Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

This is a continuation of the previous post.

Why Are Workplace Accidents Covered Up in the Construction Industry? Part 1

In my previous post, I focused mainly on non-work-related accidents.

This time,Work-Related Injury Resulting in Temporary DisabilitySo I think I'll try writing it.

Why Do General Contractors Cover Up Accidents? (Structural Motives)

Rather than simply "malice," this might be better described as an "incentive to conceal" created by the evaluation system unique to the construction industry.

This is because the profits they would have received by keeping it hidden would remain as planned, whereas disclosing it would result in enormous losses.

Profits That Depend on Concealment

• Impact on the Business Management Review (Keishin):

  • This is the main reason. When a workplace accident occurs, points are deducted from the “Keishin” evaluation—which affects a company’s ranking in public works bids. Since a drop in ranking means losing opportunities to win contracts—and thus threatens the company’s very survival—companies tend to go to extreme lengths to cover it up!?

• The Fear of Being Blacklisted and Having Work Stopped on Site:

  • If a work-related injury is recognized, construction work is halted due to administrative sanctions (suspension of bidding eligibility) or on-site inspections by the Labor Standards Inspection Office. Fearing penalties for project delays, a practice emerged where companies would say, “We’ll cover your medical expenses, so please don’t make this public.” This used to happen all the time. People with malicious intent would even use this to blackmail the general contractor...

• The Curse of the “Accident-Free Award”:

  • Maintaining a seemingly accident-free record has become an end in itself, and an atmosphere has taken root in which even minor injuries cannot be reported.

 What Is the Truth Behind the Cover-Up of Work-Related Injuries? (The Dark Side Bearing Down on Subcontractors)

Even though we say “general contractors are covering it up,” in many cases, it is actually the subcontractors—who are in a weaker position—who end up getting their hands dirty (by withholding reports).

The silent pressure of “If you use this, there won’t be a next time”:

• • Even if the general contractor doesn’t say so directly, subcontractors assume that “if we use workers’ compensation and cause trouble for the general contractor (such as penalty points or the hassle of preparing paperwork), we won’t get any more work.” This is "Deliberate Concealment of Work-Related Injuries" Here's the truth. There are quite a few cases where they forcefully reclassify work-related injuries requiring time off as those that don't!

  • A while back, when one of our workers had an accident, I told them to take a week off since the wound needed stitches, but they ignored my instructions. Instead, following orders from the general contractor’s site manager, they were forced to return to the job site—and the wound got infected, leading to a hospital stay. Honestly, if they’d just taken three full days off, things would have turned out much better. That was truly a secondary disaster. Afterward, the site manager acted like he knew nothing about it (not funny at all, is it?). I think there are an enormous number of cover-ups by general contractors.

  • For example, even if our company got the boot because of this, I wouldn't mind lol. I don't think we're in that kind of era anymore. I think these kinds of attitudes are especially common among older-generation business leaders (who rely heavily on major corporations).

"Hiding Work-Related Injuries" Is a Crime:

• • Failing to submit a report on worker injuries, illnesses, or fatalities—or submitting a false report—is a crime (punishable by a fine of up to 500,000 yen), but on-site, such incidents are often glossed over with phrases like “a craftsman’s sense of honor” or “gratitude to the company” and swept under the rug. Or are we supposed to just handle it as an accident that never happened at the subcontractor’s company?! However, covering up these incidents offers absolutely no benefit to the construction workers themselves.

  • Whether it's a non-work-related accident or not, keep reporting them.

Increase in Workers' Compensation Insurance Premiums:

• In certain industries, such as the construction industry, insurance premiums may increase or decrease by up to ±40% based on past disaster occurrence records (benefit payouts).
• Once you file an insurance claim for a major work-related injury (or multiple injuries), your premiums will skyrocket in the following fiscal year and beyond, and this penalty will continue for several years—regardless of which insurance policy you have.
• I think this is also part of the general contractor’s responsibility. That’s exactly why I want the general contractor to make even more profit.

Damage to the site:

• If an inspection is conducted, construction work will be temporarily suspended. If we receive a corrective action recommendation, we’ll be tied up preparing the required documentation (correction report) and won’t be able to carry out our regular duties.
• If you submit a disaster report (Report on Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses—Form No. 23) for a work stoppage of four or more days, there is a high probability that the Labor Standards Inspection Office will conduct an on-site investigation. This will leave you swamped with a mountain of paperwork.

To Prevent Accidents

How can we reduce the number of accidents?

There are limits to relying solely on mental attitudes (“Let’s be careful”).

First,Eliminating PenaltiesThat's it! Actually, I don't think there's anything else.

Because there are penalties, it leads to strange peer pressure and cover-ups, and it creates incentives to hide things.

 

Just one work-related injury resulting in time off from work is enough to—

"The company's bid ranking will drop"

"To bring shame upon the general contractor"

"Work on the job site will come to a halt, causing inconvenience for everyone."

 

ThisThe Burden of Joint LiabilityHowever, this is depriving the front lines of “honest reports.”

I think that unless we change this strange atmosphere—where “the person who was injured seems the most apologetic”—we won’t be able to achieve a true “zero accidents” (zero cover-ups).

 

It really is a “rigid structure,” isn’t it?

There are a certain number of people who say we should use ICT or digital transformation (DX) to eliminate this, but that’s not the point.

Since injuries occur in the analog workplace, I don't think digital alerts would actually be fast enough to prevent them.
(Even if we implement all sorts of measures, it'll just tie the field staff's hands.)

 

Let's eliminate penalties, actively report even minor accidents, and eradicate serious accidents!

I can tell things are starting to get dangerous as the incidents pile up, so I’d like to see a culture where people feel comfortable reporting everything from near misses to minor accidents.

After all, these days it's all about cover-ups, isn't it?

(Anyone who thinks, “That’s not true!” either doesn’t know what’s really going on or is just trying to cover it up.)

 

In particular, as the number of foreign workers continues to increase, communication will become truly difficult, and that sense of unspoken understanding will disappear.

That’s exactly why thorough on-site safety training is so important, and I believe it’s crucial to encourage an environment where minor injuries are allowed to happen freely.

What do you all think?

 

See you later.