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10. Government Responsibilities (1)


Japan's Industrial Safety and Health Law establishes a variety of regulations to prevent industrial accidents. Although the responsibility for enforcing these regulations mostly rest with employers, collaborative efforts are essential by all related parties in preventing accidents, as employers and workers alone cannot avert accidents by themselves

In particular, the role played by the government is important and the Industrial Safety and Health Law prescribes a number of matters to be enforced and implemented by the government.
1. Law Enforcement System
Activities to enforce the Industrial Safety and Health Law are carried out under the governmental system below:



2. Matters Enforced by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare

(1)Announcement of Industrial Accident Prevention Programme etc
(a) Industrial Accident Prevention Programme
The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare is legally responsible for preparing and announcing a 5-year Industrial Accident Prevention Programme that provides for the major measures for preventing industrial accidents, and guidelines for the promotion of these measures. The current 5-year Industrial Accident Prevention Programme is the ninth programme since the first one was announced in 1958 before the Industrial Safety and Health Law was enacted in 1972.
(b) Announcement of guidelines
The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare shall prepare and announce various guidelines to enable employers to appropriately and effectively implement safety and health measures. The following guidelines have been announced up to now.
* Guidelines for Special Education
* Guidelines for Education to Enhance the Capabilities of Safety and Health Supervisors
* Guideline for Periodical Voluntary Inspections
* Guidelines for the Periodical Voluntary Inspections of Mobile Cranes,
Guidelines for the Periodical Voluntary Inspections of Chemical Facilities, Etc. and other guidelines (16 in total)
* Guidelines for Working Environment Measurements
* Guidelines for Post-Medical Examination Measures
* Guidelines for the Maintenance and Promotion of Health
* Guidelines for Creating Comfortable Working Environments
* Technical Guidelines
Technical Guidelines for the Prevention of Water Vapor Explosions in the Iron/Steel Industry, Guidelines for the Prevention of Health Impairment by Biphenyl, and other guidelines (24 in total)
(2)Assisting measures implemented by employers
* Establishing educational facilities, etc. (occupational safety and health education centers, health promotion centers, safety and health centers for small and medium-sized enterprises, and Japan bioassay research centers, etc.)
* Financial assistance (assistance for facility improvements, and assistance for medical examination costs for those to whom personal health records are issued, etc.)
(3)Designation of authorized inspection agencies, etc
* Authorized inspection agencies covering the inspections at the time of manufacturing specified machines (boilers and cranes, etc.)
* Authorized inspection agencies covering the performance of specified machines, etc
* Authorized individual or model examination agencies
* Inspection agencies for specified voluntary inspections
* Designated license examination institutions
(4)Orders and Recommendations
* Examinations of large-scale construction plans, orders to suspend work/operations based on examinations, orders to change plans and recommendations to order-placers concerning the work
* Orders to recall machines failing to meet structural standards
* Acceptance and announcement of new chemical substance notifications
* Confirmation of new chemical substances in small amounts
* Instructions on the investigation of chemical substance toxicity
(5)Powers of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
* Inspections by entering workplaces approved by model examinations
* Inspections by entering industrial safety or health consultant
* Inspections by entering authorized inspection agencies covering inspections at the time of manufacturing
(6)Other
* Epidemiological surveys
* Instructions to employer organizations, etc.
* Appointment of medical advisors on industrial health
* Registration of industrial safety or health consultants
(Government Responsibilities (2) will be discussed in the next session)
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