The Current Situation in Hiroshima | The Heavy Rain Disaster in Western Japan
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. This is a submarine in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture! It’s sitting right out in the open! There’s a brick arch and the submarine! It’s right next to the Yamato Museum. On the way from Hiroshima City to Kure City, there’s an area where last year’s disaster occurred. Even now, back then…
Preparation Period for National Safety Week | Strengthening Safety in the Construction Industry
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. It’s that time of year for safety meetings, isn’t it…? Safety is important, but it’s actually quite a hassle for those of us who have to attend. Especially for us subcontractors—since we have to go to each of our general contractors’ safety meetings, we end up hopping from one to the next day after day. There’s no time of year when I hate safety more than right now! lol The general contractor’s supervisor…
For People with Smelly Feet: Try This! Recommended | Foot Care Tips for the Construction Industry
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. Do your feet smell? If they smell as bad as Hiroshi Nohara’s, that’s a pretty big problem, right? lol How about wearing rubber boots or safety shoes? Are you bothering your family or coworkers? One of our employees’ feet smell really bad! lol When they ride in the back of the car…
The Thrill of Slope Stabilization Work | A Job That Brings You Face-to-Face with the Mountains
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. I was talking to a craftsman the other day. “I really like being on-site—because all kinds of problems come up!” I’d never thought of it that way! Site supervisors hope that work will go smoothly without a hitch. And they aim to wrap things up without any issues…
A Seller's Market for Contractors | Supply and Demand in the Construction Industry
皆さんこんにちは。 エンタです。 最近弊社に良く元請け業者様がいらっしゃいます。 と言うのも、この業者不足、施工業者の売り手市場の原因です。 今や施工業者の単価はウナギ登りになりつつあります。 吹付の単価も機械込みで以前の1.5倍です。 し…
Shortening Construction Time with Site-Specific Solutions | Flexibility
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. The elevation difference at the job site I started working at earlier this week is probably around 30 meters. I have to walk up a pilot road (a construction access road for heavy machinery) with a slope of just under 30 degrees, and it’s surprisingly tough, lol. I haven’t been going up and down much lately, so I’m getting out of breath more easily than I expected. I’m out of shape…
Japanese People Who Want to Achieve the Best Possible Finish | Work Done with Attention to Detail
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. What do you think of the finish when using the “no-trowel” method? In some cases, no troweling is done at all, while in others, the surface is lightly troweled and then lightly sprayed. Which approach is better? In my experience, if you go completely without a trowel, on-site…
Doing It Twice Makes the Process Go More Smoothly | Practice and Reflection
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. The other day, I went to a site for an on-site inspection. The estimate had already been finalized, so it was my first time actually visiting the site (lol). Well, normally you’d inspect the site first and then draw up the estimate, but in my case, since I can read blueprints to some extent, I just used my imagination (lol). That said, I still found myself wondering things like, “Where’s the water supply?” or “Where’s the…
Public works contracts are cheap—way too cheap! That’s why we can’t put a stop to bid-rigging and the labor shortage!
Low Contract Amounts for Public Works Projects—Is It Normal for Public Works to Be Both Cheap and Good? Does Winning a Bid with the Lowest Price Reduce Wasteful Spending of Taxpayer Money? No, no—wait a minute! Even if you don’t know the realities of the construction industry, that’s a terrible way of thinking! Are the public’s lifelines just a waste? Cheap and good…