Safety & Health

We will enable our employees to achieve a healthy life style by creating an environment that assures their health and safety.

Basic Stance toward Safety and Health

Sanden responds to the diversity in employee values based on Sanden’s Principle that a company is as good as the people it keeps, and makes it possible for employees to manifest their individuality and realize self-fulfillment. To this end, Sanden works to ensure an employment workstyle and leave system that delivers a comfortable and enriched environment.

We recognize that securing occupational safety and health for employees is an indispensable part of corporate activities and in November 2000 we established the Safety and Health Charter to maintain workplace environments in line with conditions in each country in which we are involved.
Based on the Safety and Health Charter, equivalent to a constitution for occupational safety and health, each Sanden Group company develops a safety and health policy every fiscal year.


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Health and Productivity Management

As shown in Sanden’s founding spirit, “Let Us Develop with Wisdom and Prosper in Harmony,” and its principle “A Company is as Good as the People it Keeps,” we consider people to be essential for the continuation and growth of a company, which serves as the foundation of all our activities.
Regarding employees’ health as an indispensable part of corporate management and setting “Healthy” as a key element of the slogan (thinking and action) Sanden has launched to achieve business goals, we are implementing health and productivity management and promoting employee health management and health support.

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Promoting Occupational Safety and Health

Fiscal 2022 Occupational Safety and Health Policy

We promote proactive activities at each manufacturing site in Japan and overseas, based on occupational health and safety management systems (ISO 45001 certification already obtained).


■Occupational safety and health promotion system

To protect the health and safety of all those working in the facility, we are promoting all Group companies’ safety and health promotion efforts by establishing the G-HSE (Global Health and Safety Environment) promotion system. The G-HSE Committee meets once every three months and the safety and health committee at each business site in Japan meets once a month to promote safety and health promotion activities. Their activities include setting standardized safety and health indices, managing safety and health policies, solving safety and health-related issues, and sharing good case examples.

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Fiscal 2022 Targets

[Global]Standardized indices

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■Sanden’s global frequency rate of industrial accidents
In fiscal 2022, the Sanden Group’s occurrence rates (frequency rate) of industrial accidents both in Japan and worldwide were below the average for manufacturers of the same size nationwide. (R3 Industrial Accident Trend Survey: 1,000 people or more; frequency rate of industrial accidents in the manufacturing sector: 0.31)
We will further pursue our safety and health promotion efforts toward the universal goal of achieving “zero industrial accidents.”

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[Reference: GRI:403-9 Work-related injuries]

■ Sanden’s global severity rate of industrial accidents
With regard to the Sanden Group’s global severity rate of industrial accidents, there were no serious industrial accidents in fiscal 2022. On a domestic level, its severity rate of industrial accidents was reduced to below the average for manufacturers of the same size due to strengthened safety of facilities.
(R3 Industrial Accident Trend Survey: 1,000 people or more; severity rate of industrial accidents in the manufacturing sector: 0.03)
We will further pursue our safety and health promotion efforts toward the universal goal of achieving “zero industrial accidents.”

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< Reference: GRI:403-9 Work-related injuries >

Safety and Health Activities

Aiming for "zero occupational accidents,” the Sanden Group engages in proactive Safety and Health activities based on Safety and Health Policy of each of its bases.

Safety and Health Education System
We carry out Safety and Health education based on the organizational hierarchy from the time employees join the Company onward.

< Education>

We provide safety and health education to employees in Japan. For those newly appointed in managerial positions, education was conducted on safety and health management, labor management, and mental healthcare to help them acquire the safety and health knowledge required of those in managerial positions and promote self-care.
For new employees, training was provided about basic safety and health promotion activities, basic health management, and mental healthcare to foster their awareness of safety and health.
For employees in the workplace in which they are exposed to occupational noise, education was provided on how to prevent occupational noise exposure. Practical training was also conducted for them, in which they learned how to properly wear earplug, using an earplug checker.

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  (Employees in Japan)

< Emergency response training >
With the presence of fire station officials, we carry out emergency drills at each business sites in Japan and provide education to fire defense personnel for self-protection to ensure that employees can carry out fire extinguishing activity and safe evacuation activity in a time of emergency.
In addition, we conduct an emergency life-saving drill for small groups while taking appropriate measures against infections in a planned way so that all employees can receive an emergency training every three years. For workplaces handling chemical substances, we provide emergency response training once a year.

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  (Employees in Japan)


< COVID-19 Infection Countermeasures >
Following the spread of COVID-19 infections in fiscal 2020, we set up an emergency response office to quickly grasp the infection status in Japan and take appropriate measures.
In March 2020, we also created a company-wide COVID-19 countermeasure manual.
Based on the latest information on virus characteristics and trends, the manual was subsequently revised in May, August, and December 2020, February, April, and August 2021, and January, February, June, July, August and November 2022. We have continued to implement the measures against the infectious disease promptly, depending on the situation.
In fiscal 2022, we provided mental healthcare support and commodity support for employees transferred overseas who were facing a prolonged lockdown due to the further spread of COVID-19.
To improve our work environments, we made various efforts, including identifying high-risk workplaces by measuring carbon dioxide concentrations, and broadcasting messages to encourage regular ventilation. We also strengthened shoreline measures by proactively using an antigen test kit, and reduced the impact on business by encouraging low-risk employees to come to work. In addition, we implemented a mass immunization program against influenza within the company.

Efforts at each base toward zero occupational accidents

To achieve the targets set under the globally standardized eight KPIs, we made clear the schedule of activities for fiscal 2022 and checked the priority items set for each month. In addition, each manufacturing site seeks to prevent accidents at work by obtaining ISO 45001 certification and ensuring the implementation of the management system.


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Efforts to maintain and improve employee health and create a comfortable workplace

●Basic Stance
The Sanden Group recognizes that maintaining and improving the health of employees is an important element of our management strategy, and from the perspective of health management, we promote the independent actions of our employees and create an environment that facilitates health promotion.


●System for Promoting Health
To promote organizational activities Sanden has established the Health Management Committee and Health Promotion Committee as specialized committees for the safety and health committees at each business site. Occupational health staff are public health nurses and industrial physicians (internal medicine and psychiatry) who take effective measures by consulting with employees, promoting health promotion activities, and participating in health management measures. Occupational health staff include public health nurses and industrial physicians (internal medicine and psychiatry) who take effective measures by consulting with employees, promoting health promotion activities, and participating in health management measures.


KPI: Zero leaves for mental illness


< Results of Activities >

〇Education
We provided self-care education for newly joined employees. In addition, we implemented line-care and self-care education for employees newly appointed in managerial positions.

  (Employees in Japan)

●Interviews with all newly joined employees

●Interviews with all employees in their fifth year at the company
●Interviews with all employees at the time of health checkup
We have public health nurses conduct a personal interview with all employees. We are working on the creation of a working environment in which employees can feel free to consult with a public health nurse about their health management at work or physical/mental disorders.


  (Employees in Japan)

●Creating workplaces where it is easy to work
We conducted a work environment improvement activity (activity to create a vibrant workplace) involving all employees based on stress check group analysis results. Subsequently, we conducted an occupational stress survey and, based on those survey results, promoted efforts to create a vibrant workplace by implementing the PDCA cycle.
Workplaces where an activity to create a vibrant workplace was conducted: 80 workplaces (80%)
Evaluation of the activity: The percentage of good workplace increased by 4 points after the implementation of the activity. Aiming to increase the percentage of a vibrant workplace to 80%, we will continue to carry out this activity.

  (Target: Employees in Japan)

●Lifestyle-related disease measures
We promote the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases through regular checkups, health guidance, and recommendation for a thorough physical examination by public health nurses.

  (Target: Employees in Japan))


●In regular checkups performed in the head office in Gunma, visceral fat measurement and interviews with all employees by public health nurses were conducted to support efforts to prevent and improve metabolic syndrome.


●Exercise promotion activities
As part of efforts to promote company-wide activities to improve daily lifestyles and encourage employees to do exercise for their health, we held a walking event and a ball sport event using an app, through which communication among employees was also enhanced.


●Promotion of Health in Collaboration with Health Insurance Association
For employees in Japan and those transferred overseas, we, in collaboration with the Health Insurance Association, provided an online program to help stop smoking and offered specific health guidance. As part of healthcare services by the Health Insurance Association, we provide those eligible for regular medical examinations with screening for female-specific cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer, thereby promoting the early detection and treatment of cancer.


●Improvement of health literacy
For employees in Japan and those transferred overseas, self-care information is issued by a public health nurse once a month. In addition, an industrial physician's hygiene lecture is available to all employees via the in-house website.

  (Target: Employees in Japan)

●Health promotion activities at overseas sites
・ Poland (Sanden Manufacturing Poland sp. z o.o.)
(1) Ergonomics education on industrial health
As part of safety month events, a “healthy back” workshop for employees working in the office was conducted in June. In the workshop, participants learned ergonomic knowledge and quick stretching and relaxation exercises designed for PC users at work. After that, personal consulting services were provided concerning adjustments and matching of office equipment according to each individual’s physical constitution.
(2) Activity to increase awareness of safety and health risks at work
An art competition was held for employees and their children. Under the theme of “Toward achieving a safe workplace,” children drew pictures of their parents’ workplace or working parents. There were more than 100 entries. This event provided employees and their families with an opportunity to think about safety and health at work.

・ Germany (Sanden International (Europe) GmbH)
The “job bike” system has been introduced to encourage employees to do exercise.

Social contributions

●Contributions to local communities
As a member of an occupational safety and health-related organization, we are working to promote local safety and health activities.
・Local “Zero Disaster” Campaign Promotion Council member
・Local THP Promotion Council member
・Local Labor Standards Association member


●Presentation at academic conference
Occupational health workshop titled “Health Risks Associated with Aging and the Current Status of Support” at the 95th Annual Meeting of Japan Society for Occupational Health


●Paper/magazine/textbook publications
A Concept Analysis of Workers’ Health Literacy ,” Japan Academy of Community Health Nursing


●Nursing university public health teacher education
・ Acceptance of student training (40 students from three schools)
・ Part-time lecturer at a nursing university


SDC Safety and Health Management/Promoting structure Chart