being carried out continuously for monitoring whether the actual progress is moving on the same track with the civil construction standard unit. At the same time, in case there is any change of work type, the figures of the civil construction standard unit are being revised immediately. Moreover, actual condition inspections are also performed on construction machinery possessed by the implementing party for grasping the basic price of the construction machinery, maintenance cost, and operation condition, as well as revising the figures of the construction machinery depreciation $ ^{1} $ .

### 2. Measures on the ISO management system

With regard to requests for system reform of bidding and contracts, globalization of the construction market, requests for the cost reduction of public construction, and measures against environmental problems, in order to ensure public construction quality and lessen environmental burden, the compliance to the international standard, ISO management system, is being carried out on public construction.

Through obtaining the ISO9001 (Quality Management System) certificate, it is possible to ensure quality based on the order receiver's own responsibility. It can be expected that there will be an improvement in the efficiency of the quality management work for both order initiator and receiver while construction quality is ensured. In FY 2009, when the enterprises receiving construction work are certified by the ISO9001 Certificate and have excellent implementation ability (construction achievement), efficiency enhancement is carried out continuously, such as to replace monitoring (by the initiator) with verification of inspection records (by the receiver).

Moreover, through utilizing ISO14001 (Environmental Management Systems), a trial operation of ISO14001 was applied on public construction from the viewpoint of striving for environmental burden reduction caused by public construction. The efficient application method was also being reviewed. In FY 2009, the effects of the introduction and the inspection of the issues are being carried out continuously and future development is being reviewed.

## Section 4 – Technology Development regarding Construction Machinery and Mechanical Equipment

## (1) Development of construction machinery

Deployment of construction machinery is being worked on for river and road maintenance management, the efficiency enhancement of snow removal work and measures against disasters. Additionally, as for disaster emergency machinery that is necessary for constructing the regional disaster prevention system during a disaster, its introduction is being pushed forward.

Moreover, in order to improve performance efficiency, reduce costs and improve safety for these operations, investigations regarding construction machinery and implementation improvement, and technology development are being worked on.

## (2) Streamlining maintenance management and improving the reliability of mechanical equipment

Many of the water gate facilities for rivers, dams, embankments and drainage pump facilities for protecting the lives and properties of citizens from disasters were built from the second half of the 1960s and the number of decrepit facilities is increasing. Therefore, at the same time as ensuring facility reliability through changing to a preventive preserving management of facilities, the lifetime of facilities is also being strived for.

## (3) Utilizing the achievement of technology development in construction

In the disaster recovery work after the Chugoku and north Kyushu local downpour of July 2009 and Typhoon Melor ( $ 18^{th} $ typhoon in 2009) of October 2009, water discharge is being implemented through the MLIT-developed water-discharging pumps with enhanced discharge ability.