Health and Safety
Philosophy and Policy
With “Safety is our top priority” as the foundation of our business, the SWS Group strives to secure the health and safety of its workers with a spirit of respect and rigor that affords no opportunity for industrial accidents. We will strive to achieve zero accidents by following our Safety Activity Policy, shown below.
Strengthening the Global Safety Management System
To strengthen the global safety management system, each company conducts self-audits twice a year to visualize safety activities, identify and improve problem areas, and eliminate risks in the workplace.
If any problems are found during a self-audit, the Safety & Environment Department or safety inspectors from the head office will visit the site, diagnose and correct the problem. In FY2021, we conducted voluntary audits at 193 sites.
Focusing on Raising Global Awareness
The majority of accidents in the SWS Group were the result of human error, such as transportation, maintenance, Setup/Coordination, and cleaning. To address this, we have been developing various educational activities globally.
・POKETENASHI activities
Po: Don't walk with your hands in your pockets.
Ke: Don't walk while using a keitai-denwa (cell phone.)
Te: Do hold a tesuri (handrail) when using stairs.
Na: Don't naname-oudan (jaywalk.)
Shi: Do Yubisa-Shi (point and call out) left and right.
・Distribution of pocket cards for "3S +3D 3rules" to comply with safety rules
◆3S: Sorting, Set-in-order, Shining
◆3D: Designate position, Designate materials, Designate quantity
◆3Rule:
Before Operation -Make Sure Hands & PPE
While Operation -Never Place Hands in Safety Cover
Equipment Maintenance -Switch Main Power OFF
・Distribution of "Switch Main Power OFF" stickers to prevent accidents during maintenance
Global Industrial Accident Statistics
The number of occupational accidents in FY2021 was a total of 23, seven in Japan and 16 overseas, a slight increase from 19 in FY2020.
However, since many of the accidents occurred to inexperienced employees, we will continue to implement measures to prevent a recurrence: choosing some of the past accidents to make videos and distributing them company-wide that allows employees to simulate the dangers at workplaces to raise awareness.
Strengthening Safety Measures for Forklift Operators
Since forklift trucks are often used for transportation work on-site, which likely leads to serious accidents, we have been strengthening safety measures to eliminate forklift-related accidents since FY2014, such as separating the work areas of forklifts and workers (spatial separation) and separating the operating hours of forklifts and workers to prevent them from working at the same time (temporal separation).
From FY2019, we have been working on the complete separation of workers and vehicles, and 65% of all sites have been completed.
Safety Management of Equipment
In 2012, we introduced a safety certification system for production facilities (safety inspections including risk assessment of facilities and the working environment).
We have completed the safety certification of all production facilities installed before the introduction of this system, and from the viewpoint of further improving the accuracy of risk assessment, we have prepared a check item description (instructions). We plan to deploy it throughout the company to provide explanations and raise the level of equipment safety personnel.
Securing Safety of Suppliers
We ask all our suppliers to maintain a safe work environment in our CSR Guidelines for Suppliers as a safety requirement.
Health Management and Basic Concept
From the perspective of health management*2, the SWS Group believes that the health of its employees is essential for the sustainable development and growth of the company.
In April 2020, we established the "Sumitomo Wiring Systems Group Health Declaration" and are supporting active health promotion by our employees based on the basic policy that "the health of each and every employee is the source of a vibrant company".
SWS Group Health Declaration
The health of each and every employee is "the source of a vibrant company". The health of each and every employee is also indispensable to realize "Safety takes precedence over everything else". It is the desire of both the company and the employees' families that they work in a healthy state both mentally and physically. In order to maintain and improve health, it is necessary for employees to raise their own health awareness (health literacy) and act with self-awareness. The SWS Group declares that it will actively support its employees in their efforts to improve their health in order to become a bright, clean, and energetic company that is worth working for, based on the SWS WAY as its action principle.
Health Management and Activity Goals
Based on "health management," we promote the following three activity goals.
1. Achieving compliance with laws and regulations
Enforcement of the three occupational health controls
2. Extension of healthy working life and life expectancy of contribution (securing workforce)
Strengthening of follow up of medical examinations after health check, strengthening of measures against smoking, strengthening of health management for expatriates.
3. Health promotion (educational activities)
Improve health and lifestyle activities of employees.
ＫＰＩ(Key Performance Indicators)
We have established health indicators including "obesity," "exercise habits," and "smoking," which are key health issues for our employees, and are working to their health through various initiatives.
Health Management and Promotion System
In promoting health management, the Health Managers' Meeting deliberates on activity policies and measures, and the Central Safety and Health Committee (chaired by the director in charge of the safety division and vice-chaired by the director in charge of the health division) usually meets in March each year to make decisions on activity policies and measures.
In addition, we promote health management in cooperation and collaboration with related divisions, labor unions, health insurance societies, and domestic affiliates.
External Evaluation
In March 2023, SWS was certified as a "Corporation with Excellent Health Management*3 (Large Enterprise Category)" for the sixth consecutive year.
The circle of health management is expanding, with domestic group companies were also certified in the same category.
Glossary
*1 Frequency rate: The number of fatalities and injuries due to occupational accidents per million actual working hours, indicating the frequency of accidents.
*2 The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is promoting "health and productivity management," whereby it considers employees' health and productivity management from a business-management perspective to be one of the efforts toward achieving a healthy long-lived society, and strategically implements initiatives that lead to maintenance and promotion of health. For that purpose, METI started the Health & Productivity Stock Selection jointly with the Tokyo Stock Exchange in FY2014 and the Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program jointly with the Nippon Kenko Kaigi in FY2016 in order to create an environment in which enterprises practicing health and productivity management are recognized by society.
Health and productivity management is positioned as part of the Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism decided by the Cabinet on June 7, 2022. It is attracting attention as the foundation of human capital management and garnering interest as a corporate strategy. The number of enterprises practicing it is increasing each year, and investors, job seekers, and other parties are beginning to take into account whether an enterprise is recognized as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization when evaluating the company.
(From the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) WEB site)
*3 This recognition program is conducted by Nippon Kenko Kaigi ( An organization whose aim is to encourage local governments and private organizations (e.g., economic associations, medical associations, and insurers) to work together toward achieving concrete measures at workplaces and in communities.) and aims to create an environment in which large enterprises, SMEs, and other businesses who are practicing health and productivity management are appreciated by society.