Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said Monday the radiation level inside one of the reactor buildings of the damaged Fukushima power plant has reached 700 millisierverts per hour, surpassing the expected level.

The current reading has forced Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) to put forward new measures for the TEPCO workers to bring the situation under control and decrease the risk of fatal radiation and poisoning.

TEPCO says it is planning to increase safety levels for its workers by building a metal tunnel or providing lead sheets for boosted protection against radiation.

At a press conference, TEPCO failed to confirm if the latest procedures would be enough to lessen the radiation levels and was unsure if the situation can be stabilized by October.

Nine representatives from TEPCO and Japan's NISA entered the facility and measured radiation and safety conditions for nearly 30 minutes and were exposed to radiation levels ranging from 2.7 millisieverts to 10.56 millisieverts, the nuclear and safety agency reported.

Some parts of the dust in the nuclear plant was sent to the laboratories in Tokyo for analysis. The dust still continues to release radiation into the atmosphere, the ministry reported.

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