Implementation Guidelines for the National Safety week |
Implementation Guidelines for National Safety Week in Fiscal 2000
1. Purpose
National Safety Week campaign activities will be implemented this year
as the 73rd successive event since its inception in 1928. The basic philosophy
of this campaign has been focused on respecting human life with the aim
of promoting voluntary activities to prevent industrial accidents in industries,
and enhancing safety consciousness and fostering safety activities among
the general public.
While casualties due to industrial accidents in Japan have been declining
in the long term, some 570,000 victims are still suffering from accidental
injuries per year. Moreover, the number of fatalities recorded an increase
in fiscal 1999 from the historically lowest figure in fiscal 1998, resulting
in the loss of some 2,000 precious lives.
Furthermore, a number of serious accidents occurred last year, including
an accident leading to a criticality event at a nuclear fuel reprocessing
plant that caused significant public concerns, and other accidents involving
a number of workers at a time. These grave accidents have led to growing
anxiety in terms of safety and security among all the people of Japan.
In order to cope with this serious situation, the government established
a Conference on Accident Prevention Safety Measures with the participation
of related government ministries and agencies. This conference has proposed
creating a "safety culture" as an important issue for all of Japanese society. The proposal
has recommended that both individual citizens and organizations should
promote social trends and public's willingness to give safety the highest
priority.
In order for workplaces to create and firmly implant this safety culture,
it is important for all companies to make efforts to encourage a corporate
mindset in which all members embrace the basic principle of respecting
safety. And if we want to realize the goal of zero accidents, all workplaces
should endeavor to minimize any potential dangers in working conditions
and completely eliminate such potential even if no accidents have occurred.
For this purpose, it is necessary to improve the safety level by introducing
an industrial safety and health management system, using machines and facilities
with high degree of safety, and implementing effective safety education
through the cooperative efforts of both workers and employers.
Based on this perspective, the National Safety Week campaign in fiscal
2000 should be developed under the slogan of
"From Zero Accident to Zero-Risk:
Building a New Safety Culture by All."
With this National Safety Week as the starting point, all workplaces should
intensify efforts to understand the importance of preventing industrial
accidents and to resolutely implement safety activities.
2. Slogan
"From Zero Accident to Zero Risk:
Building a New Safety Culture by All."
3. Campaign Period
The National Safety Week campaign activities will be carried out from July
1 to July 7, with a preparatory period from June 1 to June 30 for their
effective implementation.
4. Organizers
The Ministry of Labour and the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association
(JISHA)
5. Workplace Activities
Workplaces should implement the following activities with the aim of further
enhancing safety levels at workplaces and firmly implanting systematic
and continuous safety and health management activities.
(1) Activities to be implemented during the preparatory period
Safety activities in daily workplace operations must be thoroughly checked
in terms of the following matters to implement safety activities and improve
safety levels.
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A. Ensuring work safety at the planning/design stage
| (a) |
Ensuring a system to carry out prior assessment at the planning stage |
| (b) |
Carrying out prior assessment in designing, manufacturing and installing
machines and facilities |
| (c) |
Improving prior assessment in carrying out construction work |
| (d) |
Ensuring a system for prior assessment at the development and introduction
stages of new technologies |
B. Implementing safety education at each stage of occupational activities
in general
| (a) |
Establishing safety education programs and implementing effective safety
education courses through the utilization of audio-visual materials |
| (b) |
Training of persons in charge of safety education in each work places |
| (c) |
Implementing development of ability for safety supervisors, etc. |
| (d) |
Implementing safety education courses for workers engaged in dangerous
and harmful operations |
| (e) |
Enrichment of qualified workers to be engaged in restrictive work and work
requiring chief appointed for it |
C. Establishing a safety management system and encouraging safety management
activities
| (a) |
Clearly defining a basic direction for safety by the top management |
| (b) |
Establishing and implementing effective safety management rules that clearly
define the safety-related responsibilities and obligations of safety management
departments and managers as well as supervisors |
| (c) |
Developing and implementing a safety management program that is integrated
in overall business activities |
| (d) |
Ensuring steady succession and transfer of safety-related knowledge and
know-how in the prevention of industrial accidents |
| (e) |
Improving safety management systems and encouraging related activities
by appointing safety supervisors or safety/health promoters, establishing
safety committees and encouraging their activities |
| (f) |
Promoting comprehensive safety management activities including subcontractor
operations within the workyard |
| (g) |
Providing guidance and assistance to foster safety activities at affiliated
workplaces outside the workyard |
| (h) |
Implementing safety diagnosis by utilizing external professionals, including
industrial safety consultants etc,. |
| (i) |
Firmly establishing safety management activities in the construction industry:
| a) |
Establishing a safety management promotion system based on unified efforts
by the master employer and related subcontractors |
| b) |
Establishing a work-site guidance and assistance system by Field safety
and health supervisor |
| c) |
Taking thorough measures to prevent falling accidents at the construction
sites for wooden houses and other low-rise residences |
| d) |
Promoting communication with lessors of construction machines |
| e) |
Actively implementing education for newly placed workers |
| f) |
Encouraging the implementation of safety work cycle activities |
|
D. Enhancing the safety of production facilities
| (a) |
Checking the safety of production facilities, their layout and operational
processes, and making planned improvements in these facilities based on
such results |
| (b) |
Enhancing the inherent safety of machines and facilities and implementing
periodic (specified) voluntary inspections and maintenance |
E. Improving safety operation manuals
| (a) |
Improving work safety operation manuals relating to the regular operations
of machines, facilities and transport equipment, etc. |
| (b) |
Improving work safety operation manuals relating to the non-regular operations,
including repairs, inspections, troubleshooting, etc. |
| (c) |
Improving operation manuals at the time of mechanization, automation or
the introduction of new raw materials |
| (d) |
Improving operation manuals relating to industrial robots and equipment
of automatic carry machines,etc.. |
| (e) |
Establishing safety operation plans for construction machines and cranes,
etc.
|
F. Enhancing worker consciousness concerning safety
| (a) |
Analyzing accident cases, establishing specific measures to prevent industrial
accidents and ensuring a thorough understanding of such measures |
| (b) |
Introducing hazard prediction activities and the active utilization of
a safety improvement proposal system and a safety duty turning system |
| (c) |
Encouraging worker participation in the improvement of safety-related issues
through the activities of safety committees, etc. |
| (d) |
Establishing a "Safety Day" |
| (e) |
Prize contest running and posting posters and slogans on safety |
| (f) |
Commending outstanding performance by foremen who are responsible for the
direct supervision of workers |
| (g) |
Eliciting cooperation in safety by households
|
G. Firmly establishing an occupational safety and health management system
An occupational safety and health management system should be firmly established
in cooperation with workers to carry out continuous and sustained safety
and health management activities through a series of processes involving
planning, implementation, evaluation and improvement.
H. Promoting activities to prevent traffic-related industrial accidents
| (a) |
Establishing an effective management system |
| (b) |
Ensuring the management of reasonable working hours and transport operations |
| (c) |
Conducting education for supervisors responsible for the prevention of
traffic-related industrial accidents and vehicle drivers |
| (d) |
Enhancing consciousness concerning traffic-related industrial accidents |
I. Promoting measures for the safety of older workers
| (a) |
Taking measures by assuming the existence of workplaces where older and
younger workers are engaged in the same work |
| (b) |
Promoting the improvement of working environments, including machines and
facilities |
| (c) |
Promoting the improvement of working methods and working arrangements,
etc. |
| (d) |
Establishing proper working procedures, providing suitable instructions
for operations and conducting safety education |
J. Promoting the adoption of proper working conditions, including working
hours
K. Promoting the creation of comfortable working environments
|
(2) Activities to be implemented in National Safety week
| A. |
The top management of all entities should clearly announce their views
on safety, conduct safety patrols at workplaces by themselves and make
appeals to workers concerning the importance of safety |
| B. |
Workplace meetings should be held to discuss how to develop safety activities,
foster the united will of all related parties, and enhance general consciousness
concerning safety |
| C. |
Posting safety flags, posters and slogans, and distributing safety-related
information materials |
| D. |
Providing commendations for safety accomplishments |
| E. |
Prize contest running and publishing safety improvement proposals |
| F. |
Prize contest running and publishing reports, pictures, posters and slogans
on safety |
| G. |
Holding seminars, conferences and video, film and slide presentations |
| H. |
Sending safety-related pamphlets to worker families and inviting them to
workplaces to elicit their cooperation |
| I. |
Conducting the necessary training courses on emergency measures |
| J. |
Conducting other activities suitable for the week's purposes |
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