Foreign occupational safety and health inspection national plan

Author: Liu Tie-min, Zhu Chang-you, Wang Yu-hang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Japan's 15th Plan for Industrial Accident Prevention (2003—2007) (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, May 24, 2003)
1. Overall Goals of the Plan
1.1 Basic Principles
1.1.1 Ensuring Workers' Safety and Health
Ensuring workers' safety and health is a major challenge facing the nation. Employers bear the primary responsibility for workers' safety and health. Therefore, employers should not merely meet the minimum standards and measures for accident prevention but should systematically, proactively, and voluntarily engage in safety and health activities to gradually reduce work-related risks. Moreover, workers themselves should also prioritize workplace safety and health issues, diligently learn and improve their professional knowledge, and actively participate in their employers' occupational safety and health initiatives.
1.1.2 New Challenges
For a long time, despite the continuous decline in production safety accidents, 550,000 people are still injured by industrial accidents each year, and although the number of deaths annually is below 2,000, it remains higher than 1,000. Therefore, Japan's industrial society must be committed to preventing production safety accidents. Japan's social and economic systems have driven economic development and maturity, but in the face of major changes in the domestic and international environment, these systems require significant reforms. To adapt to the new economic environment, companies need to review all business activities, including business departments, management models, human resources, and labor management. The labor market features diverse work models, such as the increase in temporary or part-time jobs and greater employment mobility. Due to these changes, new issues have emerged in occupational safety and health. It is necessary to assess the impact of these changes on safety and health to serve as the foundation for future safety and health strategies, thereby promoting the implementation of safety and health plans.
1.2 Previous Measures
To enhance the effectiveness of production safety accident prevention, comprehensive accident prevention measures must be implemented forcibly and systematically, while employers, business associations, and the central government must cooperate closely to fulfill their respective obligations. Therefore, from a long-term perspective, the central government has formulated a comprehensive accident prevention plan, clarifying the policies to be implemented. It guides employers—the main subjects of production safety accident prevention—to adopt safety measures and voluntarily carry out occupational safety activities. Based on these principles, since 1958, the country has developed nine five-year plans for national industrial accident prevention. From the second to the third five-year plan (mid-1970s), the main issue was preventing frequent fatal and injury accidents based on the minimum work environment requirements under the Labor Standards Act. From the fourth to the ninth five-year plan, with the implementation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act in 1972, the challenge was to ensure the implementation of higher safety and health standards. In recent years, the major issue in occupational safety and health has been how to take measures to systematically reduce workplace risks.
1.3 Basic Policies
Based on the above principles and considering changes in social and economic conditions, this plan includes the following basic policies to ensure the safety and health of all working people.
1.3.1 Eliminating Fatal Accidents
Since the role of workers in society is irreplaceable, it is unacceptable for workers to die while earning a living at any time. Employers and relevant parties must make every effort to prevent occupational accidents. For 17 years after 1981, the number of work-related deaths fluctuated above 2,000, finally falling below 2,000 in 1998. In 2001, the number of work-related deaths was between 1,700 and 1,800. This plan will further consolidate the achievements and further reduce the number of deaths.
1.3.2 Ensuring Safety and Health for Small and Medium Enterprises
Japan's safety and health standards have been steadily improving. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have higher accident rates than large enterprises, and their safety and health conditions are still unsatisfactory. To ensure the safety and health of SMEs, this plan will take measures to implement minimum safety and health standards and provide appropriate support for enterprises to voluntarily carry out safety and health activities, as well as support collective actions by SMEs.
1.3.3 Promoting Occupational Health Strategies to Address Increasing Physical and Mental Burdens
In recent years, the abnormal rate of routine health examinations and the proportion of workers experiencing stress and anxiety have been increasing. Currently, compensation claims for cardiovascular diseases caused by overwork or mental illnesses caused by workloads are rising, as are authorized compensation claims. Due to the intensification of the business environment, companies are considering restructuring, and workers are experiencing further anxiety, physical, and mental pressure due to changes in the quantity and quality of their work. To promote the healthy development of Japanese society, this plan not only considers the prevention of occupational diseases but also actively ensures occupational health in the workplace.
1.3.4 Developing Safety and Health Management Technologies to Reduce Risks
Although the current economic situation remains severe, ensuring occupational safety and health should be a crucial issue in corporate management. Deepening "safety culture" activities will make the entire system and individuals prioritize safety issues, establishing a sustainable self-improvement mechanism for occupational safety and health in companies. Since companies face diverse risks that often change, reducing workplace risks is a fundamental strategy. Therefore, this plan aims to promote employers to establish Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS). Under OSHMS, employers and workers collaborate to evaluate risk levels through the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, take necessary measures to reduce risks, and gradually improve safety and health standards. Moreover, for risks related to machinery and equipment, employers should conduct risk assessments when manufacturing or introducing machinery and equipment, systematically reduce risks, and understand the risk information of the machinery or equipment being manufactured or introduced so that users can operate it safely using appropriate safety methods. This plan will also seek to develop information on safe operation of machinery and equipment.
1.3.5 Safety and Health Countermeasures for Diversified Work Models and Mobile Employment
The labor department has implemented a series of reforms to support diversified work models and mobile employment. The premise of these reforms is to establish a safe and healthy work system that ensures all workers' safety and health, regardless of their work model. Therefore, this plan aims to establish effective mechanisms to achieve workplace safety and health, including improving legislation on work safety and health.