Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido Town Internship 2024 Construction Industry Edition: Working together to remove dilapidated playground equipment by hand!

Friday, August 16, 2024

On Thursday, August 15th, in the construction industry segment, a civil engineering project was carried out in which interns from the Hokuryu Construction Industry Association and NPO Himawari members were accepted to demolish an aging playground equipment (slide) in a park in the Wadanchi housing complex.

Working together to remove old playground equipment by hand

This time, assuming restoration work in places where machines cannot be used after a disaster, demolition work was carried out by hand using shovels and crowbars. Some heavy machinery was also used.

A speech by Kiyohiko Fujinobu, Managing Director of Hokko Construction Co., Ltd.

"When a disaster occurs, there are times when machines cannot be used. In such cases, restoration work must be done by hand. This time, instead of relying on machines, the participants will have the opportunity to experience manual work using shovels and other tools. In reality, removing soil and debris after a disaster is extremely difficult.

"In civil engineering work, we always keep our surroundings in mind as we work. We work while grasping and assessing the overall situation to see how we can complete the work as efficiently and in the shortest time possible. The ability to make split-second decisions is extremely important. Workers must always be using their brains, and there is no time for them to be distracted," says Managing Director Fujinobu.

遊具(滑り台)解体作業
Playground equipment (slide) dismantling work

Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki and Construction Division Chief Masahiro Kawada visit to encourage the project

Along the way, Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro and Construction Division Chief Kawada Masahiro visited to offer encouragement.

佐々木町長激励訪問
Mayor Sasaki visits to offer encouragement
建設課・川田昌宏 課長(一級建築士)に質問するインターン学生
An intern student asks a question to Masahiro Kawada, head of the Construction Department (first-class architect)

Demolition work process

1. Digging up the concrete base of the central pole that supports the slide

台座(コンクリート)を掘り起こす作業
Excavating the base (concrete)
底板の地面設置部分の掘り起こし
Digging up the part of the base plate that will be installed on the ground

2. Remove the sliding plate (bottom plate) and the base using a disc grinder (performed by a professional)

ディスクグラインダーによるカッティング
Cutting with a disc grinder
底板(滑り板)外し
Remove the bottom plate (sliding plate)

3. Lift and dig up with a wheel loader

ホイールローダーで本体を持ち上げ
Lift the body with a wheel loader
持ち上げた本体を倒す
Lower the lifted unit
倒された滑り台
The collapsed slide
ホイールローダーの往復時には同乗させてもらうインターンの学生さん達
The intern students take turns riding with the wheel loader on the way there and back.

4. Excavation of the concrete base

  1. Dig up the surrounding soil with a shovel, then use the principle of leverage to insert a crowbar into the bottom of the concrete and move it little by little.
  2. I remove the surrounding soil with a shovel, but the concrete doesn't budge.
  3. In response to voices of "It's impossible! You can't do it!", words of encouragement such as "Don't give up until the end! Use your head!" are heard!
  4. Students desperately trying!
  5. Professionals from the Hokuryu Town Construction Industry Association will give you advice on how to use shovels and crowbars!
  6. As I patiently and little by little dug up the surrounding soil, it started to move slightly!
  7. Insert the crowbar into the bottom of the concrete, tilt it diagonally on one side, put gravel in the bottom, and raise the bottom on one side at a time.
  8. Working together, they used their strength to lift the concrete and roll it to the side! Complete!!!
コンクリートの台座を掘り起こす
Excavating the concrete base
びくともしないコンクリート
Unshakable concrete
「諦めるな!」叱咤激励の声。。。
"Don't give up!" A voice of encouragement...
ホイールで周りの土を砕く
Break up the surrounding soil with a wheel
もう一歩!頑張れ!
Just one more step! Do your best!

5. Fill the hole with gravel brought in by a wheel loader

底上げして砂利を敷く
Raise the bottom and lay gravel

傾けて両サイドから砂利を埋め込む
Tilt it and fill it with gravel from both sides
手で起こし、抜けた!やったー!完成!
I lifted it up with my hands and it came out! Yay! Finished!

6. Smooth it out with a shovel

穴に砂利を埋め込み整地
Fill the hole with gravel and level the ground

7. The disassembled parts are transported in a light truck (by a professional).

解体部品を運搬
Transporting dismantled parts

8. Loading the excavated concrete onto a wheel loader (professionals)

人力でコンクリート移動
Moving concrete by hand
ホイールローダー載せ
Wheel loader loading

ホイールローダーで運搬
Transported by wheel loader

9. Level the ground with a wheel loader and you're done!

地ならし・整地
Leveling and leveling the ground

A little break time

"That brings back memories." "It's too low and hard to ride." "I remember this feeling!"

The students were enjoying the nostalgic feeling of swinging on the rusty horizontal bars and swings.

鉄棒
horizontal bar
ブランコ
swing
ドリンクタイム
Drink Time

Impressions after the work

参加メンバー
Participating members
  • It was a very difficult job, even though it was just digging. It might be easy to do it with a machine, but considering that in the event of a disaster or due to cost considerations, it is sometimes done by hand, I really felt the hardships of the people on site.
  • I was a little on the verge of heatstroke. I thought it was amazing that people were able to work in this scorching heat.
    The current work is demolition, but both construction and demolition are difficult. I once again realized that it is only thanks to the support of the people who work on it that we are able to enjoy using it. I learned a lot.
  • I never really thought much about the fact that the playground equipment I used as a child was being set up and removed like this, so I realized how serious the situation must be.
    Normally, I only hear the sounds of construction sites, so it was a good experience to see the hard work that goes on inside.
    There were many things I didn't know, even simple things like how to use a shovel. I was amazed when I learned that the work was done using the principles of physics, and that the craftsmen could do what would be considered hard work for us in just 30 minutes.
  • Digging the hole was the most difficult part. It's not just about digging, but about understanding the state of the concrete stones, and then using all the knowledge and wisdom to dig them up and get to work. I learned firsthand through this experience that the job can be completed.

These are the students who gave their honest opinions.

Even a moment of carelessness can lead to an accident, so civil engineering work requires full use of both body and mind, and you must face the job with all your heart and soul!

We send our boundless love, gratitude, and prayers to the students, who have experienced firsthand the hardships, difficulties, and importance of the construction industry, something they have never experienced before.

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◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)