Japanese construction firms adjust work schedules as heat risks rise

Japanese construction companies are introducing new measures to protect workers from increasingly severe summer heat, including shorter shifts, earlier working hours and health-monitoring devices.

Major contractor Obayashi Corporation has moved the start times earlier at many of its construction sites this month and reduced daily working hours to help employees avoid the hottest part of the day, NHK reports.

At one construction site in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, workers began following the new schedule on Monday, starting shifts 30 minutes earlier at 7:30 a.m. and reducing total working hours by two hours to limit exposure during the afternoon peak heat period, when the risk of heatstroke is higher.

The company is also using wearable wristbands to monitor workers’ physical condition, including heart rate and other health indicators. The devices issue alerts if they detect signs of potential heatstroke risk.

Nakamura Taku of Obayashi Corporation said temperatures at the site had become significantly higher than in previous years, making individual efforts by workers insufficient to ensure safety.

“Managers and staff need to work together to prevent heatstroke,” Nakamura said, according to NHK.

Japan has experienced increasingly intense summer heat in recent years, prompting businesses in outdoor industries such as construction to adopt additional measures to reduce health risks among workers.

By Aghakazim Guliyev