◇ At present, there are concerns that it is "difficult" However,
with the imminent application of the upper limit on overtime work with penalties in April 2024, general contractors are rushing to take measures at sites where long working hours can be seen. How can we increase productivity with limited personnel? A survey conducted by the Nikkan Kensetsu Kogyo Shimbun on work-style reform among 35 major general contractors revealed that achieving the upper limit is not an easy task. The majority of companies cited the enhancement of on-site support, including outsourcing, and the conversion of construction management work to DX, which is essential for improving productivity
Under the laws related to work style reform, the upper limit of overtime work (excluding holidays) is set at 45 hours per month in principle and 360 hours per year. penalties are imposed.
According to the questionnaire, the level of achievement in anticipation of the upper limit regulation was achieved at both civil engineering and construction sites. I feel it, but it is quite difficult ▽ It is difficult to achieve - I had you choose from 5 levels. While there are some companies that have "achieved" in the office, 1 company (3%) in construction and 1 (3%) in civil engineering say that they have not "achieved" and have "prospects" in the field. More than half of the companies answered that it is "difficult to achieve" or "difficult to achieve", and on-site measures are an urgent issue.
During the five-year grace period, general contractors have collaborated with other industries and struggled to develop technologies to improve productivity and digitize their operations. On-site DX has made great progress in the visualization and efficiency of construction management using AI, IoT, web cameras, etc. The spread of tablet terminals among on-site workers has progressed, and the introduction of cloud services that support construction management, such as daily work coordination, entrance/exit management, and safety document preparation, is conspicuous.
Although there is a certain effect, there are also voices such as "There is no magic bullet and there is no dramatic effect", "We have not reached the scenario we envisioned", and "The final stage is the most difficult. We need to proceed with considerable force". Leak.
"We have prepared tools that will lead to work style reforms. All that is left is for them to use them," said a person in charge of a major general contractor. Horizontal deployment of good practices is the key to dissemination, but as steady progress and securing profits are required in the field, it is difficult to introduce new tools, etc., resulting in a situation where branches and the field do not keep pace. there is
"At the start of construction, we decided to introduce the basic ICT tools decided by the head office all at once," said a semi-major general contractor. Some companies have switched from the traditional branch and on-site decisions to head office-led decisions, and there is an even greater need for top management to show a sense of crisis and the company's seriousness.
DX is an indispensable element not only for responding to the upper limit regulation, but also for maintaining the construction system in anticipation of future labor shortages and for the sustainable development of companies. In addition to promoting the use of BIM/CIM, which can be said to be the foundation, unmanned construction machinery and automation, we must also accelerate efforts that transcend industry boundaries, such as robot development. DX is just one of the tools. There is no shortcut to realizing work style reform other than steadily accumulating multiple measures such as changing the awareness of users, improving their skills, strengthening the support system at the site, increasing human resources and training.
