Hiroaki Hosoya, Chairman of the Construction Labor Safety Research Institute (Roken), Kyoji Sato, who assumed office on May 18, and Naoto Ina, Vice Chairman, responded to interviews with specialized publications such as the Nikkan Kensetsu Kogyo Shimbun, and shared their activity policies for this year. Told. Hosoya, who celebrated his second year in office last month, pointed out that "safety is the accumulation of steady efforts, and the nature of safety will change with the times," aiming to eradicate occupational accidents at construction sites. He showed a willingness to train juniors by promoting safety education. For the time being, he said that the promotion of occupational safety and health measures in response to the April 2024 upper limit on overtime work with penalties will be an issue to be considered.
Mr. Sato, Mr. Hosoya and Mr. Ina giving interviews (from left to right)
According to the Labor Research Institute, the majority of work-related accidents at construction sites still consist of the "three major accidents," including falls, contact with construction machinery and cranes, and collapsing and collapsing. In recent years, the number of foreign workers who have changed jobs from other industries and foreign workers at construction sites has been on the rise. Mr. Hosoya and his colleagues point out that the current situation surrounding occupational safety and health in the construction industry is that people working at construction sites are less sensitive to the risk of occupational accidents. He believes that the lack of direct communication, combined with the impact of the corona crisis, is a factor.
Mr. Sato raised the issue, saying, "Real communication will become important in the IT era." Mr. Ina commented, ``The number of machines, technologies, and construction methods used on-site is increasing, and in terms of occupational health and safety, there are more options that were not available in the past.'' I can understand the part where this is not true, and that is why the prime contractor and subcontractor must work together to provide safety education."
Mr. Hosoya and three others emphasized the importance of safety education in light of the current situation. In addition to acquiring basic knowledge, it is necessary to convey the importance of communication that allows each person to understand each other.
Mr. Hosoya will pay close attention to the government's 14th Five-Year Occupational Accident Prevention Plan, which started this fiscal year, as well as the Basic Plan for Construction Workers, which was revised by a Cabinet decision in June, and will follow up on measures such as securing safety and health expenses and strengthening measures to ensure health. He also announced the policy to continue. He touched on health and safety measures for sole proprietors and other sole proprietorships under discussion by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and called for the need to improve their effectiveness more than ever.
Mr. Sato and Mr. Ina also expressed their aspirations for taking office. Mr. Sato said, "We will proceed so that the activities of the labor research institute can be easily understood by everyone. We would like to improve the level of occupational safety and health as a whole." Mr. Ina said, "Since 39 general contractors (as member companies of Roken) have come together, I would like to be able to examine and solve occupational safety and health issues that many member companies recognize as problems. But I just want the industry as a whole and the people working there to be happy."
