Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

Do you know why the practice of covering up workplace accidents just won't go away?

The bigger the company, the more they hide things!

 

I'm sure you all understand this very well.

In theory, even minor accidents are required to be reported, but in reality, I think people either don’t report them or figure, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

It's true—I do get minor injuries on the job, too.

I wouldn't report something as minor as cutting my hand with a utility knife.

It'll heal if you just put a band-aid on it.

But strictly speaking, it's a reporting requirement.

Even in the case of a non-work-related accident, if you report it,

I'm the one at fault here, but what will happen if I report this?

This is being reported as a non-work-related accident.

Plus, if the general contractor asks for an accident report, there’s a chance work on-site could come to a halt over this and that… (Although it’s just a report about a cutter, after all.)

 

From there, accident prevention committee meetings and emergency safety training sessions are held on-site. (Depending on the situation)

The general contractor is responsible for confirming KY, preparing work procedures, construction plans, and other related documentation.

 

If I were suspended from work just for cutting my hand with a utility knife...

If there are other companies involved, they'll hold it against you.

Do you want to report this? lol

It's going to be tough for the general contractor's supervisor, too.

In the case of a non-work-related accident, there are virtually no social penalties.

In the case of a non-work-related accident, there are generally no social penalties.

Generally, penalties in bidding are"Fatal and Non-Work-Related Accidents" Are Subject to Point DeductionsFurthermore, only a few local governments and contracting authorities deduct points even when counting “non-work-related accidents.”

However, if the detailed operational rules set by each client include discretionary criteria in the “construction performance evaluation”—such as “no accidents = high score”—the site representative might hesitate to report incidents because they don’t want to lose even a single point.

So why hide it!?

I think the reason the site is trying to cover this up is due to the general contractor’s own “internal rules” and “aversion to trouble.”

As I mentioned above, it’s a reluctance to take measures to prevent accidents.

These days, all sorts of things are happening—it’s really out of the ordinary.

The basic rules are designed to be easy for idiots to understand. (That may sound harsh, but it's the truth.)

 

And those imposed unilaterally by general contractors or prime contractors, or those that subcontractors assume on their own initiative"Invisible Penalties"...exists.

• Impact on General Contractors' Internal Evaluations (List of Designated Contractors)

  ・Major general contractors and other companies have their own ranking systems for “Safety Cooperation Associations.” There may be internal regulations (local rules) such as “a yellow card for X non-fatal accidents” or “banned from the site,” and subcontractors fear that they “will not be awarded future contracts.”

• Suspension of the “Accident-Free Award”

  ・The “XX hours without accidents” sign posted at the job site office is reset to “zero” by even a single finger injury. Since this damages the reputation of the site manager and safety officers, it creates silent pressure (regarding their standing within the general contractor).

• The "burden" of paperwork and research as a penalty

  ・Reporting an incident results in a massive amount of administrative work, such as on-site investigations, drafting measures to prevent recurrence, and apologizing and making announcements at safety meetings. This creates a sense of peer pressure, with people thinking, “The person who got injured is partly to blame, but reporting it will bring everyone’s work to a halt.”

Ultimately, the claim that “we can’t report work-related accidents resulting in no lost time because it will lower our business performance rating” is a lie.

What's really scary isn't the rules set by the national or local governments, but—

The general contractor’s “internal evaluation” and the “awkward atmosphere” on site.

The system that prevents the reporting of “non-work-related accidents”—in which no one is at fault—

As a result, even early warning signs (near-misses) of “fatal accidents” are covered up, which will eventually lead to a major accident with irreversible consequences.

A general contractor who can say, “If it’s a non-holiday, it’s okay (I’ll report it),”Couldn't we create a truly safe workplace?

That's what I think.

Disasters = EvilAs long as we keep thinking that way, disasters will never go away.

Work sites with no reports of accidents are actually more dangerous! (That's suspicious.)

Why don't you think that?

Heinrich's Law

You know about Heinrich's Law, right?

"Behind every major accident, there are a large number of minor accidents and incidents that were prevented just before they occurred."

That's the point.

It’s because of the customs and rules that encourage people to cover up minor accidents that major accidents end up happening all of a sudden.

Even though it’s statistically certain to happen, isn’t it?

So, in reality, this means the entire organization is covering up workplace injuries, right?

 

To be continued.

 

See you later.