only one belongs to the supervisor of the East China Supervision Station. There are only 5 people in the office, and we have to face thousands of nuclear power plant workers every day.

Compared to the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, the office conditions at the San'ao Nuclear Power Plant are more rudimentary; — That is a two-story prefabricated house temporarily built on the construction site. The supervisors occupied two rooms, one for office and one for meetings.

Pushing open the door of the office, a gust of hot air rushed towards me, causing some anxiety in my heart. The anxiety caused by heat can be dispelled by air conditioning, but the anxiety caused by loneliness is difficult to dispel. Because the San'ao Nuclear Power Plant is still under construction, the required manpower is relatively small, and most of the time only Wang Wei is stationed here.

Every morning around 7:30, Wang Wei and the staff of the nuclear power plant take a shuttle bus to the plant. During the half-hour drive, we have to pass through three long tunnels, and cars shuttle between light and dark. Wang Wei sometimes closes his eyes to rest, occasionally awakened by the light as he exits the tunnel, looking at a group of familiar or unfamiliar people around him, feeling a bit dazed.

After getting off the car, this daze was dispelled by the familiar supervision work. The responsibility and mission of patrolling the scene, reviewing documents, communicating, and solving problems to safeguard nuclear safety became an outlet for venting loneliness.

There are a few days in a month when there is an extra person next to him; — Yan Jianfeng. Yan Jianfeng is the deputy director of the Nuclear Facility Supervision Department II, responsible for the supervision of the Sanmen and San'ao nuclear power plants, and travels between the two places year-round.

He always tries to stay for a few more days every time he comes, on the one hand to help Wang Wei relieve some work pressure, and on the other hand to talk to him more. But more often, they need to rely on family photos and video calls to relieve loneliness; — This is a kind of; There is a home that cannot be returned; The loneliness.

Striving for a balance between work and family

For on-site supervisors, longing is like a thread, with one end at the nuclear power plant and the other at home. A slight tug at home temporarily liberates them from work. But this momentary detachment cannot change the supervisors; Not at home; The norm.

Nearly half of the nuclear power units in Chinese Mainland are under the supervision of East China Supervision Station. Ensuring the safe construction and operation of these units is a task they must undertake. There is no way to avoid business trips.

Going home is particularly precious in the monthly rush. Yan Jianfeng still remembers the scene of returning home 10 years ago to this day; — At that time, he was still an on-site supervisor and could return home once a month. At that time, the child was only one year old. He and his partner both have to go to work, so they can only leave their children in the care of their grandparents. “ As soon as I got home, the child was stunned when they saw me, then turned their head to look at my grandparents, and then started crying, rushing towards me for a hug. ”

Huang Hong and Wang Yue often see such scenes. They are colleagues from the East China Supervision Station, who formed a bond through supervision and became the most beautiful family in Shanghai's municipal government agencies. After having a child, life has undergone some changes, and business trips are no longer carefree. How to balance nuclear safety with taking care of the child at home has become a new challenge.

　　

 

Huang Hong (second from left) work photo

　　

 

Wang Yue's work photo

Sometimes when one is on a business trip, the person at home needs to take on the responsibility of taking care of the children and doing household chores. Having experienced; Novice” During the chaotic period, they gradually became proficient; Be both a father and a mother; The ability to arrange a home properly even by oneself.

Sometimes two people go on business trips together. As a dual income family, it is inevitable to bump into each other during business trips. There was once a Spring Festival when nuclear power plants underwent a major overhaul. One nuclear power plant was completed ahead of schedule and urgently needed inspection and power supply. The sudden inspection task broke the original work arrangement at the station, and the couple needed to travel together.

“ At that time, the elderly at home were all preparing for the Chinese New Year and couldn't find time to come to Shanghai. We had to take our children to the nuclear power plant together. ” When they arrived at the nuclear power plant, they entrusted the child to their colleagues and rushed to the site for inspection as soon as possible. “ Although the children were unable to celebrate Chinese New Year at home, with our efforts, the nuclear power plant has provided early power supply, which can help more children have a good New Year. It's worth it. ”

Compared to bringing children to the scene, they spend more time playing; Guerrilla warfare; — — Stop at a highway intersection heading towards Zhejiang and hand over the child to the grandparents.

In the midst of repeated travels and handovers, the one who didn't understand; Why are Mom and Dad always not at home; The children have also become subject to nuclear safety supervision; Expert;. On site, he can see the nuclear power unit and explore where his parents work; At home, he could hear his parents talking about work, and when his mother and colleagues were discussing the high-temperature gas cooled reactor, a sentence popped out: '; I can understand everything you say;; At school, he will draw a nuclear power plant during the activities of Environment Day on June 5th and explain to teachers and classmates what clean energy is.

The nuclear power plant has become a shared memory exclusively for supervisors and their families.

We are all part of the same family

In 2022, the supervisors had an unforgettable shared memory.

In March 2022, the fast-paced Shanghai city was hit by the COVID-19 and the pause button was pressed. People outside could not get in and people inside could not get out. The original five or six hour journey home turned into an insurmountable gap.

There is a supervisor stationed in Weihai City, Shandong Province within the supervision station. At first, he was unable to return to Shanghai due to the Weihai epidemic. Later, the whole city remained silent due to the Shanghai epidemic, and he could only stay in Weihai for nearly three months, leaving his newlywed wife alone at home to cope with the epidemic.

“ His wife is not very good at cooking and was able to order takeout during the early stages of the pandemic. However, as takeout delivery became unavailable, she had to cook on her own. Her first cooking experience left her feeling helpless. ” After receiving a call for help from the supervisor in Shanghai, Office Director Liu Mingming said:; We must find a way to replace the supervisors from other places. ”

In May, the epidemic situation in Shanghai improved somewhat; Personnel replacement plan; There is a possibility of implementation. But it's not easy to get out; How to get out of Shanghai; Becoming a '; Personnel replacement plan; The first roadblock. It took more than 10 days before and after, and the East China Supervision Station obtained the documents for leaving Shanghai.

“ At that time, our troops were divided into two routes, with Xu Peng, Shen Xiaohui, Ning Fangyin, and Yang Fengzhao heading north towards Shandong, covering a distance of nearly 900 kilometers; Zhu Weiru, Zhang Biye, Cai Xinggang, Yan Jianfeng, and Shi Kai went south to Fujian, covering a distance of about 800 kilometers. ” Yan Jianfeng is a member of the southern team; On the day of departure, the captain drove a small car to pick us up one by one from our homes. ”

On the road, the supervisors encountered a second roadblock -; — Red code. Due to the red code, service stations and gas stations cannot enter, and the constant ringing of mobile phones accompanies them all the way south:; Where are you going? ” “ Do you want to get off the highway here? ” … … The disease control departments of various cities along the route called as soon as they arrived; Greetings” Relying on their own dry rations, a group of five people arrived in Fuqing City, Fujian Province for quarantine.

But during the quarantine period, an unexpected occurrence occurred, and Zhang Biye's cholecystitis flared up. In that case, conservative treatment can only be used for cholecystitis -; — Administer pain relieving injections. “ The painkillers have side effects, so I didn't dare to take them and had to endure. ” After finishing her work in Fuqing, Zhang Biye went to Fuzhou for inspection; The doctor said surgery is needed. ”

At that time, it coincided with the major overhaul of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang Province and the construction phase of Unit 3. The supervision task was very heavy and urgently needed the support of Zhang Biye; Surgery requires bed rest, which delays work and cannot fully utilize the role of external assistance. ” For the sake of work, he temporarily gave up surgery, hung up some water, and set off for Sanmen.

After persisting outside for 39 days, Zhang Biye returned to Shanghai and underwent surgery. “ At that time, I found a better hospital and spent a little more money. There were some complications, but they were cured. The surgical wound was a bit larger and I stayed in the hospital for a few more days. Actually, there was nothing wrong. ” Speaking of it lightly, in fact, during this surgery, Zhang Biye lost his gallbladder. If he delays for a little longer, his stomach will be perforated. But he felt that he only stayed on site for 39 days, which was nothing compared to his colleagues who had been sticking to it for more than 3 months.

Three years ago, there was an even more terrifying rescue attempt. At that time, the epidemic had just broken out, no one knew what COVID-19 was, and unknown fears pervaded everyone. But in this context, Liu Mingming still drove to Shandong Province and replaced his colleagues stationed in Haiyang City.

“ Not long after the young man got married, he was stationed alone at the nuclear power plant during the Spring Festival to supervise the units undergoing major repairs. But the sudden outbreak of the epidemic disrupted his plan to return to Shanghai after the Spring Festival. ” Faced with an unknown virus, Liu Mingming is also very afraid:; The combination of epidemic, loneliness, and work pressure can easily make people emotionally unstable. So I didn't think much at the time, I just wanted to quickly replace him. ”

“ Nuclear safety is of paramount importance, and someone must be present on site to ensure it. When one person encounters a problem, another person will immediately come to support. ” This seems to have become a consensus within the supervisory station, where every time someone leaves, someone immediately takes over.

The East China Supervision Station, which has been established for 36 years, seems to have a natural magic, and everyone involved is willing to devote time and energy to it. In exchange, various medals and honors are obtained; — Advanced collective of the national environmental protection system, excellent annual assessment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment for eight consecutive years, collective medal of the May 4th Youth Medal of Shanghai, Pioneer of Shanghai Workers, exemplary individual of Shanghai, May 1st Labor Medal of Shanghai… … They“ Squeeze” The glass display cabinets in the conference room are shining brightly.

　　

 

But for the staff in the supervision station, what they care more about than the physical medals is the honor; Since the development of nuclear power in China, the number of large-scale nuclear power accidents has been 0; And the peace of mind that the masses do not have to talk about nuclear color change.

Zhang Yang has not been in the supervision station for long, less than two years, but the practical experience of his predecessors has already made it easier; Unity, self-discipline, standardization, and professionalism; His core values have taken root in his heart. The Youth Theory Learning Group at the East China Station actively carried out solid youth theory learning and ranked among the top in the Shanghai Youth Reading Marathon Super Race for two consecutive years. They fastened the first button as supervisors for him and his young companions; Patriotism, national sentiment, serving the people sentiment, and career sentiment; Incorporate blood into each learning experience. Now, just like his predecessors in the supervision station, he wears a black reflective vest and a white safety helmet 365 days a day, carrying a sense of awe for nuclear safety, and bravely and firmly shuttles through the nuclear power plant, lighting up the path of nuclear safety.