SUSTAINABILITY
Occupational Health and Safety Initiatives
Philosophy
The EKK Group strives to create workplace environments conductive to both physical and mental health based on the EKK Group Management Philosophy of management that respects human dignity based on care and trust and its Basic Group Safety Principle that safety is not only fundamental to management that respects human dignity but also a personal desire and mission of all Group personnel.
Health and Safety Management
Based on the EKK Group’s Occupational Health and Safety Management Regulations, the Group has set up a line-and-staff occupational health and safety management organization. Headed by the president, and with the General Manager of the Safety, Environment & Quality Control Office serving as occupational health and safety manager, at each plant, a staff department exclusively dedicated to health and safety coordinates with line managers through senior managers, under the leadership of a plant manager serving as a health and safety manager. Plants carry out occupational health and safety activities based on ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management systems).
Health and Safety Regime
The Environment, Health and Safety Central Conference, chaired by the president, meets twice annually to conduct management reviews.
Furthermore, the Sustainability Committee receives reports providing overviews and engages in discussions regarding health and safety activities, and based on these, annual plans and results are reported to the Board of Directors.
Health and Safety Risk Management (Risk Assessment)
The EKK Group strives to reduce health and safety risks. The Group conducts safety inspections of new equipment before it is put into use, confirming that it conforms to internal standards and that there are no health and safety issues. Before new work processes are implemented, the Group conducts a risk assessment to prevent workplace accidents. Work processes which have already undergone a risk assessment are also periodically reviewed based on work-related injury cases and close calls.
Every plant identifies operations and processes that pose a high degree of risk and risk-manages them on a priority basis(Such operations/processes include work performed high off the ground, press working and forklift operation).
Traffic Safety Initiatives
The EKK Group proactively educates its employees and the public on traffic safety, including outside of working hours, to realize its management objective of having a happy workforce with happy families and to help keep local residents safe. Every year before mid-summer and New Year’s holidays, plants invite outside experts to speak about traffic safety. Their secretariats coordinate with the speaker to ensure an effective presentation through such means as addressing topics of local interest or the latest traffic safety data.
The Group also elevates employees’ traffic-safety consciousness and promotes accident-free, infraction-free driving on a year-round basis through such means as giving internal awards to employees with perfect driving records and taking part in external traffic safety campaigns.
Health Promotion
The EKK Group seeks to help its employees stay healthy or get healthier both physically and mentally. Its health initiatives include mental health support to cultivate a vigorous workforce and a 24-hour telehealth service that offers consultations on a broad range of concerns, including not only employees’ personal health but also parenting and eldercare.
Training for new hires includes mental health education provided by public health nurses. Management personnel’s annual training also addresses mental health.
Plants invite outside doctors as instructors to provide mental health education. Plants that run two or three shifts a day also create opportunities for superiors to provide education on good sleep hygiene, given sleep’s important role in recovery from fatigue for shift workers in particular.
The Group actively supports physical and mental health management through such means as an employee mental healthcare initiative featuring coordinated involvement of occupational medicine practitioners, public health nurses, registered nurses and management personnel.