Managing Hazardous Substances
As some structures built in the past may contain hazardous substances, such as asbestos materials, PCBs, and CFCs, it is important to implement appropriate measures based on the results of a preliminary investigation before demolishing or renovating buildings. Kajima also considers soil contamination caused by human activity at old factory sites and natural soil contamination caused by heavy metals as material issues, and we make efforts to detoxify the soil through appropriate management and treatment, thereby aiming to reduce environmental contamination.
Managing Hazardous Substances during Demolition and Renovation
As some structures built in the past may contain hazardous substances, such as asbestos materials, PCBs, and CFCs, it is important to implement appropriate measures based on the results of a preliminary investigation before demolishing or renovating buildings.
Specifically, Kajima mandates for all construction sites that a comprehensive preliminary investigation should be carried out and the results should be explained to the client using Kajima's own checklists and survey slips before construction begins. We store records on the subjects and results of investigations.
In compliance with relevant laws, we report and disclose the amounts of collected CFCs, halon, and used fluorescent tubes, the quantity of discarded devices that contain PCBs, the amount of processed hazardous substances, and the amount of materials containing asbestos that were collected.
Responding to Soil Contamination
Kajima considers soil contamination caused by human activity at old factory sites and natural soil contamination caused by heavy metals as material issues. We make efforts to detoxify the soil through appropriate management and treatment, thereby aiming to reduce environmental contamination.
In 1970, Kajima established a department dedicated to the environment. We started to work on problems related to soil contamination and buried waste earlier than any other construction company. After the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act was legislated in 2002, it became imperative to protect soil and groundwater environments in business operations in all industries. Apart from matters related to legal compliance, problems with soil and groundwater contamination can pose major risks to the corporate value (or corporate image) of any organization, such as risk communication in the surrounding areas and reputational damage.
Even in private construction projects where Kajima is not obligated to investigate soil contamination based on the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act, we start by investigating the history of land use because of the possibility of soil contamination. If evidence suggests that the soil was contaminated through human activity, we advise the client to conduct a soil investigation as early as possible (such as at the sales and marketing stage).
We also disclose results of soil contamination investigations that we have carried out as a designated investigation institution.
