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15. Special Regulations Concerning Master Employers


Master employers in the construction industry are required to appoint an overall safety and health controller, etc., to prevent industrial accidents arising from a large number of workers from different employers, including subcontractor workers, working together in the same workplace. In addition to this requirement, master employers are required to carry out the following specific conditions:
1.Establishing and administering a consultative organization
(1) Master employers shall establish the consultative organization in which the master employers and all related constructors participate.
(2) Master employers shall hold the meetings of the consultative organization regularly.
2.Ensuring better liaison and adjustment among related operations
(1) The master employer shall maintain close liaison and adjustment with related contractors.
(2) Close liaison and adjustment shall be maintained between related contractors.
3.Carrying out workplace patrol at the workplace at least once every day (related contractors shall not refuse such inspections)
4.Providing guidance and assistance to safety and health education
The master employer shall provide facilities and educational materials for safety and health education to be conducted by related contractors.
5.Preparing plans
(1) Schedules relating to the progress of work shall be prepared.
(2) Plans relating to the arrangement of major machines, equipment and temporary structures at the workplace shall be prepared.
(3) Providing guidance to plans to be prepared by related contractors (vehicle-type construction machines and mobile cranes)


6.Establishing uniform signals to operate cranes, etc.
(1) Establishing uniform signals to operate cranes and mobile cranes etc.,and notifying related contractors of such signals. (Related contractors shall adopt the same signals as those determined by the master employer.)
7.Establishing uniform signs identifying the scene of accidents
Signs identifying the scene of accidents shall be determined and all related contractors shall be notified of the meaning of such signs. The master employer and related contractors shall not permit workers to enter the scenes of accidents to which general access is prohibited.

(1) Sites, including tanks, where organic solvent poisoning has occurred or is likely to occur
(2) Working rooms or their entrances in which caisson or compressed air working methods are adopted
(3) Controlled areas in which radioactive operations are used, radiation equipment rooms or locations to which access is prohibited due to radiation leakage
(4) Sites with the danger of oxygen deficiency or nearby locations to which access is prohibited
8.Designating locations where organic solvent containers shall be placed
The master employer shall designate locations where the following containers should be placed.
(1) Containers of organic solvents or substances containing organic solvents (5% or more in weight)
(2) Containers indicated in ( above that are likely to emit solvent vapor even after being emptied
9.Establishing uniform alarms
The master employer shall establish uniform alarms for the following occasions, notify related contractors of such alarms and evacuate workers from the workplace in the event such alarms are set off.
(1) Power is provided to X-ray devices.
(2) Radiation is emitted from equipment containing radioactive materials.
(3) Blasting operations are being done.
(4) Fire has broken out.
(5) Landslides, flooding or snow slides occur or are likely to occur.
10.Unified implementation of evacuation training
(1) The method and timing of unified evacuation training shall be determined for construction works in tunnels or rivers where the dangers of avalanche of rocks and earth exist. The master employer shall notify related contractors of the methods and timing to implement such training and shall implement the training.
(2) Guidance and educational materials shall be provided to related contractors when they conduct such evacuation training.
11.Assistance in educating newly assigned workers
Facilities and materials for education shall be provided to related contractors when they conduct educational courses for workers who are newly assigned to the workplace.


12.Ensuring the safety of machines, etc., to be used by subcontractors
The master employers shall ensure the safety standards of the following machines, etc., when such machines are provided to subcontractors for use.

(1) Pile drivers and pile drawers
(2) Railway equipment
(3) Concrete form shoring
(4) Acetylene welding equipment
(5) AC arc welding equipment
(6) Caissons
(7) Tunnel form shoring and tunnel concrete form shoring
(8) Equipment to prevent workers from falling from loading and unloading openings
(9) Temporary passages
(10) Scaffolding and working structures
(11) Cranes and gondolas
(12) Local exhausting systems and general ventilating systems
(13) Facilities used for compressed-air method
(14) X-ray and Gamma ray equipment
13.Preventing violations of laws and regulations
(1) The master employer shall provide related contractors and their workers with the necessary guidance to avoid violating the Industrial Safety and Health Law and related ordinances.
(2) The master employer shall issue instructions to correct any violations by these contractors and workers.
14.Technical guidance
The master employer shall provide subcontractors with technical guidance to ensure safety in the following work:
(1) Work at locations where landslides are likely to occur
(2) Work at rivers where avalanche of rocks and earth is likely to occur
(3) Work at locations where workers are likely to make contact with hot aerial cables directly or through cranes, etc.
(4) Work at underground locations where underground-installed objects, brick walls or concrete blocks are likely to collapse.
15.Placing orders under reasonable conditions
The master employer shall give consideration to reasonable conditions for orders to ensure safe and healthy operations in terms of work methods and delivery time.
(The next section of this series will introduce the outline of regulations for countermeasures to prevent industrial accidents by accident cause. Falling accidents will be discussed in the next session.)
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