Fatalities in the Construction Industry on the Rise; International Standards Protect Employee Safety ISO 45001 Certified Support Company Expands Service Area

2024.03.05 10:30

株式会社ティーディーエス

While the number of deaths due to workplace accidents is decreasing, the number is increasing in the construction industry. TDS Corporation (headquartered in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City; Shigehiro Yoshiura, President), which provides consulting services to companies, expanded its service area on March 1, 2024, with the aim of reducing fatal accidents at construction sites.

Building construction site

The construction industry is the leading cause of fatal accidents in Japan.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's (MHLW)*1 report on occupational accidents in 2004, the number of fatalities due to work-related accidents was 774, the lowest number ever, and has been decreasing since 2020. However, about 40% of the fatalities were in the construction industry, where the number has increased since 2020. According to the preliminary report on occupational accidents in 2024(*2), of the 37 fatal accidents that occurred in January, the construction industry ranked first with 12.

The top cause is crashes and falls at construction sites, which occur every year in Japan, and companies are sometimes prosecuted for professional negligence resulting in death or injury. ISO 45001, an international standard established in 2018, is designed to create a safe working environment at construction sites.

1 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Publication of Occupational Accident Situation", 2023.

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_33256.html

2 Occupational Accidents in 2024 (preliminary report)

https://anzeninfo.mhlw.go.jp/information/sokuhou.html

Familiar public works sites

Certificate of auditor registration, certificate of appreciation, etc.

Increasing number of companies have acquired ISO 45001, the international standard for protecting employees.

TDS Corporation, which provides support for acquisition of ISO and Privacy Mark, etc., began offering free consultations to civil engineering and construction companies in Fukuoka on March 1, 2024, with the aim of reducing the number of accidents involving falls at construction sites. All of our consultants are employees, which is rare in Japan. The same consultant handles everything from sales to the creation of trusting relationships quickly, and the preparation of voluminous materials is done by our company after detailed interviews, so complicated procedures go smoothly. Furthermore, our representative is also an auditor for ISO certification. Although he cannot directly audit clients, he prepares documents while keeping the necessary points in mind, which has resulted in a 100% acquisition rate to date. We have supported approximately 900 companies throughout Japan to date.

ISO is an international standard that defines the size of credit cards, emergency exit marks, and other items that need to be standardized worldwide. Among them, ISO 45001 (Yonmany5001) is to create and implement regulations to eliminate or minimize risks at work sites in order to create a safe working environment. For example, it is designed to prevent falls from bridge girders and scaffolding, and to prevent finger entrapment and entrapment in large machinery in factories. We will review our operations in detail and create a PDCA cycle of hazard avoidance measures in line with international standards.

In the five years since ISO 45001 was launched, more and more companies, especially in the civil engineering and construction industry, have acquired the certification. However, many companies are still hesitant to acquire ISO 45001 certification because of the time and expense involved, including the huge amount of documentation required, the complicated procedures, the six-month process from application to acquisition, the consulting fee of around 1 million yen, and the need to undergo annual inspections for around two days after acquisition.

Changing a dangerous site into a safe site

A comment from a company that has acquired the certification: "I thought it was necessary, but I was worried that it would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and that the detailed regulations would increase our workload after the certification. However, by structuring the system in detail, we have been able to improve efficiency and reduce costs, and most importantly, we feel a sense of security that we can protect our employees and their families."

Representative's voice: "In the past few years, ISO 45001 has gradually gained recognition as major companies have announced their acquisition of the certification, but there are still only a few companies in Fukuoka Prefecture, where our head office is located, that have acquired the certification. Especially in the construction industry, where the number of fatalities is increasing, we would like to promote early acquisition of this certification so that we can eliminate sad accidents and ensure safe and secure operations for our employees and their families." First, we will start offering free consultation to civil engineering and construction companies in Fukuoka Prefecture, where our head office is located, to promote the program, and then expand it to Kyushu and then to the rest of Japan.