Individual Initiatives for Occupational Health and Safety

Individual Initiatives for Occupational Health and Safety

Health and Safety Management in the Besshi District

In the Besshi District of Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, where many of the Group’s business sites are located, the Besshi-Niihama District Division Safety & Environment Control Center plays a central role in improving the level of health and safety management by providing guidance on health and safety management initiatives to business sites including Group companies in the district, holding regular information exchange meetings and study sessions, and conducting cross-patrols.

Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessments

The SMM Group proactively uses risk assessments (investigation of hazard or harmfulness) to evaluate hazards and take appropriate countermeasures against sources of risk that may cause accidents or health hazards due to equipment, operations, or a combination of both. For example, when we introduce new equipment, we conduct a risk assessment at the time of design, taking into consideration the intrinsic safety of the equipment, and the risk assessment is reflected in the design of the equipment. Before equipment is installed and put into operation, a risk assessment (audit) is conducted again with supervisors, operators, etc., and improvements are made. After the facility goes into operation, we continuously report on the status of maintenance and improvement of residual risks at the Occupational Health and Safety Committee meetings, and work to improve the level of health and safety by ensuring that our efforts are promoted.

Inspections, Patrols

The head of the business division with jurisdiction conducts annual patrols of the business site, including affiliated companies under his/her jurisdiction, to confirm that health and safety management is being properly implemented (in 2022, 50 inspections were conducted at 39 business sites in Japan and overseas). In principle, once a year, the General Manager of the Safety & Environment Control Department or his/her designate conducts a security, safety, and occupational health management inspection of each business site, and reports the results to the president, the head of the business division with jurisdiction over the business site, and the head of the business site (in 2022, due in part to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 28 of the 47 business sites in Japan covered by the safety statistics were inspected). Furthermore, in the event of a serious accident or disaster, an on-site investigation is conducted immediately.
Each business site conducts safety patrols by business site supervisors, work observation patrols at each workplace, and safety activities in small groups. Some workplaces receive guidance from outside instructors to check and improve dangerous locations at the site.

Education

Education in Hands-on Training Facilities

Since 2010, the SMM Group has been operating a hands-on training facility (Oji-kan Facility) in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, which consists of a Hazard Simulation Zone and an Equipment Skills Training Zone. The purpose of the Hazard Simulation Zone is to increase sensitivity to occupational safety and occupational health through simulated experiences of dangers that may be present in daily work, while the purpose of the Equipment Skills Training Zone is to develop operators with strong skills in equipment and devices through hands-on experience with actual on-site equipment, cut models, etc. In both zones, in addition to the curator and full-time instructors, site managers and supervisors, and veteran employees provide training as appointed instructors. Oji-kan Facility staff have been traveling to workplaces since 2013 to conduct on-site hazard simulation training, and we are working to expand the number of participants. In addition, each business site uses Oji-kan Facility based on a risk assessment of its own workplace to conduct safety education through its own unique program.

■ Number of Employees Using the Oji-kan Facility and Attending On-site Training (as of the end of 2022)

External Communication

We participate in the health and safety committees of the Japan Mining Industry Association and Kyohokai^* to obtain information on legal revisions and response methods, and to introduce the latest health and safety technologies and improve the level of health and safety by visiting each other’s factories and developing good practices.
We also use outside consultants to conduct safety culture assessments at SMM Group’s major business sites, and the Safety & Environment Control Department presents the results to the business sites, and discusses them to improve safety initiatives.

Kyohokai: Consists of more than 200 contractors for Toyota Motor Corporation