How to Choose Temporary Equipment with Confidence - The Temporary Construction Industry Association and the Certification System -
Introduction
Working at heights and handling heavy objects on construction sites always involve risks. Temporary equipment used in such situations plays a crucial role in ensuring worker safety.
The Japan Temporary Construction Industry Association and its various certification systems are working to maintain and improve the safety and performance of temporary construction equipment across the entire industry.
This article explains the role of the Temporary Construction Industry Association, as well as the key points of the「認定品」""individually approved products," and "applicable factories" systems, which are often confused in on-site and rental operations.
What is the Temporary Construction Industry Association?
The Japan Temporary Construction Industry Association (officially known as the Japan Temporary Construction Industry Association) is an organization comprised of manufacturers and related companies that handle temporary equipment used at construction sites, such as scaffolding, work platforms, and temporary construction platforms. Its purpose is to contribute to the prevention of occupational accidents related to temporary structures and to the smooth execution of construction work.
Our main activities include establishing and disseminating necessary structural and usage standards for temporary structures and their components used in construction work, as well as conducting tests and providing technical guidance on these temporary structures.
The Japan Temporary Construction Industry Association has established four certification systems to objectively evaluate products that meet certain standards, allowing users to select products with confidence.
What is a certification system (certified product)?
The certification system is a system that reviews whether temporary structures such as temporary scaffolding and formwork supports conform to the standards set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the temporary equipment certification standards set by the Temporary Construction Industry Association.
This program targets manufacturers of temporary construction equipment, and equipment that meets the standards in the manufacturing plant certification inspection (factory inspection and product sampling inspection) is recognized as a "certified product."
The certified products mainly consist of standard, general-purpose temporary equipment.
List of Certified Products | Temporary Construction Industry Association Homepage
Examples of applicable equipment handled by our company
●Regarding the certification and its "validity period"
Certified products will be issued a "Certificate of Approval." The "validity period of one year" stated on this certificate does not indicate an expiration date for the equipment.
This period indicates the time during which a certified manufacturer can produce products that meet the certification standards. Therefore, certified products manufactured within this period will be treated as certified products even if their validity period has expired.
Inspection, maintenance, and management at "factories that comply with the standards for managing aged temporary equipment" (= applicable factories) ensure the safety of certified products and enable them to be used repeatedly over a long period of time.
What is the approval system (approved products)?
The approval system is a system that applies to temporary structures (such as suspended scaffolding and shoring) that are assembled as systems that do not fall under the "certification system".
The program targets manufacturers of temporary construction equipment. It involves reviewing documents, conducting factory inspections, and performing strength tests as needed on the systems and components of temporary structures, and confirming safety, including assembly methods and usage procedures.
None of the products we currently handle are approved products.
What is the individual product approval system (individually approved products)?
The individual item approval system is a system that evaluates and approves each individual piece of temporary equipment that is not subject to the certification standards, in light of its purpose, location, and method of installation, to determine if it is sufficiently safe.
This program targets manufacturers of temporary construction equipment, and equipment that meets the standards in the manufacturing plant's approval inspection (factory inspection and product sampling inspection) will be recognized as "individually approved products."
Examples of applicable equipment handled by our company
What is the applicable factory system?
The applicable factory system is not about the temporary equipment itself, but rather a system aimed at establishing a management system for aging temporary equipment.
To ensure the safety of aging temporary equipment, equipment centers that properly manage the maintenance and repair of equipment are certified based on internal management regulations that conform to the "Factory Regulations for the Management of Aging Temporary Equipment."
There are two types of factories that are eligible: "designated factories" and "registered factories," and the validity period for both is three years.
Designated factory: Equipment center managed by leasing/rental companies, repair companies, etc.
Registered factory: Equipment center managed by construction companies, etc.
●Our Initiatives
All of our equipment centers are certified as designated factories under this system, and we have established a system to deliver equipment to the site in a safe condition through daily inspections and maintenance.
lastly
The Temporary Construction Industry Association's certification system is a mechanism for verifying the quality of temporary equipment and structures based on certain standards.
To ensure that temporary equipment can withstand repeated use, it is essential that it be properly managed, including regular inspections, maintenance, and repairs as needed.
At our company, we check the condition of our equipment and perform maintenance and inspections under a management system based on the applicable factory system of the Temporary Construction Industry Association.
We will continue to perform thorough daily maintenance to ensure that our users can use our services with peace of mind.