Health and Safety

Click here to Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Policy

Our commitment to construction safety stems from basic respect for humanity. We have established an occupational health and safety management system to 1. eliminate/reduce potential risk of occupational accidents, 2. promote workers' health and create comfortable workplaces and 3. improve corporate standard for health and safety.
We are one of the first companies in the construction industry to receive the "COHSMS Certification" from the Japan Construction Occupational Safety and Health Association in 2008, and have been renewing the certification by undergoing an audit every three years. We have named said certified system "PENTA-COHSMS" and are conducting continuous health and safety management in compliance with the system.
Following the revision of the COHSMS Guidelines to "NEW COHSMS" by the Japan Construction Occupational Safety and Health Association in April 2018, we revised at our end our proprietary "PENTA-COHSMS" by including the addition of mental health initiatives.
While adhering to the standards in the above certification, we will aim at further enhancement of the system and co-work with our subcontractors to ensure its implementation and operation. By improving the level of safety and health management, we will strive to take preventive measures to avoid occupational accidents.
Several of our overseas offices have acquired the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems (ISO 45001), and we are working to continuously improve our occupational health and safety performance through the operation of the system.

*COHSMS: Acronym for Construction Occupational Health and Safety Management System

Under the CSR Committee chaired by the President and Representative Director, we have established the Environment Health and Safety Committee as a central organization for safety and health environment conservation activities. This Committee deliberates and decides on basic policies and measures to effectively promote health and safety environment activities.
Additionally, based on an annual plan, we regularly carry out the Environment Health and Safety Committee Patrols in all branches.

Our risk assessment model refers to the database containing some 1,000 risk factors derived from 5,000+ past disaster cases. In construction offices, we use this database to identify risk factors, which are then shared with subcontracting companies, in each phase of work and during the project planning. The risk factors identified through above risk assessment are linked to disaster information, and situational photos and maps from actual disaster records are used to determine risk reduction measures. Thus, we are working together with our partner companies on disaster prevention measures to avoid the same disaster scenarios.
We also work on implementing AI-based risk assessment protocols.

We have been implementing occupational accident prevention and quality management measures that prioritize safety and quality in Japan, and named it the Penta-Ocean Construction Standards. We spread these standards not only in Japan but also overseas and carry out occupational accident prevention activities in collaboration with subcontracting companies.

<Specific efforts>

Since 1998, we have been promoting a Compassionate and Friendly Greeting Campaign that aims to achieve no accidents and no illnesses, and creating a safe, healthy, and lively workplace culture based on the stronger harmony among workers. In particular, we make every construction staff to call each other by name for deepening the sense of fellowship.

Initiatives to Prevent "Specific Accidents"
We have designated crash accidents, fall accidents and heavy machinery (crane) accidents as "Specific Accidents" and focus our efforts for preventing these accidents amongst all other accidents. Regarding the prevention of crash and fall accidents, we introduced a "Immediate 'Red Card' System for Workers Who Do Not Use Safety Belt*1," which suspends a worker from the construction site when he/she is found not using a fall prevention equipment (commonly, a safety belt) in a place where a safety belt is mandatory. As for the prevention of heavy machinery and crane accidents, we enforce the "Zero Heavy Machinery Accident Declaration" to reconfirm prohibition of entering a working radius of the equipment, and to assign guards to prevent any entry. Also, we enforce the "Zero Crane Accident Declaration," "Exercise 333*2."

*1 Workers who were suspended will return to the site after receiving the safety training again.
*2 Exercise 333: (1) 3 m away from the suspended load when slinging. (2) Stop hoisting the lifted load at 30 cm. (3) Roll up after counting 3 seconds when hoisting the lifted load (introduced in 2008).

Click here to Cooperative Health and Safety Initiatives with Subcontracting Companies

All numbers are unconsolidated figures (POC only)
*Frequency rate indicates the frequency of accidents. Number of fatal causalities due to occupational accidents/total number of actual working hours x 1,000,000
*Severity rate indicates the severity degree of an accident. Total number of lost working days/ total number of actual working hours x1,000
*Accidents causing 4 or more days lost