Ensure Employee Health and Safety

It is vital for each and every employee to maintain and strengthen both his and her mental and physical health in order to shine and flourish professionally. This is only possible in a safe and comfortable work environment. We place the top priority to human life, safety and legal compliance, and support the occupational health and safety (OHS) of employees.

The Toshiba Group OHS Management Policy was established in 2004 in response to the declaration of commitment to OHS by the top management with a goal of all employees sharing the commitment. The content was revised together with revision of The Essence of Toshiba in 2018 and the new content specifies our consideration of the people working in diverse conditions related to our business, including independent contractors as described in item 4 of the Toshiba Group OHS Management Policy, based on the requirements of ISO 45001, a new standard for OHS management systems.

For Toshiba Group to resolve social issues and contribute to the further development of society, it is necessary to promote work style reform that includes enhancing the work environment and reforming operations so that employees feel that work is rewarding. Steadily promoting work style reform is a key to ensuring that each employee is safe and healthy, works in a lively manner and leads a fulfilling life, and as such, it is important to take steps aimed at boosting health and safety to increase employees’ vitality.

Toshiba Group has made further improvements to its OHS management activities and codified them into the OHS management to penetrate them throughout the organization from top management to all employees. We declared the launching of this policy at the Toshiba Group CSR Conference in December 2018.
We designated the executive in charge of Human Resource and Administration Division as the Chief Health & Safety Officer (CHSO) and formulated the Toshiba Group OHS Management Declaration to specify the roles in the field of OHS management to be fulfilled by executives, managers, OHS staffs and employees. The CHSO is in charge of making the Declaration well known within the Group.
In addition, to spread awareness of OHS management, we established an OHS Management Conference (described later) chaired by the CHSO in FY2019 and convened on a regular basis.

Specific OHS activities of Toshiba Group are carried out at each of the business sites (or individual Group companies) based on measures to achieve the OHS objective transmitted from the corporate department, which is the supervisory division of the Group, and Group companies, under a line management system based on job classifications that covers all personnel from top management through to employees.

Statutory activities at each business site (or Group company) in Japan include the appointment of dedicated OHS staff and the establishment of an OHS Committee. Many sites and Group companies go beyond this to set up other autonomous OHS activities, such as specialist or workplace committees tailored to the work process and their risk factors.

Toshiba Group in Japan provides the following opportunities for communication.

Since FY2019, Toshiba has been holding the OHS Management Conference every six months as an opportunity to communicate with top management regarding OHS management. The Conference is chaired by the CHSO and attended by the President and CEO, the executives of Toshiba, and the presidents of key Group companies. They verify the general condition of Toshiba Group’s OHS and the progress of measures as well as to deliberate on objectives and measures for coming fiscal years. The executive in charge of OHS activities reports on the implementation status of such and shares information with the Audit Committee.
In addition, together with Toshiba Union Headquarters, we co-host the non-statutory meetings of the Central OHS Committee in the second half and the OHS Debriefing in the first half. We are striving to ensure that Company-wide health and safety measures take into consideration the perspectives of employees through close communication with the Toshiba Union Headquarters. At the Central OHS Committee in January 2023, we shared with the Toshiba Union Headquarters Company-wide OHS objectives for FY2023 as well as the need for further improvement of our OHS management systems (OHSMS). 
As a means to laterally share information among Toshiba Group in Japan, we hold the Toshiba Group OHS Supervisor Meeting once a year that is attended by OHS Supervisors from Group companies and business sites. They report on matters such as the incidence of occupational accidents and objectives that are to be promoted Group-wide, as well as efforts for high priority issues and the activities undertaken at each site.
We also hold the statutory OHS Committee, etc. at business sites once a month as an opportunity for employees to participate, discuss and communicate with each other on health and safety issues. The meetings are used to deliberate and decide on various measures related to the OHS management system such as the basic OHS policy at the business site, annual objectives and OHS promotion plans. In view of their importance, meetings of the OHS Committee, etc. have been held regularly. Further, we are striving to ensure appropriate communication with entities involved in the Group’s business by securing opportunities for OHS Subcontractor Meetings and OHS Consultative Meetings that include resident subcontractors at business sites and related subcontractors at construction sites managed by a Toshiba Group company as the primary contractor.
Toshiba Group overseas has established an appropriate system in accordance with the laws and OHSMS requirements of the country where the company is located.

Toshiba Group defines fatal accidents or accidents for which more than one person requires leave from work at the same time as serious accidents and strives to eliminate them. Although Toshiba Group companies are engaged in a wide variety of industries, there are industries where the risk of a severe accident is relatively high, as judged from past cases. We, therefore, identified target industries to introduce the international OHSMS standard based on third-party assessment and have been incorporating OHSAS 18001 and acquiring external certification for manufacturing companies in those industries since FY2007. In FY2020, we transitioned to ISO 45001^*1, and, almost all manufacturing companies and 36 non-manufacturing companies (accounting for 79.5% of all personnel from Group companies in Japan) in Toshiba Group in Japan and 27 companies except Toshiba Tec Group (accounting for 84.7% of all personnel from surveyed companies in overseas) in Toshiba Group overseas have acquired the certification. We visualize OHS management system by continuously evaluating and managing OHS risk through risk assessment based on OHSMS and ensuring legal compliance^*2.
In addition, Group companies that fall outside the scope of ISO 45001 certificate acquisition also operate under an OHSMS in accordance with guidelines set by the industry or a simple PDCA cycle based on their respective OHS Management Policy and promotion plan. The corporate staff division is working to raise the level and make improvements to our OHSMS by regularly assessing the processes of our activities.

• An international standard for OHSMS established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2018
• Refers to the following major regulations which fall under the scope of ISO 45001 compliance:
  • Industrial Safety and Health Act
  • Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health and other related regulations
    Prevention of organic solvent poisoning / Prevention of health impairment due to specified chemical substances / Prevention of health impairment due to ionizing radiation / Prevention of anoxia / Prevention of lead poisoning / Prevention of health impairment due to asbestos / Health standards in the office / Safety of boilers and pressure vessels / Crane safety / Gondola safety, etc.
  • Other related laws and regulations
    Pneumoconiosis Act / Working Environment Measurement Act / Health Promotion Act / Act for Maintenance of Sanitation in Buildings / Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act / High Pressure Gas Safety Act / Fire Service Act / Road Traffic Act, etc.

Identification and Risk Assessment of Hazards Related to Safety and Health

Toshiba Group in Japan conducts two types of risk assessment (general OHS and chemical substance) based on guidelines concerning investigation into dangerous and harmful operations stipulated by the Japanese government. This helps us to identify hazards^*1, evaluate risk and formulate control measures^*2 in the course of operating our OHSMS. With this risk assessment, Toshiba Group employees strive to identify the hazards that may be encountered by them as well as subcontractors and visitors.
To ensure the effectiveness of our risk assessment, we provide training to OHS staff and risk assessors to enhance their capabilities. We also verify the validity of risk assessment findings through an annual review by members of the division which has the risk and auditing by the OHSMS Internal Audit department.
In addition, for anything designated as an emergency situation in the risk assessment, we have established response procedures and if required, regularly conduct evacuation drills that also include subcontractors in order to ensure smooth evacuation in the event of an emergency.
At Toshiba Group overseas, especially companies that have obtained OHSMS certification, we carry out risk assessment in accordance with the requirements of the standard and implement measures against extracted risks.
In the event of an occupational accident, Toshiba Group identifies the hazards and causes and assesses the risk prior to the accident and following the implementation of assumed measures to ensure that corrective measures are taken within the Group.

• In addition to risk assessment as a means of identifying hazards, we conduct risk prediction activities prior to work, make close call reports and have top management, industrial physicians and health officers implement workplace inspections to complement this.
• Toshiba selects the control measures to reduce the risks according to the following hierarchy:
  (1) elimination, (2) substitution, (3) engineering controls, (4) signage/warnings and/or administrative controls, (5) personal protective equipment.

We reflected our fundamental approach to mitigating the risk of natural disasters in Japan such as a large-scale earthquake or storm and flood damage in a Basic Guideline for Disaster Prevention Countermeasures and Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for the Group. The basic guideline prioritizes the life and personal safety of employees, and is based on the policy of protecting our social credibility, property and equipment, and fulfilling our corporate social responsibility to customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.
The guideline stipulates the role of Toshiba’s corporate staff divisions, Toshiba Group companies and business sites in drafting and implementing policies and measures regarding disaster prevention and formulating a BCP so that each company and organization can prepare for disasters in accordance with their role. In addition, we established Toshiba Group Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, headed by the President and CEO of Toshiba, to coordinate with disaster response headquarters at Toshiba Group companies and business sites. This framework enables the coordination, direction and support of relief and recovery efforts.
To prepare for future disasters, we are also taking steps including creating regulations, introducing educational programs and conducting drills for employees, and stockpiling items and equipment required in a disaster.

Toshiba Group seeks to prevent and avoid damage to parties and facilities related to our operations in countries and regions in addition to Japan as well as to prevent and avoid damage these parties and facilities may cause to third parties. In the event of such a damage, we have established and operate a basic policy for safe operations overseas with the aim of minimizing the damage.
When implementing a new project, we confirm risks in advance as required through such means as risk assessments covering local laws and regulations, the surrounding environment, infrastructure, facilities, and substances used.

Toshiba Group has set items related to health and safety (Toshiba Labor Agreement and work regulations in Japan), and when faced with life-threatening risk, employees are required to take the basic action of first reporting to their supervisor (or the administration division) and then following the instructions given. However, employees are permitted to prioritize evacuation in order to protect themselves when it is difficult to make a report in a timely manner. Employees will not be treated unfairly in such a case.

Every year at Toshiba Group, during National Safety Week in July and National Occupational Health Week in October, the top management of Toshiba sends a message to all employees to share their firm resolve to ensure OHS. The President and CEO and CHSO both convey messages from FY2020.
In addition to messages to the entire Group, top management at each Group company and business site, including those overseas, sends messages to all their employees and develops their own OHS initiatives.

First held in 1975, the Toshiba Group OHS Conference has been held every December to share information for the purpose of raising the level of OHS activities and generating greater awareness about OHS management. The main participants are top management, labor union representatives, and people in charge of OHS activities in Toshiba Group in Japan. Companies and business sites as well as to small-group activity programs and improvement proposals by individuals that set an example for others are commended for their excellent OHS-related activities through the granting of the President and CEO’s Award for Excellence. Since FY2008, the Conference has been integrated with the CSR Conference, and the CEO commends the efforts in OHS management made by overseas Group companies in addition to those in Japan. In FY2020 and FY2021, we have not held the conference with physical attendance to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Instead, we have shared information on awarded activities through the hosting of online ceremonies and the publication of materials on the internal website. Since FY2022, the conference has been held in a hybrid format that combines the best aspects of the physical attendance format and the online format.
We established regulations for OHS awards consisting of awards for OHS promotion and OHS improvement as well as OHS slogans with the aim of enhancing the Group’s safety management and the three occupational health management* activities along with raising awareness of employees’ participation in OHS activities.
Three groups won the FY2022 OHS Improvement Award. From FY2023, we have changed the application guidelines for the OHS slogans so that they are better suited to the Group's OHS measures, and we have also improved the timing for making posters based on the selected slogans. The winning slogans will be used in OHS posters or displayed on monitors for the next fiscal year at Toshiba Group business sites throughout Japan.

• This refers to the following three types of occupational health management: (1) Operational management, which defines procedures for preventing environmental pollution, and reducing exposure to harmful substances as well as workload, and their suitable implementation; (2) Operational environment management, for identifying and evaluating factors that may cause harm in the workplace through statutory working environment measurement and risk assessment of chemical substances to ensure the best conditions possible; and (3) health management to confirm the health condition of each employee through medical examination, detect abnormalities early on, prevent exacerbation, and take medical and work management-related steps to recover a healthy condition.

Toshiba Group in Japan conducts various types of OHS-related educational programs for each level of the organization, from Toshiba through to business sites.
Toshiba conducts regular Company-wide OHS training programs for entry-level and mid-level employees engaged in OHS as well as for industrial physicians and occupational healthcare staff to enhance their skills as OHS staff. We also strive to boost health literacy through e-learning on health-related matters for all Toshiba Group employees in Japan.
In addition to the education required by the Industrial Safety and Health Act, we provide unique courses and training tailored to the conditions and issues of the business site as well as programs for employees engaged in OHSMS in an effort to enhance the capabilities of personnel engaged in OHS.

Toshiba Group overseas ensures the competence required for OHSMS in accordance with the actual situation in each country.

The frequency of occupational accidents (frequency of lost workdays) of Toshiba Group in Japan in FY2022 was almost the same as that of the previous fiscal year. This is much lower than the national average for the manufacturing industry. The number of occupational accidents in FY2022 was 94 in total, almost unchanged from the previous fiscal year, 29 cases resulting in lost workdays and 65 cases without lost workdays. The number of fatal accidents involving Toshiba Group employees in Japan over the past three years was one in FY2021, with two fatal accidents overseas in FY2020 and FY2022. The number of accidents resulting in lost workdays or more severe impacts, excluding death, in Toshiba Group overseas, excluding Toshiba Tec Group, was 44 in FY2022.
The most common types of accidents were falling, cuts/abrasions, falls from height, and caught in/between. In particular, fall accidents account for approximately 30% of all accidents. Of these, the accidents caused by normal activity of daily life (ex. falling while walking or falling downstairs), make up the majority of total accidents. In light of the number of accidents occurring from normal activities, we incorporated content aimed at preventing falls in addition to conventional health management information in our Company-wide e-learning program for FY2020, drawing attention to the need for vigilance among all Group employees. In addition, if a serious accident, such as a fatality, is to occur, we work to share information throughout the Group on exactly what happened, the cause and our response to ensure that the same kind of accident does not happen again under similar conditions using similar equipment. As for occupational accident prevention activities, Toshiba’s corporate staff division has set objectives for promoting OHS of Toshiba Group. Based on these objectives, each Group company and business site in Japan formulates promotion goals and plans while sharing their unique challenges, and undertakes actions aimed at preventing occupational accidents.

• LTIFR: Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate, the number of lost time injuries occurring in a workplace per 1 million man-hours worked.
• Includes accidents involving part-time workers, fixed-term workers and dispatched workers.

• Frequency rate of all accidents: The number of accidents occurring in a workplace per 1 million man-hours worked (the sum of those without lost workdays, with lost workdays and with fatalities).
• Injury rate per 1,000 workers (all accidents): The number of lost-time injuries occurring in a workplace per 1,000 workers.
• Includes accidents involving part-time workers, fixed-term workers and dispatched workers.

• Includes accidents involving part-time workers, fixed-term workers and dispatched workers.

Toshiba Group in Japan has set the prevention of lifestyle diseases, enhancement of mental health and prevention of overwork as the basis to achieve them as the top priority measures within the Toshiba Group’s Standards for Health Management. We strive to raise employees’ awareness of the importance of health and take various measures to maintain their physical and mental health from both a high-risk approach^*1 and population approach^*2.
Toshiba Group overseas is working to maintain and improve the health of its employees in accordance with the actual situation of each country.

• High-risk approach: A method of health management that focuses on people at high risk of disease
• Population approach: A method of health management that focuses on the whole group rather than a specific group to lower the exposure to risk

To date, Toshiba Group has formulated a basic policy and is continuing its response to COVID-19 in order to ensure the safety of customers, suppliers, local communities, employees and their families, and business continuity. As of May 8, 2023, the classification of COVID-19 under the Act on the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients with Infectious Diseases was changed from category 2 to category 5. In line with this, the COVID Countermeasures Headquarters, which was established in February 2020, was dissolved and various measures related to COVID-19 were concluded.

Toshiba Group will continue to make every effort to prevent the spread of infection both within and outside the Company, ensuring the safety of employees, their families, customers, and suppliers, while also striving for business continuity.

Toshiba Group in Japan has held the OHS Management Conference on a regular basis since FY2019 to share the Group’s health-related issues and regular monitoring indicators, or key performance indicators (KPIs), and the top management of each key Group company in attendance are then requested to incorporate those into measures to improve the safety and health management of their employees though the governance line.
As for the system for implementation, the function of providing support in the area of occupational healthcare had been provided by a separate company from FY2002, with related services provided based on a contract with each Group company. In light of the increasing importance of health management under OHS management, however, this system was discontinued in November 2019 and now an occupational healthcare officer is sent to business sites and placed under the direct control of management there (excluding certain companies that employ such officers directly) . This new system enables more tailored and flexible health services to be deployed in line with the challenges facing each business site.
In addition, we launched the Collabo-Health Meeting and started convening meetings in FY2019 together with the Toshiba Health Insurance Association, to study how to promote health measures throughout the Toshiba Group in Japan organically. This meeting aims to accelerate OHS management and enhance health at the various life stages of employees in addition to realizing the Company’s objectives of enhancing corporate value and ensuring a bright and vibrant life for our employees. It is also designed to help achieve the social missions and goals of the Toshiba Health Insurance Association such as optimizing medical expenses.

KPIs for health management were set forth as shown below at the OHS Management Conference for FY2019. We will aim to further improve items which have already attained nationwide target figures and raise the level of items which are yet to achieve targets nationwide. Our varied approach will center on improving the process indicator, lifestyle habits.

• National values are calculated from the FY2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey or data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for 20-69 year olds.
• Toshiba Group makes efforts so that no employees have a daily number of steps clearly below the national average of 5,000 steps (male: 7,636 steps, female: 6,657 steps <data from National Health and Nutrition Survey for 20-64 year olds>) (excluding wheelchair users or those otherwise unable to walk).

As a high-risk approach to preventing lifestyle-related diseases, Toshiba Group in Japan has steadily provided priority support to employees at high risk of developing brain and heart diseases, through such means as work management and health guidance, according to work classification determined based on levels of regular medical checkup data, a shared standard across all Group companies since FY2011. We also run a program to prevent diabetes from becoming severe in collaboration with the Toshiba Health Insurance Association. The effects of these initiatives have started to emerge with a decrease in the percentage of deaths caused by brain and heart disease while still at work and a decrease in people at high risk of high blood pressure and high blood sugar. (Refer to Toshiba Group KPIs)
As a population approach, we have set target values for improving lifestyle habits and have been undertaking measures such as anti-smoking measures, improvements to the canteen menu and providing opportunity to exercise, since FY2013. We introduced a health-related education program for each age group in FY2014 and have been supporting employees to maintain their health according to their stage of life. As a result, numerous lifestyle indices, including levels of smoking and walking, are improving. There is still the need for measures to make further improvements by setting KPIs, however.
In particular, the percentage of patients and those having a high risk of contracting metabolic syndrome (visceral fat syndrome) is on the rise nationwide, and this is a shared issue throughout Toshiba Group. In addition to improving patients and those having a high risk, we aim to prevent others from having the metabolic syndrome by providing specified health guidance led by the Toshiba Health Insurance Association and implementing measures to enhance health guidance as a company.

Toshiba Group in Japan was one of the first Japanese companies to address the issue of employees’ mental health and has developed an advanced, comprehensive system in four areas of care to support our employees’ work and daily life. Going forward, we will encourage each individual to consciously maintain their physical and mental well-being, keeping in mind work styles that are now the new normal.

Toshiba Life serial article

While the first principle of Toshiba Group in Japan is to transition to a working style in which employees are not expected to do overtime (work style reform), the Group has also been working to prevent health problems caused by overtime work since before the revision to the Industrial Safety and Health Act in 2006. For example, employees who work 80 hours or more overtime per month are required to receive health guidance from industrial physicians (interview guidance for employees working excessive overtime).
This standard sufficiently meets the requirements of the revised Industrial Safety and Health Regulations enforced in April 2019.

Toshiba Group in Japan has a specialized division to support the health management of employees who work overseas. In addition to medical checkups prior to the posting and upon return in accordance with the law, we have made it compulsory to have a checkup once a year while away, including for the employee’s family. We are taking steps to ensure employees stationed overseas receive the same level of health management support as our employees in Japan based on the results of each individual’s medical checkups. The services include providing employees and their family members with optimal support in line with each country’s medical care system such as consultation and information on local medical institutions and arranging emergency transport.
We are taking a flexible approach to medical checks for employees who work overseas amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the understanding that checkups will be administered as soon as the situation improves in consideration of difficulty traveling between countries, conditions of local medical services and the risk of infection.

Toshiba Group compiles the latest information gathered from various sources that include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, companies specializing in safety crisis management overseas and international medical care, international risk-related media and in the field concerning outbreaks of infectious diseases in foreign countries and their spread, and distributes it to those stationed in relevant countries in order to alert them on such risks. Toshiba Group in Japan also gives guidance to employees assigned to work overseas and their accompanying families, on medical, safety, infectious disease measures and other information on life overseas. Once overseas assignment is confirmed, a briefing is held, including prior medical checkups and shots of vaccination. New recruits in Japan are provided with booklets containing information about HIV/AIDS. Along with other awareness-raising programs covering topics such as the prevention of HIV infection, the Group calls for the prohibition of unfair discrimination due to insufficient knowledge about the disease. In addition, business sites cooperate with the government for rubella antibody tests for target age groups by providing the venue of medical examination.

Toshiba Group promotes its procurement activities in accordance with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct. We also ask our suppliers to respect basic human rights and to realize safe and clean workplace environments in their business activities. We explain and request all our suppliers to comply with the Toshiba Group Procurement Policy which includes consideration for human rights, labor, OHS in their operations.

• Toshiba Group Procurement Policy
• Promote Sustainable Procurement