Implementation Guidelines for National Safety Week in Fiscal 2001
1. Purpose
National Safety Week campaign activities will be implemented this year
as the 74th 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 the number of casualties due to industrial accidents in Japan has
been declining from a long-term perspective, the total still reaches about
560,000 persons per year. In year 1998, the number of fatalities dropped
to a figure below 2,000 which is the first record braking thorough 2,000
in Japan and is maintaining the low level figures for the years 1999 and
2000. However, the target of breaking through the present level hovering
a little below 2,000, which has been set forth under the 9th Industrial
Accident Prevent Plan, has not been yet achieved.
Since last year, moreover, accidents attracting public attention, such
as those resulting in a number of casualties at one time have been occurring
one after another. These incidents include an explosion at a chemical factory,
an accident relating to centrifugal casting equipment, and a bursting accident
of a Class 1 pressure vessel.
Under these circumstances, it is necessary to continue efforts to minimize
or eliminate workplace dangers in order to improve Japan's safety standards
by reducing industrial accidents and especially fatal accidents. This requires
fully implementing the individual industrial accident prevention measures
so far established through the cooperation of labor and management under
the common principle of Safety First, while at the same time, taking long-term
approaches towards promoting the introduction of an Occupational Safety
and Health Management System and the development of safe equipment and
machines applying new techniques which can survive in the 21st Century.
On these standpoints, the 2001 National Safety Week will be implemented
under the slogan of "Taking 'SAFETY FIRST' over to the New Century-
Zero Risk in the Workplace."
2. Slogan
"Taking 'SAFETY FIRST' over to the New Century
- Zero Risk in the Workplace."
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 achivingr
effective implementation.
4. Organizers
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and, 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.
|
|
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 restrictied work and work
requiring operation 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 action.
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 |
|
|
top