Hello, everyone.
This is Enta.
The other day, there was a discussion on Twitter about penalties related to workers' compensation.
First, let's start with the basics.
There was a time when there were scoundrels who would deliberately injure themselves on the job just to collect workers' compensation benefits.
What’s more, these days, general contractors often prefer to settle matters out of court with a monetary payment because they don’t want work on the site to come to a halt due to workers’ compensation claims.
When I say “a long time ago,” I actually mean just a few years ago.
And whenever there’s an accident, the topic that always comes up is penalties.
After causing an accident like that, it’s not about the contract payment, is it?
Work on-site has come to a halt, right?
"What are we going to do?? Who's going to take responsibility for this??" That really did happen a long time ago.
That said, this didn't happen at my worksite, but something like that did happen at a senior colleague's worksite a long time ago.
I was still young at the time, so I remember staying up all night to prepare the paperwork for the accident report and the documents for the Labor Standards Inspection Office.
When a subcontractor is involved in an accident, the general contractor is held liable for a breach of its duty of care regarding safety.
For example, failing to install safety equipment, failing to inform people about hazardous areas, or failing to conduct patrols, and so on.
In the worst-case scenario, the site representative could be referred to prosecutors. (Though I don’t think that happens very often unless the offense is particularly serious.)
Lately,Concealing Work-Related Injuries Is a CrimeThat's it!
Since they've been running quite a few commercials with that tagline, it's become pretty common.
But the problem isn't hiding a work-related injury—it's being penalized for having suffered one, right?
Do you actually want to get into an accident?
"I guess I'll just hit my finger with a hammer for now!"—that's not something a normal person would think, right?
Sometimes you might find yourself getting into a fight because of some sudden incident (I’ve actually gotten hurt in a fight myself), or maybe you’re trying to protect someone.
Some people might think that those who engage in reckless behavior deserve to get hurt...
If an injury occurs, I’m sure you understand the urge to just sweep it under the rug as long as both the general contractor and the subcontractor face penalties, right?
I think there are quite a lot of unexpected accidents.
Last summer, one of our young Vietnamese employees got his glove caught in a hammer drill and was injured.
Whenever his work comes to a halt, he keeps saying “I’m sorry” over and over again, looking extremely apologetic.
Accidents are always lurking even when you're doing your best.
It was just a small thing that got me started.
I can't blame someone who's injured.
All I'm saying is, do your best to get better soon.
Some people tend to complain endlessly about things that have happened.
Sometimes people who aren't even the ones going through it will start complaining, even though the person actually going through it is the one who's most upset.
Some people put it even more harshly, like, “What’s up with this company??” lol
Even when you say that, I can’t help but wonder, “Is that really what you want to hear—that I’ll tell him to be careful not to get hurt again?” lol
An unexpected accident that happened while everyone was working hard.
Isn't it weird that an unexpected accident ends up resulting in a penalty??
Like, banning that general contractor from the site, lol (though it’s a different story if they’re really bad).
A drop in scores on government completion inspections?? (I’m not entirely sure, since I’ve never had an accident on a project I was the general contractor for.)
I think if we eliminate that kind of thing, it will be easier to file workers' compensation claims.
Our company's basic policy is to provide compensation in the event of an injury.
I’ve told them that trying to hide it just leads to trouble, so if they get hurt, they should just go to the hospital.
Last year, there was even a Vietnamese guy who went to an orthopedic clinic because his bruise was hurting so much, lol.
As expected, as the volume of construction work increases, so does the number of accidents.
While I realize that a certain number of accidents are unavoidable, I ask our employees to do their best to prevent them, and I tell them that if they feel something is dangerous, it’s okay to delay the work by a day or two to ensure they can carry it out safely.
Profit is important, but safety comes first.
We don't need short-term profits.
I believe that both profits and safety are best achieved by building them up little by little, step by step.
So,
Concealing workplace injuries is a crime, but making workplace injuries subject to penalties is also a crime!
I'd like you to do that.
If you get hurt, let us know!
It's not something to be proud of, and saying it will probably make you feel down for a little while, but after that, it'll be relatively easy.
And then, those around you can start thinking, “So, what should we do?” They can also take steps to address the situation.
It’s much better to discuss as a group what to do after making it public than to worry about keeping it a secret.
A construction site with the shortest possible construction period is one that prioritizes safety.
See you later.
P.S.: Starting in February, but...We're starting to have openings in the ground anchor crew.
I have a full set of machinery. I'm hoping I'll get called in to some critical job site, lol.
By the way, you can buy the ingredients from just about any manufacturer. (Is there anywhere you can't get them?)
We can handle everything from material procurement to construction management.
Thank you in advance.
