The Akita Labour Bureau has released a summary of the results of inspections conducted at wooden house construction sites in 2025. In July of the previous year, labor standards inspection offices n inspected and provided guidance at 179 wooden construction sites, covering a total of 270 business establishments. As a result, violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act were found at 177 establishments, representing a high violation rate of 65.6 percent.
The most frequent violations were related to fall prevention, with 146 cases identified. These included unsafe conditions such as the lack work platforms at locations higher than two meters, as well as missing guardrails. In addition, 90 violations involved scaffolding and passageways, including inadequate measures to prevent falling objects and failure to display maximum load capacity information. Due to particularly hazardous machinery or dangerous work areas, 27 sites involving 43 establishments were issued orders for work suspension or restricted access to ensure worker safety.
The reason I pick this article is that I have been to these kinds of construction sites as a part tome job. I felt that there was some moments that felt unsafe and might cause accidents.
But due to the reports from Akita prefecture it isn't just the companies that are to blame. The problems spread more widely. Labor shortages, tight schedules, and limited safety management at smaller construction sites contribute to these issues. The inspections show the government’s ongoing effort to reduce accidents and improve workplace safety.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2025). Results of labor safety inspections at wooden house construction sites in Akita Prefecture. https://www.mhlw.go.jp
I wonder if there would be even more violations found at construction sites of large steel-reinforced concrete structures. There must be more dangers at such sites compared with those at wooden house construction sites. I see a lot of "Anzen Daiichi" 「安全第一」signs at those sites but I’ve seldom seen them at the building sites of individual wooden houses.
返信削除Does the employer of Taiki and you provide any kind of insurance for you guys? A special kind of health insurance kicks in when you injure yourself at a workplace, or even when you’re going to (or coming from) the workplace. I know this because I fell and cut myself when walking up the steps of my office building at the previous university where I worked. It actually became much more difficult to get the treatment for the injuries covered by insurance compared to just the normal national health insurance.
Anyway, I hope you stay safe while working so you won’t have to make use of health insurance.