Occupational Health and Safety

Toshiba Initiative: Health and Safety Association of the Toshiba Ome Complex wins Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Prize in FY2010

The Toshiba Ome Complex established the Cooperative Association of Occupational Health and Safety jointly with other group companies of Toshiba in the complex, the cooperative companies permanently stationed in the complex, and the companies outside the complex (65 companies as of April 2010). As a result of the Association's 34 years of continuous efforts including the provision of medical checkups, education programs, and tours to reputable business sites in addition to its initiative for integrating risk assessment into regular business practice based on the annual activity plan, the rate of work-related accidents of each member company has been on the decline.

In FY2010, the Association was honored with the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Prize for these activities and notable achievements.

Toshiba Initiative: Health and Safety Initiatives at an Overseas Subsidiary

Received the FY2010 Special Award for promoting health and safety measures at the Toshiba Group CSR Conference 2010

In FY2007, our US subsidiary Toshiba International Corporation (TIC) formulated its midrang OH&S targets such as obtaining certification for OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), minimizing workplace accidents , and obtaining OHSAS 18001 certification. In order to meet the targets, TIC implemented initiatives such as 5S contest among various spotlight areas, a new OH&S trainning customized for each workplace and developing a new Hazard Assesment Procedure in order to identify workplace hazards and mitigate occupational risk. As a result, TIC was able to reduce work-related accidents by 65% over the period FY2007 to FY2009. Consequently, it was able to controlling workplace accidents below 1.0 and was able to obtain OSHAS 18001 certification in February 2009. Since March 2007, it has been able to control the workplace accidents below the industry average level for three consecutive years and has achieved VPP certification.
Due to these initiatives, TIC received the FY2010 special award for promoting health and safety measures at the Toshiba Group CSR Conference 2010.

Toshiba Initiative: Efforts to promote occupational health and safety

Toshiba Dalian Co., Ltd.

Toshiba Dalian Co., Ltd. was one of the first companies among Toshiba Group in China to obtain OHSAS 18001 certification for occupational health and safety management. During the special month dedicated to occupational safety, the employees take an active part in promoting health and safety, such as by holding a speech contest; inviting essays and slogans related to occupational safety; organizing a competition on safety knowledge, etc. Similarly, in addition to providing safety education for new recruits, the unique “Daruma*” doll eye-painting ceremony is performed every month to pray for the total elimination of work-related accidents. Such activities have won the company high recognition, such as the “Model Company of the Dalian Development Zone for Safety Manufacturing” from the government of the Dalian Economic & Technological Development Zone for 16 consecutive years as well as the “2006-2008 Model Company for Occupational Safety” from the Dalian Municipal People's Government.

* “Daruma” is a Japanese doll that brings good luck

Periodic Medical Checkup System

In 1997, Toshiba developed a company-wide integrated system to support periodic medical checkups for all employees in order to standardize medical checkups and remedial measures as well as to improve the efficiency of related administrative procedures. The system was upgraded in 2004 so as to link to HR-related database and to provide intranet access to data. At present, the system is being used throughout the Group.
Employees can access the system over the intranet in order to complete questionnaires, change scheduled times for checkups or follow-up interviews or view the results of checkups. Industrial physicians and healthcare staff can have access to medical checkup data, as necessary, for use in formulating health management programs.
To facilitate swift and effective remedial action if required, medical test results and responses are compiled, on a priority basis, to draw health checkup report charts or graphical illustrations presenting five risk areas such as diet, alcohol, smoking, exercise and mental heath. These charts or graphs are designed such that they are readily understood by employees.

Interview Guidance for Employees Working Excessive Overtime

Long working hours or excessive amounts of work can be detrimental to health, leading to cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. Toshiba Group employees working for more than 80 hours of overtime per month are required to go through an interview guidance 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 employee 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 Service Visits

An industrial health specialist on an overseas medical service visit

Employees assigned to work overseas have to cope with drastic lifestyle changes. In order to ensure sound health of these employees as well their accompanying families, Toshiba assigns medical doctors to those parts of the world with inadequate medical care to provide healthcare services and consultations. These industrial health specialists have been assigned to countries and regions around the world, including Mexico, China, Taiwan, UAE, India, Indonesia and some parts of Europe.

On-site Health-related Consultation System

Industrial physicians and occupational health nurses 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

Helpline for Mental and Physical Health

Toshiba offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in conjunction with its in-house health insurance association to provide counseling for both mental and physical health issues by external specialists. The program ensures privacy of the individuals seeking help. Employee family members 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 a special magazine “Kenpo information” 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.

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. Industrial physicians and occupational health nurses coordinate with the employee's doctor, workplace members and family to devise proposals for appropriate working hours, place and time.

Promoting communication by encouraging employees to pay attention and talk to their co-workers

Employees are encouraged to pay attention to their co-workers and talk to them in order to detect any unusual signs that imply poor health. This practice has become the norm in the workplace.
In order to raise health and safety awareness at each workplace, we have been promoting communication by holding periodic informal workplace meetings.

Future Challenges: Comprehensive Program to Supplement Primary Prevention

Comprehensive program to supplement primary prevention

While Toshiba already has an advanced mental 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.

Toshiba Health Insurance Association's Healthy Lifestyle Support Website

This website provides tips on developing healthier lifestyle and management of health on a daily basis.
The website also offers health-related information and lifestyle improvement programs to the employees and their families.

Available Services:

• Walking program: This helps to develop the habit of walking by comparing the daily steps recorded against the targets set. The webpage also allows to manage such data for the entire family.
• Checks on lifestyles: This helps to manage data such as weight, rate of body fat, blood pressure, abdominal measurements, and sleeping hours as well as helps to check habits such as brushing teeth, washing hands and gargling.
• Health information corner: This corner provides tips on treating metabolic syndrome and information related to mental health.

Countermeasures for Influenza

With regard to the global outbreak of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 in April 2009, Toshiba Group 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.) and 2) appropriate measures based on the warnings issued by WHO and the government, such as restrictions on foreign visits.

Keeping in view of the possibilities of the influenza strain (H1N1) of developing into more deadly form or the more deadly avian flu (H5N1) developing into H1N1, Toshiba Group will continue to update its measures to ensure employee health and safety, such as formulating guidelines at each stage of outbreak.

Toshiba Group Business Continuity Plan provides explicit guidelines on the priority businesses and the continuity of activities based on the nature of the business for each business domain, in the event of large-scale absenteeism owing to the outbreak of the influenza strain (H1N1).

Raising Awareness on Infectious Diseases

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 awareness-raising 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, at the time of the outbreak of the influenza H1N1, all employees were notified of the appropriate countermeasures and were asked to adopt them on a daily basis.