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Experience the Japanese way of
Construction Safety And Health Management
Introduction
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The Japan Construction industry has strong experience in integrating safety
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management system with OSH measures into a more effective project
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management. The Occupational Safety and Health Council has therefore
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organized a benchmarking study on the project management of construction
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safety and health in Japan in September 2002. We have interviewed 4 of the
participants, who will share with us in this issue of 'OSH Link' what they
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have learnt from the trip. ○
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CHINA STATE CONSTRUCTION ENGRG. (HONG KONG) LTD.
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Modification of Construction Design and Technology to Improve the Japanese Construction Safety Performance
Mr. Johnny Tse, Deputy General Manager (Technology Department) China State Construction Engineering (H.K.) Ltd.
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This is Mr. Tse's first study tour to Japan with the OSHC, it gave
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him a deep impression on the Japan’s construction safety performance. He attributes Japan's success in reducing its injury rate per 1,000 workers and the serious accidents to the research and development effort of both the government and industry, who actively seek ways to replace human involvement with machinery in high- risk processes. "The construction workers in Japan have bad safety behaviours too. However they have no choice, but to start learning again under the changing work processes." says Tse.
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Standardisation of Work Process Tse was particularly impressed that the work processes he saw in several construction sites looked exactly like those exhibited in the JISHA's Industrial Safety Museum. As Japan's official OSH promoter, JISHA strives to set the standards, and endeavours in R&D to seek the best way to carry out various construction processes or create comfortable workplaces. It also promotes those 'best practices' to the industry. Although the law does not require the industry to follow those examples, it sends a very strong message to the industry that these standards are what the government expects, and it serves to encourage the industry to engage in safety improvements.
Integrated Management Japan adopts an integrated management approach in construction industry, which considers quality, safety, health, environmental protection and technology as a package right from the designing/ planning stage, taking care of the need of the surrounding community.
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The Japan construction industry heavily relies on pre-cast components and materials. Tse explains this helps to reduce risks such as working at height. The use of permanent lifts to transport people and construction materials also saves the cost of installing temporary passenger lifts and materials hoists and thus reducing the accidents of construction machinery. All these makes construction activities safer and more costeffective. Tse attritubes this readiness to discard old practices for new innovative ideas and technology, the reason behind Japan's success !"# bêÉÅíáçå=çÑ =píÉÉä=píêìÅíìêÉ in promoting safety culture.
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high-tech methods in construction processes. Although we are using a similar OSH management method, we are not as effective in cutting the incidence rate as Japan’s construction industry. He thinks R&D is the key. Tse hopes developers, contractors, engineers and the government in Hong Kong can invest more in R&D and develop better technologies, and standardise work processes. While the main contractors should establish and promote an integrated management system so as to nurture a new construction and safe culture that is cost-effective and socially responsible.
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!== !"#$%&'()*"+, Japanese Experience =Work Planning and Safety Assessment for the Tunnel Project
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Automated Boring Process Mr. Chan is most impressed with the fact that he saw only few workmen inside the tunnel. "Even in the tunnel construction in other well-developed countries you could see relatively more people inside; but this one is nearly all automated. The only manual part is to secure the bore in place.' Behind this automated process is a control room !"#$%&'()*+,-./0" !"#$%&'()*+,-./012 !"#$%&'()*+,-%./01 !"#$%& '()*+,-./01 ! pÉåëçêë=~êÉ=áåëí~ääÉÇ=~í=íÜÉ=ã~áå=~ÅÅÉëë=L=ÉÖêÉëë çÑ =íÜÉ=íìååÉäK=tÜÉåÉîÉê=ëáíÉ=éÉêëçååÉä=é~ëë íÜêçìÖÜ=íÜÉ=Ö~íÉI=íÜÉ=å~ãÉ=çÑ =íÜÉ=ëáíÉ=éÉêëçååÉä ïáää=ÄÉ=Çáëéä~óÉÇ=çå=íÜÉ=ãçåáíçêK=qÜÉ=ÅçåíêçääÉê=áå íÜÉ=`çåíêçä=oççã=~äëç=Ü~ë=íÜÉ=áåÑçêã~íáçå=íÜ~í íÜÉ=~Åíì~ä=ïçêâ=ÑçêÅÉ=ïáíÜáå=íÜÉ=íìååÉäK=qÜáë=ÜÉäéë íÜÉ=páíÉ=j~å~ÖÉãÉåí=áå=Å~ëÉ=çÑ =ÉãÉêÖÉåÅóI=~åÇ ã~âÉ=ëìêÉ=~ää=ëáíÉ=éÉêëçååÉä=~êÉ=Éî~Åì~íÉÇ=Ñêçã íÜÉ=íìååÉäK
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where supervisors can monitor the situation within the tunnel. Through a PHS phone system, control room operators know exactly who is inside the tunnel, and the signals transmitted from the phone system can also show exactly where the people are located.
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An Extremely Detailed Safety Assessment
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Chan thinks there are two reasons behind Japan's quest for automation: One, their value for life, and two, an extremely detailed safety assessment prior to work starting. "In the short-term, the assessment can help identify hazards and relevant measures can be introduced to reduce risk. In the long-term, it offers topics for further R&D effort to see whether the work processes can be automated or changed."
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"The actual assessment will involve assessing all work processes in a tunnel project, evaluating and grading the risks involved, and making relevant work suggestions that also answer safety concerns. This assessment report will need to be approved by the Ministry of Labour, which will only give its approval when everything in the report meets with its requirements. Without this approval, the project cannot start." He believes that Japan’s contractors are willing to use better methods so as to gain quicker approval from the government.
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The Value For Life Chan also believes that because Japanese treat lives above everything, they will try their best to improve work processes or replace manual ones with automation whenever possible to protect their workers. It is this mindset that drives R&D, and a detailed safety assessment provides the basis for research. He would like to see cooperation between the government, OSHC, developers and the industry to nurture in Hong Kong a safety culture with such a mindset, and he feels the government, which handles all occupational accident data, !"#$%&'()*+,is in the best position to study `äÉ~ê=ï~äâï~ó=ëÉé~ê~íÉë=Ñêçã=íÜÉ=ã~áå=íê~ÅâK dççÇ=ÜçìëÉâÉÉéáåÖ=~åÇ=ëìÑÑáÅáÉåí=äáÖÜíáåÖ=áë accident trends and suggest éêçîáÇÉÇK safety strategies.
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!"#$%& ! !"#$% Mr. Tam Kin-Kay, Construction Manager pÜìá=lå=`çåëíêìÅíáçå=~åÇ=j~íÉêá~äë=iáãáíÉÇ
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Strategies for Enhancing the Construction Safety and Health Management in Japan
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These are some problems that Japan’s construction industry is facing:
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rapid increase in small and medium sized contractors, multi-layered contractor system, a lack of skilled workers and so on. The situation is very similar to that in Hong Kong, "But the difference lies in their 'order placer' system. This makes any order-giving party, such as a subcontractor who further contracts out work, responsible for the performance of the order taker." Tam explains. "In Hong Kong, however, there is no such accountability system and that causes a big responsibility gap between the main contractor and frontline workers."
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In a broader sense, the Japanese law requires the conducting of 5-year industrial accident prevention plan with the Minister of Labour being the top responsible person. There is also an executive plan every year to help implement each 5-year plan.
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SWC & KYK: The Root of Safety Culture Safe working cycle (SWC) and hazard identification activities (KYK) have been implemented in Japan for nearly 30 years. They have been naturally integrated into work. That is why Tam finds it amazing when their Japanese counterparts still mention the two names everyday during the trip. It shows how deep the two concepts have taken roots in their minds. "I've been asking myself, where does Japanese safety culture comes from? I believe it must have come from SWC and KYK, because they help establish channels of communication, and give frontline workers more chances to express their opinions. These two safety processes promote team spirit through worker involvement." Hong Kong has launched the SWC for more than two years. Hopefully we are going to set the right track of cultivating safety culture in the construction industry.
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!"#$%&'( = !"# Role of Client in the Project Management of Construction Safety and Health
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As the 'boss' of construction projects, clients pay contractors to build, expecting them to complete the job on time and within budget. "But if contractors could not manage the OSH matters, property clients could be affected as the project might be delayed, revenue might be lost, company image might be tarnished and also they might face civil claims for damages." Mr. Kwong says, in theory, it is reasonable for clients to expect that after paying for the works, contractors will bear the OSH responsibility in construction projects. With all the above concerns in mind, it is in the client's interest to take a stronger role in the aspect of OSH, other than just paying for the works.
The Position of Sub-contractors
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Multi-layer sub-contracting has been identified as a cause of hindering the development of safety culture in the Hong Kong construction industry. Surprisingly, Japan seems to have successfully managed an even more sophisticated subcontracting system. "In a !"#$%&'()*+,-./0 !"#$ building site that I have visited qÜÉ=m~êíáÅáé~åíë=çÑ =íÜÉ=qçìê=Ü~îÉ=íç=tÉ~ê in Japan, it has as many as 200 g~ÅâÉíë=~åÇ=p~ÑÉíó=eÉäãÉíë=mêçîáÇÉÇ=Äó=íÜÉ `çåíê~Åíçê=ïÜÉå=sáëáíáåÖ=`çåëíêìÅíáçå=páíÉK sub-contractors!" said Kwong. While in Hong Kong, the contractual relationship is only between the client and the main contractor. In Japan, they have formalised the operation of sub-contractors. "Japan's Industrial Safety and Health law states that if an order-placer gives an illegal order, sub-contractors have the right to disobey it. This clearly recognises the position of sub-contractor and spells out the relationship between a client and a sub-contractor." He quoted another example from the trip, "In Japan, some of the sub-contractors complained to the government that they have been underpaid by their main contractors. As a result, the Tokyo Works Bureau will stipulate in their contracts that the main contractor has to pay no less than 80% of the contract sum to the sub-contractors, in 7
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order to protect the latter's interest." Since sub-contractors' position are formally recognised, they are also bound by law to take responsibility for ensuring safety and quality in construction.
The Role of Clients in OSH In Japan, clients seldom need to spell out their OSH requirements. Their emphasis is on main contractors and sub-contractors. In Hong Kong, we are trying to encourage clients to be more proactive in respect of OSH. The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, for example, has successfully demonstrated that by incorporating requirements in the contract such as 'Pay for Safety', independent safety audits and SWC, contractors' performance in respect of OSH can be greatly enhanced. Kwong believes that, as a client, if the government can promote the CDM concept through his projects, i.e. consider safety and health management factor at the project design stage, this will help build an atmosphere for cultivating a safety culture in the construction i n d u s t r y. W h e n contractors get used to thinking safety, the culture can also be taken to projects in the private sector. Once safety awareness is well established, we do not have to rely on contract stipulations to achieve !"#$%&'()'*+,-./012 OSH on construction lìê= g~é~åÉëÉ= dìáÇÉ= aáëÅìëëáåÖ= ïáíÜ= íÜÉ `çåíê~ÅíçêDë=pí~ÑÑ =~í=íÜÉ=qçâóç=pìÄJï~ó=páíÉK sites.
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“OSH Link” is a bilingual newsletter pubished by the Occupational Safety & Health Council. The Council accepts no responsibility for any views expressed in any articles published in the “OSH Link”.
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