Health and Safety

Initiatives for the Prevention of Workplace Accidents

Targets and Priority Measures for FY2023

Target

Eliminate fatal accidents and serious accidents

Priority Measures

1　Prevent occupational accidents under the strong leadership of the project director
2　Plan and execute appropriate work procedures and confirm them onsite
3　Prevent accidents resulting in falls
4　Prevent machinery accidents
5　Prevent landslide accidents
6　Prevent fire accidents
7　Prevent damage to third parties due to accidents
8　Increase health and safety management capabilities and strengthen training
9　Promote creation of healthy work environment

Three Major Initiatives

To prevent faults in safety equipment and unsafe behavior on construction sites, we are rigorously implementing the following measures.

Initiative for Enhancing On-Site Inspections : Most important initiatives for FY2023

Our employees and supplier supervisors check directly on the implementation of safety measures at worksites to avoid unsafe action. Any faults are corrected on the spot.

Initiative to Encourage Calling

Under our construction site rules, workers who see someone doing something unsafe are required to verbally caution them. We strive to make an environment where people can call out each other freely.

ATKY Initiative

Our employees and others working on construction sites actively employ pointing and calling to ensure safety, inspection, and check (in Japanese, anzen, tenken, kakunin or "ATK") and hazard prediction(kiken yochi or "KY"). This method enables them to identify hazards and harmful factors before starting an operation and take proper countermeasures.

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Sharing Information on Health and Safety and Preventing Recurrence

When a serious accident occurs, we work to prevent recurrence by compiling information on the circumstances, causes, and measures to prevent recurrence. We also share this information with all our employees on the Intranet and through other means, and conduct the necessary training at construction sites. We also establish a committee if we consider there are high risks in the nature of the work. For example, a committee for managing work conditions inside tunnels specifies health and safety risks and discusses ways to improve.

Safety Patrols

All branches conduct patrols to confirm health and safety management conditions at construction sites. Especially for sites with many workers or large-sale sites, safety patrols are held by Health and Safety Officers at each branch and at the main office at least once a month. We hold daily patrols conducted by employees and subcontractors at construction sites.

They check to make sure that appropriate guidance on health and safety is being provided and monitor the health and safety of subcontractors, among other things.

Additionally, the central officer in charge of health and safety and secondary officer in charge conduct special patrols two times a year. We also run patrols to verify dust hazard prevention efforts at tunnel construction sites and so forth.

Furthermore, the Safety and Quality Supervisor under the direct supervision of the Safety, Quality & Environment Division patrols construction sites around Japan, giving meticulous instruction and training.

Check lists are always used on patrols to determine whether identified issues were ultimately corrected.

In FY2022, as a specific measure to "improve health and safety management capabilities and enhance education," we introduced "interactive patrols" as a more effective method of on-site patrols, in which potential risks and problems are identified through dialogue at the construction site.

Safety Trainings

We provide training for employees and support education of suppliers to prevent occupational accidents, improve awareness of health and safety, and provide a deeper understanding of safety-related laws and regulations and other aspects. We provide hands-on training to employees who work at construction sites to heighten their sensitivity to the hidden dangers at construction sites. Our goal is to improve the ability to prevent accidents and instruct subcontractors for safety matters through simulation-based learning of actual accidents.

The Safety Information bulletin published every month also provides information on cases of high-risk accidents and ways to prevent them, in addition to information on revisions to various laws and regulations and our safety and accident record. For example, the bulletin addresses the prevention of high-risk incidents such as heat stroke in the summer and falls due to ice in the winter.

We also have safety materials in multiple languages for foreign technical trainees and foreign construction employees who work on construction sites. These materials explain the proper procedures when entering a site, so the foreign trainees and workers can correctly understand the safety rules. We have in addition installed safety markers and signs in appropriate languages at construction sites to help ensure safety while working.

We have established an environment in which safety information is always accessible by posting this information on the Intranet, providing regular e-learning based on actual accidents to employees, and other means. We caution employees by making sure that they see information on safety on a daily basis, promoting greater safety awareness, and working diligently to ensure safety at construction sites.

Safety Awards

We provide awards to construction sites that excel in daily safety management aimed at heightening safety awareness and improving the quality of safety management, and that serve as a model for other sites.

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Safety Trainings for Suppliers

In the Obayashi Accident Prevention Association, which consists of subcontractors who work on our construction projects, Obayashi and subcontractors work as one team to improve the level of health and safety. They conduct safety patrols, provide health and safety education, and create educational DVDs for skilled construction workers, among other efforts.
Obayashi actively supports the establishment and enhancement of its management systems aimed at improving the ability of subcontractors to manage health and safety autonomously.

An accident prevention association holds several workshops to learn safety rules
A scene from slinging training

Training DVDs

In cooperation with the Obayashi Accident Prevention Association, which consists of Obayashi suppliers and subcontractors, we produce safety training DVDs dealing with themes selected from current issues in the health and safety of construction sites. These DVDs are used in trainings given at construction sites and independently at partner companies.

Training DVDs
DVDs are used in training dispatch workers at construction sites

Occupational Accidents Data (Including skilled workers on construction sites)

	FY2018	FY2019	FY2020	FY2021	FY2022
Accident frequency rate(*1)	0.58	0.44	0.33	0.35	0.42
Severity rate(*2)	0.32	0.10	0.23	0.31	0.19
Accidents resulting in four or more lost workdays (cases)	59	45	30	34	39

*1 The number of work-related injuries or deaths recorded for every 1 million work hours
*2 The number of workdays lost to workplace accidents recorded for every 1,000 work hours

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Striving for Workstyle That Make it Easy to Work

The ultimate goal of workstyle reform in the construction industry is to secure the workers needed by the construction industry and ensure healthy development of the construction industry. Obayashi is focusing on achieving a five-day work week (closed eight days in four weeks) as a first step toward reducing long work hours at construction sites. To achieve this for employees and skilled workers, we need to establish reasonable construction periods. Gaining the understanding of customers is essential to accomplish that. We are explaining this to customers through the pamphlet published by the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors and other means.

Please see Reaching one's full potential while staying safe and healthy for more information on health management and promotion.