Production, Production Engineering, Logistics and Purchasing

Safety and Health

"Safe Work is 'the gate' to all work. Let us pass through this gate."These are the words of a request made in 1957 to all employees by then Senior Managing Director Eiji Toyoda (now an Honorary Advisor).

These words were adopted as a principle of Toyota safety and health practice and have for many years formed the basis of our safety and health activities. The middle years of the 20th century were a period for adapting facilities and formulating safety standards. From the 1980s, keypoint campaigns focused on eliminating major accidents, and more recently, we have rolled out safety and health management and activities to promote a safety-oriented culture so as to prevent accidents more reliably and to create a safer and more secure workplace.

In safety and health management as well,'creating a healthy and positive workplace' has been a Toyota watchword since our founding days as we take steady action to promote employee health and improve the work environment.

We have in the past taken action to promote employee health using the results of health checks to encourage health recovery. However, taking into account of the effects of increasing globalization, which has led to more diverse work patterns among our employees, we have supplemented existing initiatives with activities to maintain and improve mental and physical health that put the emphasis on prevention, accompanied by improvements to the workplace environment.

Specific measures include enhancements to our health strategy to reflect the increasing number of Toyota employees based overseas, fitness-focused preventive action against lifestyle-related disease in the form of a range of initiatives to promote healthier diets and exercise, and action on mental health through information for employees on emotional health and enhanced provision of training sessions for managerial and supervisory staff. In this way, we are rolling out a health strategy which meets the needs of changing times.

Year
Month
Events
1938
July
Safety and Health Committee established (Safety and Health Committee Regulations adopted)
November
Health clinic established at Koromo Plant (now Honsha Plant)
1942
October
Toyota Hospital opened
1948
August
Safety and Health Section established in Welfare Department
1949
October
All-Toyota Safety and Health Research Group established
1957
July
KYOHOKAI Safety and Health Research Group established
November
Safety and Health Hall completed
1961
March
TMC Safety and Health Cooperating Association established
1963
April
Safety and Health Administration Office becomes independent (now Safety and Health Promotion Division)
1964
January
Safety and Health Management Meeting (now Safety and Health Management Committee) established
1974
September
Safety and Health Management Unit established at each plant (followed in October by establishment of Safety Committee and Health Committee at each plant)
1977
May
Health check floor completed at Health Insurance Hall
July
Safety Test Center (now Global Safety and Health Education Center) completed
1981
April
Tahara Plant Health Clinic opened
1982
June
Ergonomics Experimentation Unit completed
1984
September
Tsutsumi Health Clinic opened
1987
September
Toyota Memorial Hospital opened
Health Center opened in Toyota Memorial Hospital
1989
October
Honsha Health Clinic opened
1992
April
Motomachi Health Clinic opened
1993
April
Kamigo Health Clinic opened
April
Elderly health care facility 'Joystay' opened
1996
January
Safety and Health Administration Division name changed to Safety and Health Promotion Division
2000
March
Central wing of Safety and Health Education Center completed
2002
June
Sukoyaka Haato Health Hall (Health Clinic for employees of Vehicle Development Division) opened; Renamed the Toyota Global Safety and Health Education Center
2004
March
North wing of Safety and Health Education Center completed
2005
January
Stomach health check bus introduced
2006
January
Safety and Occupational Health Promotion Division name changed to Safety and Health Promotion Division
2007
March
Kinuura Health Clinic opened
2008
April
WELPO health support center opened

WELPO health support center

Year
Month
Events
1938
July
Safety Week activities started
1949
June
Specific work training and screening system introduced
1950
October
Occupational Health Week activities started
1953
June
Dust measurement and noise reduction measures introduced
1955
July
Eiji Toyoda (then Senior Managing Director) receives award from Minister of Labour for distinguished service towards industrial safety
1957
October
Award received from Minister of Labour for workplace with outstanding occupational health level
1959
January
Safety promotion officer system established
1960
March
Safety promotion target system established
July
Safety calendars distributed and safety noticeboards and displayed company-wide
First issue of Safety and Health News published
1961
January
Occupational health management officer system established
February
Full-time safety guidance officers appointed
September
Activities implemented company-wide under the 4S campaign - seiri (sort), seiton (straighten), seiso (sweep), and seiketsu (sanitation)
1962
January
Safety Reminder Cards distributed
April
Internal award system for accident-free operation established
1964
January
System for designation of safety promotion workplaces established
Tagout order system and facility joint watch system established
1965
January
Regular environmental measurement at all plants introduced
1966
January
System established whereby staff who carry out an operation are also responsible for it
 
Introduction of safety standards for facilities implemented
1968
January
Safe operating procedures adopted and enforced (rolled out as part of corporate policy)
1969
July
Safety Pledge implemented
1970
January
Action implemented to prevent accidents caused by unexpected machinery startup (physical and procedural countermeasures implemented)
1972
June
Emergency measures training for frontline supervisors implemented as priority action
1974
September
Self-management by employees of production departments strengthened (activities implemented to prevent accidents caused by impulsive action)
1976
January
Improvements introduced in operative posture when handling heavy objects
June
KY (kiken yochi : danger anticipation) technique introduced
 
Advance assessment of hazardous substances started
1979
January
'Stick to the Rules' campaigns introduced as regular activity
1980
January
Training for emergency measures guidance officers started
June
Operational improvements based on specific human functions introduced
1981
April
Project to create suitable posts for elderly employees established
1982
November
Emergency measure operations become designated work area
1983
January
KY (kiken yochi : danger anticipation) activities implemented company-wide
September
Guidelines to identify work conditions that cause back and arm pain adopted
1985
January

ゼロ災のポスター

Five-year plan formulated (management cycle introduced as regular feature, small-group activities boosted)
February
Self-evaluation and kaizen (improvement) activities implemented
June
Toyota functional evaluation method for middle-aged and older employees implemented
1986
May
Process-specific safety research activities started
1987
January
System introduced for recognizing workplaces with outstanding safety record
1991
January
Simultaneous company-wide overall safety inspection carried out
 
Safety design Committee established
1992
January
Key accident prevention (STOP6*) activities started
1993
February
Training for newly appointed managers commenced
1997
October
Workplace diagnosis activities commenced
November
Monument to Safety erected
1999
February
Training begins for newly appointed general managers
December
MSDS-based chemical substance management started
2000
April
Company-wide Ergonomics Committee established
2004
December
Facility lockout system introduced
2005
March
Measures adopted to introduce segregated smoking areas company-wide
2006
January
Rollout of occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) commenced
April
Japan's Industrial Safety and Health Law revised (compulsory risk assessment introduced)
July
Activities to prevent accidental contact between humans and vehicles rolled out
2008
January
Activities to promote a safety-oriented culture begin (improved awareness and behavior among senior management and frontline staff)
June
Companywide Safety and Health Committee instituted (chaired by company president)
July
'Safety Workshop' Training for newly appointed corporate officers initiated
August

Companywide Safety Genchi Genbutsu Activity (Shimoyama Plant)

Companywide Safety and Health Committee renamed Companywide Safety Genchi Genbutsu Activity
2009
June
Safety training begins for Chief Leaders (CL), covering all staff of CL grade
September
Reporting of safety conditions begins at management meetings (for all corporate officers)
*
STOP6 is an initiative begun from 1992 focusing on advance prevention of serious accidents and covers the six items of the Safety TOYOTA 0 (Zero Accident) Project.
 

The six key items are:
1. Accidents caused by being caught or entangled in moving machinery
2. Accidents caused by contact with heavy objects (100 kg or above)
3. Accidents caused by contact with vehicles
4. Accidents caused by falls (including falls from a height of 2 m or above)
5. Accidents caused by electric shock
6. Accidents caused by contact with objects at high temperature
Year
Month
Events
1945
August
Home visits to tuberculosis patients by company nurses started
1955
April
Health check regulations adopted
1968
February
Comprehensive medical checkups for employees started (using Aichi Prefecture healthcare center)
1974
January
Trial to expand health checks for lifestyle-related diseases implemented (existing stomach checkup and liver function test supplemented with electrocardiogram and total cholesterol tests)
1977
May
Comprehensive medical checkups for employees started (Health Insurance Hall)
1978
April
Lifestyle advice seminars with medical specialists started
1984
April
Stretch exercise introduced as part of workplace physical exercise
1986
November
Training sessions for mental health care leaders started
1987
April
Health education differentiated by employee grade started
1989
September
Headache consulting system introduced
1991
April
Health consultation telephone hotline established
1992
January
Health management system (Human) introduced and health check items expanded
1993
March
AIDS prevention countermeasures started
October
Advice meetings introduced for patients requiring follow-up
1994
January
Items for noise-related health checks revised following amendment of legislation
1995
April
Health check system introduced
1996
May
Display of calorie count started in cafeteria
October
Office stretch exercise introduced
Health checks for staff making overseas business trips introduced
1998
April
System of full-time workplace occupational physicians expanded
1999
December
Content of health-related work restrictions revised
2000
January
Health management system updated for year 2000 and health check system revised
2001
April
'SEmotional health' page set up on company intranet
2002
January
Active listening courses introduced for managerial and supervisory staff
September
Health checks reinforced for employees with long working hours
October
Health checks for employees away from work introduced to enhance health monitoring
Health monitoring after promotion or transfer started following introduction of regular organizational changes
2003
March
Preventive measures implemented following emergence of SARS in China
October
Vaccination against seasonal influenza started for staff on overseas business trips or postings
2004
January
Meal check system introduced in cafeteria to highlight calorie intake
April
Behavioral change program introduced as start of advice for lifestyle improvement
2005
April
BIP2 activities*launched

Symbol mark for Health promotion(Kento & Heart)

'Quit smoking' courses introduced
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire introduced as part of health checks
Distribution, during health checks, of 'Emotional Guidebook' begun
2006
February
New system for diabetes mellitus (hospitalization experience) introduced
March
Precautionary countermeasures implemented against emergence of new influenza strain (H5N1)
2007
May
Health handbook distributed to all employees
2008
April
New health management system (Newmans) introduced
July
Health guidance to prevent metabolic syndrome started (now known as Health Step-up Seminar)
*
BIP2 activities
Behavior Change Innovation (BIP) Program introduced in 2005 under a five-year corporate project., with the twin aims of controlling body mass index (BMI) and encouraging participants to quit smoking
BIP=Behavior change Innovation Program

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