Japan Full-body Safety Harnesses

The demand for full safety harness in Japan has been increasing for construction workers since the revision of Industrial Safety and Health Act into effect in February, 2019, in which construction workers must wear full-body safety harnesses at the height specified in the law.

Full safety harnesses have been considered a key falling accident prevention measures in construction sites, and the according to data reported by the Daily Engineering & Construction News, the number of such accidents has decreased since February, 2020 when the revision of the Industrial Safety and Health Act went into effect.

The revision obligates industrial workers to wear full-body safety harnesses when they are working at a height of more than 6.75 meters from ground level, and for the construction industry, where such falling accidents are most likely to occur, the revision strongly recommends the use of a full-body harness at the height of 5 meters and higher. The conventional waist safety belt can still be used during the transition period from the effect date to January 1st, 2022, but it will be entirely banned for the specified height after January 2nd, 2022.

The number of fatal construction industry accidents in 2019 was 261, 42 cases fewer than the previous year, and of the 42 fatal cases, 26 were falling accidents. “There could be various elements in the decrease of the fatal falling accidents, but the increased adoption of full-body harness must be one good reason,” says an official in the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Welfare. Yet one must realize that it is not just the construction industry but also other industries such as electrical work, manufacturing, and shipbuilding that now also need to provide full safety harness for their workers. In the manufacturing industry, for example, one order could require as many as 10,000 units at a time. Responding to industry needs, Japan’s domestic makers are laser focused on supplying their products to their full extent at the moment: one maker reports orders that the company received from general contractors in 2019 were five times more than the previous year. Some general contractors said it took almost 10 months to receive the units they ordered.

For the reasons above, construction companies are increasing their orders gradually so that by the end of the transition period, all workers at construction sites will be equipped with full safety harnesses as mandated by the law. U.S. companies with products that already meet Japan quality standards who already have local distribution channels, ideally, are urged to focus their attention on this opportunity. 

For more information, please contact Misa Shimizu at misa.shimizu@trade.gov.