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[Press Release] Japan reduced accidents in construction sites with a comprehensive management system for general contracting

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    2022-07-21


“Japan reduced accidents in construction sites with a comprehensive management system for general contracting”


Fatalities from construction accidents, 10 times the UK, 4 times compared to Japan

Yasuo Toyosawa, former director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of Japan: “Japan's reduction of occupational accidents is attributed to pre-safety examination, and safety and health manager for general contracting.”


The Economic, Social and Labor Council (hereafter referred to as the ESLC)’s Committee on Occupational Safety and Health for Prevention of Serious Accidents held a lecture session by inviting Toyosawa Yasuo (now Chairman of the Japan Construction Equipment Association), former director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of Japan at 14:00 on July 21, 2022 at the conference room of ESLC (7th floor, S Tower, 82, Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu).


* Former director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health of Japan, previously served at Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, currently Visiting Professor at Tokyo City University, Chairman of Japan Construction Equipment Association, Director of Japan Industrial Safety Technology Association

The number of accident deaths in the domestic construction industry accounts for half (417) * of the total number of occupational accident deaths (828), and the accident death rate is 4 times higher** than other industries.


* Percentage of deaths in construction industry (%): 51.5(2016) → 49.9(2018) → 51.9(2020) → 50.4(2021)

** Accidental death rate by industry: 1.75 for construction, 0.46 for manufacturing, 0.17 for other industries (as of 2021)

This is a serious level compared to the accident death rate (as of 2020) in the United Kingdom (0.18), Singapore (0.22), and Japan (0.52), which are major advanced countries in construction safety.


The Committee noted that the rate is relatively low even though the Japanese construction industry has a similar mid-layer subcontracting structure to Korea, and thus invited Toyosawa, an expert on construction safety in Japan, to discuss the factors and implications.