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In line with the "Commitment to People" Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, we have positioned employees' health and safety as a high-priority management issue, and the top management is involved in setting OH&S policy.
In April 2004, the Toshiba Group OH&S Policy was formed by incorporating a personal endorsement of the former President, in order to share a common approach toward OH&S among the entire Toshiba Group employees. The policy will be revised as necessary, depending upon the Group's evolving OH&S management needs.
In line with our CSR-oriented management, Toshiba Group OH & S Policy reflects the top priority placed by President Sasaki on human life, safety and compliance in all our business operations as well as our commitment to provide products and services with utmost quality and safety in order to maintain our integrity as a trusted corporate citizen of planet Earth.
The Toshiba Group Occupational Health and Safety Management Policy
Toshiba Corporation is a global enterprise active in businesses centering on electronics and energy. We conduct all activities in accordance with the Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group and our corporate philosophy, "Committed to People, Committed to the Future," and accord full respect to the culture and customs of the societies in which we operate.
In our business conduct, we place the highest priority on human life, safety and legal compliance, and we make concerted efforts throughout our operations to create safe and healthful workplace environments.
- We position health and safety as one of the most important issues for management, and strive to prevent occupational injury and disease in the workplace and achieve continual improvement in occupational health and safety management.
- We comply with legally mandated requirements and also with other requirements to which Toshiba Group voluntarily subscribes that relate to our occupational health and safety hazards.
- We set objectives and targets and act decisively to achieve the:
- (1) Eradication of occupational accidents and disease in the workplace, and the mitigation of risks that may cause such accidents and disease;
- (2) Maintenance and promotion of physical and mental health in order to enable all employees to bring their individual capabilities into full play
- We expect our suppliers and subcontractors to accord appropriate importance to occupational health and safety, and provide them with support in doing so, in order to ensure the safety and health of everyone involved in Toshiba Group's business.
- We proactively disclose our commitment to occupational health and safety and the results we achieve, in order to contribute to society's enhancement of health and safety management standards.
July 1, 2009
Norio Sasaki
Director, President and CEO
Toshiba Corporation
The chart below shows the framework for the management of health and safety issues across the Toshiba Group. Under the central guidance of the Human Resources and Administration Division, OH&S activities fall within the management jurisdiction of each of the in-house companies and major group companies and are developed at the level of operational sites (or individual group companies). Statutory activities at each site (or group company) include the appointment of dedicated OH&S staff and the establishment of an OH&S committee. Many sites and group companies go beyond this to set up specialist or workplace committees, among other autonomous OH&S activities.
Toshiba Group OH&S Management Structure (as of May 2009)  |
Periodic surveys of Group-wide companies in Japan are conducted under the guidance of the Human Resources and Administration Division as below.
| Survey | Frequency | Outline |
|---|---|---|
| Interim OH&S activity reports | Twice per year April and October |
Investigation of OH&S-related statutory and autonomous activities |
| Annual OH&S evaluation | Once per year March or April |
Self-evaluation of OH&S standard items (identification of trends) |
Full-scale implementation of OH&S management in accordance with the OHSAS18001 international standard began in fiscal 2007. Based on the requirements of this standard, group companies and sites are actively fostering internal auditors to carry out full-scale internal audits. Plans also call for upgrading of OH&S activities to include a system of objective evaluation based on reciprocal inspection visits between sites.
Basic data relating to occupational accidents is gathered on a calendar year basis for group companies overseas as a part of Toshiba's Global CSR Survey. The disparities evident in the data are partly attributable to differences in the level of OH&S management between sites and partly attributable to difference in the definition and the concept of occupational accidents among countries. In fiscal 2008, we conducted a survey to understand the disparities in the definitions among countries and regions. In fiscal 2009, we plan to develop a statistical standard so as to collect the data, while considering the regional disparities.
Various commendations have been received for the excellent OH&S performance of various companies of Toshiba Group. Toshiba has also garnered praise for various activities presented at OH&S-related conventions and conferences.
| Recipient entity | Award / commendation | Award period |
|---|---|---|
| Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd | Prime Minister's Industry Award (Safety Management) | August 2006 |
| Toshiba Corp., Ome Complex | Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Award for Excellence (Safe Workplace Environment Assurance) | July 2006 |
| Toshiba Multimedia Devices Co., Ltd. | Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Incentive Award (Health Assurance Measures) | July 2006 |
| Iwate Toshiba Electronics Co., Ltd. | Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Incentive Award (Safety) | July 2007 |
| Toshiba E&I Control Systems, Inc. | Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Incentive Award (Health Assurance Measures) | July 2007 |
| Convention / conference | Reporting entity | Content of paper | Timing of publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Industrial Safety and Health Convention | TMD | Minimization of workplace risk through small group activities | November 2007 |
| TFPD Corp. | Creating a risk assessment database | ||
| Toshiba Corp. |
Toshiba's mental health program | ||
| Toshiba Corp. |
A study of the use of medical checkup data | ||
| Japan Society for Occupational Health | Toshiba Corp. |
Research on finding the method to forecast trends based on health checkup data | May 2009 |
| Toshiba Corp. | Correlation between QOL related to labor health and organizational fairness | ||
| Toshiba TEC Corp. | Health-related activities and health awareness of people with no abnormal findings upon health examination | ||
| TMD | Measures to prevent infectious disease such as tuberculosis | ||
| Toshiba Carrier Corp. | Activities aimed at improving the health and safety of dispatch workers | ||
| Booklet (The Science of Labor) | Toshiba Corp. | Labor health and safety management system | January 2009 |
Toshibumi Gamo
Toshiba's OH&S activities go all the way back to 1914 when Toshibumi Gamo, who dedicated himself to promoting industrial safety in Japan, started safety movement at Toshiba's predecessor, Tokyo Electric. Toshiba Group has inherited this DNA, and at present, a wide range of OH&S activities are being carried out, as a top priority concern for the management.
Every year during National Safety Week in July and Occupational Health Week in October, special activities to ensure health and safety are carried out at Toshiba's operational sites as well as group companies. During these weeks, message from the top management of the companies is broadcast to enable the employees to understand the significance of the week and share a common OH&S approach as adopted by the top management.
First held in 1975, Toshiba Group Health and Safety Congress is held every December. Participants include management from Toshiba and group companies, representatives of labor union and people in charge of OH&S activities. The President's Award is conferred to companies and operational sites for OH&S-related activities, small-group activity programs, improvement proposals, creation of slogans, posters, etc. Other congress events include the announcement of activities relating to that year's theme, presentations on OH&S activities and lectures by OH&S professionals and other activities aimed at sharing OH&S-related information and raising awareness.
Since fiscal 2008, the Congress has been integrated into the CSR Conference. As a step forward, the efforts of overseas group companies were also felicitated in fiscal 2008.
Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has been committed to health and safety management in their business operations and has been quite ahead in obtaining the OHSAS18001 certification. For its outstanding health and safety activities, the company received the 2006 Prime Minister's Industry Award on Safety Management System as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Promotion Special Award in the 2008 Toshiba Group CSR Conference.
The following are some of the company's key measures for health and safety management.
1. Self-inspection from the viewpoint of health and safety by the person in charge of each workplace.
2. Employee health promotion activities during Safety Week (such as health events).
3. Improvement of the workplace environment by trend analysis of measurement of the workplace productivity.
4. Awareness activities for drivers and employees via risk analysis of the company buses.
5. Reporting and taking measures to prevent accidents not involving injuries.
6. Improvement of educational and training programs based on the result of risk assessments.
7. Safety inspection of the new facility before relocation.
8. Enforcement of the High-Place Work Safety Management Policy for subcontractors.
9. Special health check-ups for workers engaging in overtime for extended periods.
The Human Resources and Administration Division organizes various education and training programs and forums for group employees with OH&S-related responsibilities in Japan. The objective is to promote related policies and measures in order to facilitate widespread adoption of OH&S activities and to help upgrade employee health and safety programs.
| Training/Forum | Frequency (timing) | Main target audience |
|---|---|---|
| OH&S training for people in charge, on key issues | Twice per year (June for safety/ February for health) | Personnel engaged in OH&S and healthcare staff |
| Initial OH&S training (for non-managerial personnel and managers in charge) | Once every year, | Non-managerial personnel and managers engaged in OH&S appointed within past 12 months |
| Initial training for industrial physicians and healthcare staff | Once per year | Industrial physicians and healthcare staff appointed within past 12 months |
| In-house Company OH&S Manager Meeting | Once per year (January) | OH&S managers at in-house companies/key group companies |
| Group OH&S Manager Meeting | Once per year (February) | OH&S managers of all sites in Toshiba and group companies |
| Industrial Physician Meeting | Twice per year (May/November) | Industrial physicians of sites in Toshiba and group companies |
With a top priority on employee health and safety by the top management, and as a result of various measures carried out, the frequency of work-related accidents at companies of Toshiba Group in Japan is far lower than the national average for manufacturing industry.
Frequency of occupational accidents leading to absence at Toshiba Group  |
OHSAS18001 Certification
In recent years, with the increase in the number of companies overseas, effective monitoring at a Group-wide level and enhancing the efforts for every site has emerged as a challenge for Toshiba Group.
In light of this situation, Toshiba is working to enhance the standards of OH&S management by implementing a uniform OH&S structure for the entire Group and introducing an external certification system. Since fiscal 2006, we have been promoting the acquisition of OHSAS18001*, an international certification for OH&S management system.
In accordance with our planning since fiscal 2007 to obtain OHSAS18001 for all our consolidated manufacturing subsidiaries worldwide, we were able to meet the target. We acquired the certification for 75 manufacturing consolidated subsidiaries in Japan and 42 overseas including a few non-manufacturing consolidated subsidiaries by the end of fiscal 2008. Our future targets include maintaining these certifications as well as developing management systems for non-manufacturing consolidated subsidiaries.
Toshiba Group strives to raise employees' awareness of the importance of physical and mental health so that they can realize their full potential
Toshiba places a strong emphasis on health management for employees. Besides arranging for medical checkups as per statutory requirements, Toshiba also provides health guidance for all employees and has developed a range of original health maintenance support systems.
Periodic Medical Checkup System
In 1997, Toshiba developed a company-wide integrated system to support periodic medical checkups for all employees as a way of standardizing medical checkups and health guidance and improving the efficiency of related administrative procedures. The system was upgraded in 2004 to link to HR systems and to provide intranet access to data, and is currently operating throughout Toshiba Group.
Support System for Periodic Medical Checkups
Employees can access the system over the intranet in order to complete questionnaires, change scheduled times for checkups or follow-up interviews or review the results of checkups. These results can also be fed into health insurance IC card so that they can be accessed at other places during site visits. Industrial physicians and healthcare staff can review medical checkup data at such sites, as necessary, for use in formulating health management programs.
Health-related Risk Management
To facilitate swift and effective remedial action if required, medical test results and responses to online questionnaires are compiled to produce health charts and graphical illustrations for five factors (diet, alcohol, smoking, exercise and mental heath). These charts and graphs are designed such that they are readily understood by employees. This support system allows industrial physicians and healthcare staff to schedule medical checkups, follow up interviews and notify the statutory reports to enforcement authority easily.
In addition, since fiscal 2008, we have developing and adopting tools to provide health assistance as a countermeasure for life-style related disease, such as metabolic syndrome.
Provision of these functions helps to promote work efficiency.Medical Checks after Excessive Overtime
Long working hours or excessive amounts of work can be detrimental to health, contributing to stroke or heart disease. Toshiba Group employees working for more than 80 hours of overtime per month are required to attend an interview with an industrial physician. This is in line with the revised OH&S legislation that came into force in Japan in April 2006, which entitles any worker working over 100 hours of overtime per month the right to request a medical check. In compliance with this law, Toshiba has instituted clear safety standards and initiated measures to prevent any work-related damage to the health of employees.
Overseas Medical Patrols
Employees dispatched to work overseas face significant environmental changes. In order to safeguard the health of these employees, Toshiba assigns healthcare staff to those parts of the world with inadequate medical care to provide healthcare services and consultations. These “medical patrols” have been assigned to countries and regions around the world, including Mexico, China, Taiwan, UAE, India, Indonesia and some parts of Europe.
Toshiba was one of the first Japanese companies to address the issue of employees' mental health by developing a comprehensive system of care covering employees' work and daily life Toshiba associates mental well-being of the employees with the company's well-being and therefore initiates measures to promote mental health and boost motivation of the employees, etc.
On-site Health-related Consultation System
Healthcare staff at Toshiba respond to onsite health-related inquiries and coordinate with sites, households and medical institutions as required. They also respond to inquiries from workplaces as well as from individuals.
Mental Health Support Helpline
In conjunction with the in-house health insurance association, Toshiba has created its own employee support program to offer counseling by external clinical psychotherapists over the telephone. The service aims to provide employees with a trustworthy point of contact for any mental health-related inquiries, while protecting the privacy of individuals. Members of employees' families can also avail of the helpline.
Self-care
Distribution of “Self-care” booklets to employee households
Mental health awareness and educational activities are conducted through “Healthy Life 21”, a magazine published by Toshiba's health insurance association, and via the company website. A self-care pamphlet has been distributed to employee households, covering topics on mental health related to “workplace,” “female health,” “families,” “children” and “elderly people.”
Employee Education
Toshiba is among the first few companies in Japan to conduct training of “listeners” for managerial ranks first since 1977. At present, each site of Toshiba offers health-related self-care education programs to employees as well as courses for managers. An in-house training center provides optional management seminars on mental health-related topics. A number of ongoing projects are also focused on standardizing levels of education and training periods among sites.
Convalescence Support Program
In 2003, Toshiba was the first company in Japan to introduce a convalescence support program to facilitate employees to gradually resume full-time work following a lengthy absence from work due to mental health problems. Healthcare staff coordinate with the employee's physician, workplace members and family to devise proposals for appropriate working hours, place and time.
Future Issue: Comprehensive Program to Supplement Primary Prevention
Comprehensive program to supplement primary prevention
While Toshiba already has an advanced employee health program in place, stress remains an inevitable part of doing business. Toshiba aims to create a working environment where employees are able to develop the capabilities to handle stress effectively. This helps to keep employees motivated, while equipping them with valuable skills applicable throughout their lives.
Through post-checkup follow-up guidance and other activities, healthcare staff provide employees with lifestyle-related suggestions to help them fulfill their potential and enhance their QOL (Quality Of Life). In cooperation with the in-house health insurance association, Toshiba also undertakes a number of activities aimed at helping employees to cultivate better health via a special website, in addition to the site-based health education programs.
Healthy Lifestyle Support Website (by Toshiba Health Insurance Association)
This website provides tips on developing healthier lifestyle and management of health on a daily basis.
The site also offers the employees and their families a number of online services, including an e-mail service that provides health-related information, consultation service and lifestyle improvement programs.
Occupational Health Project
At Toshiba Group, a project team consisting of industrial physicians and healthcare staff from throughout Japan is proactively involved in making proposals on measures and systems in areas relating to OH&S, etc.
Toshiba Medical Congress
This Congress aims to provide a forum for interaction and study for health professionals working in Toshiba Group, which mainly comprise of industrial healthcare professionals (industrial physicians and nurses) working at operational sites and clinical health professionals (physicians and nurses) employed at Toshiba Group's medical facilities such as the Toshiba General Hospital. The Congress holds academic meetings featuring presentations of research findings as well as the results of site-based OH&S-related studies. Its activities help to enhance the speciality of OH&S-related operations and boost the motivation of members.
Industrial Physician Meeting
Industrial physicians from around Japan attend this meeting and make presentations on the status of Toshiba's business and OH&S-related activities and reports on the activities of the occupational health project. The meeting also provides a forum for presenting on research activities.
Based on information released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning outbreaks of infectious diseases in foreign countries and their transmission, the Legal Affairs Division compiles the latest information on the matter and distributes it to the subsidiaries in the affected countries via the related divisions of supervisory in-house companies and major group companies in order to alert the employees on such risks.
In addition, as a countermeasure to prevent the expansion of global outbreak of the new influenza, we have specified countries of concern and made arrangements for emergency contacts. Since fiscal 2008, we have planning to arrange for emergency supplies in case of such outbreaks.
Countermeasures for New Types of Influenza
With regard to the global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, Toshiba Group has adopted a uniform measure for the Group as a whole. The Group specifically initiated measures such as 1. safety measures at each business site (washing hands properly, gargling, strict monitoring at the entrance gate, etc.); 2. appropriate measures based on the warnings issued by WHO and the government, such as restrictions on foreign visits, etc.
Keeping in view of the possibilities of the new influenza strain (H1N1) of developing into more deadly form or the more deadly avian flu (H5N1) developing into H1N1, Toshiba Group will continue to take measures, such as updating the guidelines, etc. as a measure of ensuring employee health and safety.
Education and Raising Awareness on Infectious Disease
Toshiba organizes provides orientation to family members accompanying employees assigned overseas, on medical, safety and other lifestyle-related issues pertaining to the relevant country. Once the overseas assignment is confirmed, an orientation is held, including prior medical checkups and courses of vaccination.
New recruits in Japan are provided with booklets also containing information about HIV AIDS. Other educational programs also cover topics such as the prevention of HIV infection and the prohibition of unfair discrimination due to insufficient knowledge about the disease.
In addition, with the outbreak of the new strain of influenza H1N1, all employees were notified to take individual measures in their daily course of activities.
The Toshiba Group Occupational Health and Safety Management Policy (Chinese)
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