JICOSH was closed in 2008. For further information, please contact JISHA.
JICOSH Home > OSH Japan > Outline of Japan's Industrial Safety and Health Law

8. Regulations for Maintaining and Promoting Health (1)

1. Working Environment Measurements

As an important first step in managing worker health is to accurately understand the actual working environments, employers are legally required to carry out working environment measurements at certain workplaces


(1)Workplaces subject to measurements

* Indoor workshops emitting significant amounts of dust
* Indoor workshops having hot, cool or humid working conditions, such as blast furnaces or refrigerated spaces
* Extremely noisy indoor workplaces
* Offices provided with centrally controlled air-conditioning systems
* Indoor workshops where radiation work is carried out
* Indoor workshops where specified chemical substances are manufactured or handled
*  Indoor workshops where lead handling work is carried out
* Workplaces where work is carried out involving the danger of oxygen deficiency
* Indoor workshops where organic solvents are handled


(2)Method and cycle of measurements

Working environment measurements must be carried out in accordance with the working environment measurement standards specified by the Minister of Labour. The measurement must be conducted in intervals of one to six months as specified in related regulations, including the Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance


(3)Measurement records

Measurement results must be recorded for the following items and such records must be kept for a specified period of time (three to thirty years)

* Time and date of measurement
* Method of measurement,( including measurement equipment)
* Place of measurement
* Conditions of measurement
* Results of measurement
* Personnel responsible for measurement
* Outline of preventive measures taken based on measurement results (if any)


(4)Evaluation of measurement results

Measurement results must be evaluated on the basis of the working environment measurement evaluation standards specified by the Minister of Labour and workplaces are classified into the control class 1 to 3 (class 3 is a workplace where improvement work must immediately be carried out).



2. Control of Working Hours, Etc

In maintaining and improving workers health,it is important to control properly continuous working hours, rest time, work volume of workers ,and to improve a posture of workers

Employers are required to take the necessary measures to better manage these working conditions
For example, working hours in workplaces subject to high-pressure environments and the hours workers engaged in diving activities should be carefully controlled.


(Regulations for Maintaining and Promoting Health (2) will be discussed in the next session)
toptop