DRIVEN BASE
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Safety and Health

Basic Stance

To ensure DENSO’s business foundation as a global company, it is absolutely essential to improve safety and health management. As such, the DENSO Group is working to achieve continuous improvements in safety and health based on the premise that creating safe and comfortable working conditions is the best way to realize both human dignity and high productivity. This policy is built on the fundamental principles of safety, health, and the environment established by DENSO CORPORATION in 1969.

1. Fundamental principles of safety, health and environment

Human beings should never lose their life, health, or physical function due to work.

  1. Thorough observation of policies “creating safe and ideal working conditions is the best way to realize both human dignity and high productivity”

  2. Pay attention to environmental protection and the preservation of ecological systems/resources in all business activities. Furthermore, live in harmony with local communities through environmental protection.

  3. Each organization, managerial person, and associate in each workplace should participate in all such activities fully applying their creativeness and ideas.

2. Action agenda for practicing the fundamental policy

  1. Safety and Health matter is a prior condition to promote business activity and each one of us will enhance to take actions as "Safety is a top priority."

  2. Observe law, company rules and DAS *.

  3. Operate Safety and health, environment management system certainly to maintain and improve workplace that is easy to work as safe and continue environment preservation activity.

  4. For environment preservation activity, each aspect of technical development, plant operation and associate's behavior will contribute to "harmonize with environment to create enriched and growing recycling-based society.

  5. Create better future for region, maintain activity which will be received recognition from society originally or in cooperation with society.

  6. Promote positively safety, health and environment activity participated by all members toward "Zero accident/disaster" via improvement activity by each one of innovation and modification with the company motto "Safety and Quality First"

* DENSO Anzen Standard

Promotion System

At DENSO, committees are established for each business group (region), workplace, and Group company under the Companywide Safety, Health, and Environment Committee (chairperson: vice president with oversight) to achieve continuous improvements in safety and health.
Furthermore, taking the laws and regulations of each country into consideration, DENSO CORPORATION actively supports each business through independently establishing safety and health management systems that are top tier in their respective countries.

  • safety-img-promotion-system-en

Occupational Health and Safety Management

DENSO practices the PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) cycle based on domestic and international occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS/ISO 45001) standards, in an effort to make ongoing improvements to its level of occupational health and safety. Among the 82 locations subject to occupational health and safety management,* 37 locations (approx. 45%) have received the ISO 45001 certification. In Japan, DENSO’s Daian Plant acquired ISO 45001 certification in 2020, and in 2022, the head office, the Anjo Plant, DENSO HOKKAIDO CORPORATION, and DENSO IWATE CORPORATION also acquired the certification.

* Locations subject to occupational health and safety management: Manufacturing plants and production companies of DENSO subsidiaries of which DENSO CORPORATION’s shareholding ratio is 50% or more

Specific Initiatives

DENSO’s Safety and Health Management System

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Implementation of Safety and Health Assessments

Risk Assessments for New Production Lines

In order to minimize risks in and after the planning and design stages of equipment, and to ensure the installation of equipment with a high level of safety, DENSO has established and is implementing standards for conducting equipment risk assessments, which are defined in the DENSO Safety, Health and Environment Standards (DAS). Sources of hazards in equipment and chemical substances are identified, risk levels are quantified, and risk reduction measures are formulated in accordance with DAS and reflected in equipment design.

After the equipment’s completion, we conduct risk assessments in the same manner, focusing on the work performed on the production line. The risks identified are reflected in tangible safety measures, education and training, and manuals.

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Risk assessments for existing production lines

As part of our occupational health and safety management system, we implement internal audits of our health and safety management status. The results of these audits are reviewed by DENSO’s management during quality control inspections to ensure that the highest priority is being given to safety.

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      On-site assessment

Implementation of Health and Safety Education

DENSO has established and implements rank-based (from new graduates to managers) health and safety educational activities in which employees must participate. Also, we offer position-specific training for employees working in positions that deal with potentially dangerous and hazardous work.

〈Examples of Rank-Based Education〉
Name of educational activity Target Target
Introductory education for new employees Regular/Mid-career hires
Temporary employees
  • Importance of safety and DENSO’s approach to safety initiatives

  • Awareness of equipment dangers and importance of rule adherence

  • Hazardous equipment and materials and their proper handling, etc.

Safety training for mid-career employees Mid-career (promoted) employees in the manufacturing division, etc.
  • Reconfirmation about the importance of safety and basic rules

  • KYT*, risk assessment
    * KYT: Kiken Yochi Training. Work injury prevention training

Training for newly appointed section heads and team leaders Employees promoted to section head or team leader
  • Role and approach as a supervisor on the front lines

Training for safety managers Employees appointed as safety manager
  • Role and approach as a safety manager

Global Results for Fiscal 2023

In fiscal 2023, DENSO incorporated improvement measures for work that requires the talent and skills of people into the action plans for each division and Group company and promoted these plans with a view to the further prevention of workplace accidents. In addition, we confirmed the current situation at workplaces via an inspection by leaders of business group centers and a third party and shared common issues with management and other relevant divisions, thereby moving forward accordingly with improvements. For explosion prevention, we confirmed via experts and third-parities the thorough implementation of prevention measures and the inspection of safety maintenance and management status and promoted ongoing improvement measures, with the aim of eliminating serious accidents. Despite these measures, domestic Group companies were unable to meet some of their targets due to an increase in the number of accidents. Based on the uptick in accident frequency, we are strengthening the implementation of measures that stress the importance of avoiding contact with the moving parts of machinery (adhering to rules when safety equipment fails to function, etc.) and rolling out activities to reevaluate and reduce risks pertaining to work that involves the handling of chemicals and heavy objects by employees.

DENSO Corporation Group companies in Japan Group companies overseas
Target Result Evaluation Target Result Evaluation Target Result Evaluation
Safety marks 50.0 23.0 36.0 46.0 × 48.5 24.5
Lost time frequency rate 0.06 0.03 0.06 0.08 × 0.1 0
Number of serious accidents* 0 0 0 0 0 0

 *Accidents resulting in death or serious injury

Safety and Health Activities

As part of the 3-3 activity, managers and directors stop and stand in one place for three minutes, in three separate places throughout the day, to observe work methods, behavior, and equipment. By providing guidance on and improving flaws, as well as commending strengths, we are making efforts in accident prevention primarily from a behavioral perspective. Furthermore, we are promoting “3S and first touch use on derricks (3S + D)”* disaster prevention activities with the goal of eliminating accidents caused by a failure to turn off equipment. These activities ensure equipment cooling time and prevent hasty actions and careless mistakes through the use of pointing and calling at important locations on the equipment as a means to properly switch off equipment during abnormal conditions.

* 3S is a process that involves pointing at and calling out important locations on equipment in correct sequence (pointing at and calling out “Switch off,” “Switch off, OK!,” and “Stop, OK!”) as a means to properly switch off equipment during abnormal conditions. As soon as the 3S process is complete, a specialized tool is used to actually switch off the piece of equipment (“first touch use on derricks”), rather than switching off the equipment by hand.

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      Activities at the production site

Ensuring the Safety of Contract Construction Workers

Together with affiliated companies that conduct facility and equipment installation, remodeling, and equipment relocation within Company premises, DENSO CORPORATION has established Safety and Health Council regarding the Work within DENSO premises. This Committee works to prevent accidents from occurring during construction work on Company premises by promoting safety education, conducting safety patrols, and other means.

Future Initiatives

Initiatives to establish employee-friendly working environments that give consideration to employee safety and health are becoming even more important. To that end, we will continue activities geared toward creating a structure for preventing explosions, fires, and other serious accidents, sharing and following up on past instances of accidents on a Groupwide basis, and ensuring that we learn from these instances to prevent accidents from happening again. In these ways, we will further reinforce the concept of “Safe DENSO” across the entire Group.

COLUMN: “Safe DENSO,” the Origin of Our Accident Prevention Training

In September 1969, an explosion accident occurred at the die-casting factory of the Anjo Plant in which six employees lost their lives, making it the biggest disaster at DENSO since its founding. In the wake of the disaster, DENSO immediately set up a task force, led by management, to focus its entire efforts on the rescue and medical treatment of injured persons, the response to other affected personnel, and identifying the cause of the accident and restoring the facilities.

This incident redoubled DENSO’s resolve to ensure that another such accident would never happen again, and in October of the same year, the new “Safe DENSO” slogan was created. That December, the Industrial Safety and Health Department was established. DENSO Safety, Health and Environment Standards (DAS) were instituted the following year, and the Company later added safety requirements for the installation of new technology and measures to prevent accidents. Over the years, improvements have been made and a foundation in support of safety, health, and the environment was laid.

This accident is one that the Company will never forget. Additionally, to ensure that we never forget this accident and remain constantly aware of safety, we established September 8 as “Safety Day.” On this day, even many years after the accident occurred, we distribute a Companywide notice regarding the accident and undertake special safety activities. Also, starting from fiscal 2018, we have established the DENSO Group Safety Day, which we recognize at Group companies in Japan and overseas.

In an initiative to keep these memories alive, the Company will establish the DENSO Heritage Center in 2022 as a place where people can return to the origins of safety at DENSO and imagine passing on this legacy to future generations as if it were their own.

    • 1969 explosion

      1969 explosion

    • DENSO Heritage Center

      DENSO Heritage Center