Occupational Health and Safety
Advantest Group Occupational Health and Safety Policy
Advantest Group recognizes that Health and Safety (H&S) is an important aspect of our business operations. This policy is set forth to ensure the Health and Safety of every Advantest employee.
- Health and Safety First
We will make H&S the first priority for employees in all Advantest operations, including product development, design, manufacturing, customer service, and others.
- Compliance with Laws and Regulations
We aim to achieve compliance with legal requirements through good occupational health and safety performance.
- Regular Review of Health and Safety Compliance
To support this policy, we will provide employees with an annual activity plan which will address every business location’s H&S regulations through management support.
- Education and Training
We will ensure that employees receive appropriate training, and are competent to carry out their designated responsibilities.
- Disclosure of Occupational Health and Safety
We will communicate this basic policy and other H&S-related information to all employees in the Advantest Group, and work to raise awareness. We will also disclose information outside the company as necessary.
Promotional System
At Advantest, every year we convene the “Health and Safety Committee Meeting” which decides the health and safety direction and policy for the whole group. The approach to health and safety is based on the main activity themes decided on at this meeting, upon which the health and safety committees at each location set their annual targets and plans. We also regularly hold horizontal health and safety committee secretariat meetings, and strengthen each location’s health and safety activities through this sharing of information about relevant activities.
Organization of Health and Safety Management (Japan)
Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Activities
In fiscal 2015, we implemented the “Aiming for Zero Serious Accidents Activity” with the aim of enhancing safety. With the company having experienced a series of accidents involving falls, causing the overall accident rate to increase, we implemented health and safety training (targeting employees in Japan), to help employees understand the reasons for accidents involving falls and take measures to prevent such accidents in the future.
In fiscal 2016, we are continuing to implement the “Aiming for Zero Serious Accidents Activity,” while also implementing safety enhancement activities focused on preventive safety and avoiding accident reoccurrence. When an accident does occur, the measures that we take to prevent reoccurrence include verifying the steps taken in response and their implementation status, and ensuring that accident case studies are disseminated horizontally throughout the Advantest Group. As part of our efforts to strengthen preventive safety, we are working to ensure that risk assessments are implemented as a standard procedure for both manufacturing operations and chemical substance utilization.
Occupational accident rate in Japan (frequency rate*)
*Number of injuries or deaths due to labor accidents per total actual million working hours
*Scope of data: Advantest Corporation (non-consolidated)
Mental Health
At Advantest we believe that vigorous employees make for a vigorous workplace. Accordingly, our Health Promotion Office supports efforts to ensure both the mental and physical health of our employees, so that we can provide a safe and comfortable workplace environment for them.
In fiscal 2012, we shifted our focus to prevention-oriented wellness and introduced testing of stress levels. By quantifying stress (thus making it visible), we promote stress awareness among all employees, which is useful for self-care. The fiscal 2015 stress diagnosis test, which was accessible through the corporate intranet, drew an 87.5% response rate. The 5% of employees with the highest diagnosed stress levels were invited to attend counseling (and 12% did). With the introduction of an e-learning program, we reinforced self-care (91% participation).
The mental health training focused on managers at workplaces with high health risk; by helping managers to learn methods for tackling potential mental health issues in the workplace, we aimed to create workplaces where people are less likely to develop mental health problems.
Also, in light of the many types of stress that exist, we are establishing rules governing the provision of support for return to work, so that even if employees suffer mental health issues they can be sure that they can take the appropriate leave and eventually return to work.
Health Consultations
At Advantest’s Health Management Office, a comprehensive range of health professionals (including occupational health physicians, clinical psychologists, public health nurses, nurses, industrial counselors, etc.) provide counseling services for physical and mental problems of all kinds. Applications for counseling can be submitted easily by telephone or e-mail, or via the company’s intranet. In fiscal 2015, counseling services were provided on 800 occasions.
Labor‐Management Dialog
Labor unions currently representing our employees include company union JEIU, in which 72.7% of our employees and just over 99.5% of our labor union members are enrolled, and industrial union JMITU. Advantest negotiates in good faith with each of these labor unions.
Additionally, the labor agreement with JEIU includes health and safety and claims management, and we work cooperatively together to respond to issues regarding operation of the health and safety committees, Code of Conduct and HR claims management.