The Environment

Compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations

As part of our operations under the ISO14001 standards, Taisei reviews legal and other requirements twice annually, and the company makes the results of each review known to all its branch offices and construction sites using its intranet and bulletin boards. Review results are also made known to all workplaces through group training, annual training and other programs. In FY 2010, on-site environmental inspection officer training, one of the group training programs, was provided to 84 persons (a total of 919 persons to date).

A total of 911 on-site environment inspections were conducted at 593 construction sites nationwide in order to internally audit compliance with environmental laws and regulations. In principle, two patrols must be conducted at each construction site each year, but for projects that were completed or began during the year, one patrol or more was conducted, depending on the progress of construction work at the site. The graph indicates matters identified during the audits. Taisei took corrective and preventive action regarding such matters to ensure continuous improvement.

Percentage of items identified in FY 2010

Appropriate management of PCB waste

In accordance with the Law Concerning Special Measures against PCB Waste, Taisei manages the PCB wastes to hold and make notifications to the relevant authorities. In FY 2010, Taisei disposed of some PCB waste from high-pressure capacitors and lighting stabilizers. The final PCB waste Taisei holds in FY 2010 is shown in the table below.

Purification of land owned by Taisei

Last year, in accordance with the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act and other regulations, Taisei conducted investigations for two of the properties it owned for sale and took countermeasures regarding zero of them.

Complaints about construction sites and action taken

A breakdown of major complaints about environmental problems filed with the construction sites of our branch offices nationwide during FY 2010 and the countermeasures taken is shown below.

Breakdown of complaints filed with construction sites (FY 2010)

Item	Details	Countermeasures
Noise	▪ Noise from heavy machines and transportation vehicles (including noise caused by demolition, concrete placement, lumbering, mowing, back buzzers, and engines) ▪ Noise caused by early morning work as well as work outside regular work hours	▪ We explained the schedule and details of the construction work to local residents, used low-noise/low-vibration heavy machinery as much as possible, and took other possible noise control measures. ▪ We performed work during regular work hours as much as possible and obtained prior consent from local residents for unavoidable work performed outside such work hours.
Traffic problems	▪ Dangerous operation of large vehicles and frequent stopping on the street of many large vehicles ▪ Forced detours for local residents driving home ▪ Routes of construction vehicles and manners of their drivers	▪ We instructed the vehicle management company to rectify the situation, had guards warn drivers about their behavior, and provided drivers with traffic safety training. ▪ We laid iron plates to enable local residents to pass through the construction site. ▪ To resolve the issue, we changed parts of the routes and took measures to improve driving manners.
Vibration	▪ Vibrations from concrete block-splitting and cast-in-place piling	▪ We explained the construction method to local residents to obtain their consent and took measures to reduce such vibrations.
Dust	▪ Dust from heavy machinery and vehicles (transporting surplus dirt)	▪ We frequently cleaned the roads and sprinkled them with water using sprinkler trucks. We sometimes stopped work depending on the direction of the wind.
Water pollution	▪ Demand for an investigation into whether there is a causal link between our construction work and common bacteria detected in a well near the construction site	▪ We tested the water quality to confirm that the water was safe and explained the results of our tests to local residents.
Electromagnetic interference	▪ Demand for an investigation into whether there is a link between our construction work and poor TV reception ▪ TV interference caused by the installation of sound-insulating walls for a bridge	▪ We investigated the actual situation and took countermeasures. ▪ After discussions with the owner, we installed CATV.
Other	▪ Reflection of sunlight caused by the stainless hairline finish of the walls of external elevators (reflected-light pollution) ▪ Attitude of some employees and workers toward local residents	▪ We changed the design and covered the walls with anti-reflective film. ▪ We issued a stern warning to the employees and workers concerned, and provided them with thorough training concerning the importance of a proper attitude.