Health of Employees
Basic Views
For a company to achieve continuous sustainable growth, it is essential to improve work environments and health management systems so that each employee can maintain their good physical and mental health and continue to work actively.
As we, the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Group, promote a variety of health management measures as part of its activities to create healthy workplaces, including the introduction of health guidance by industrial health workers and health management support systems.
Promoting Activities to Create a Healthy Workplace
(Health and Productivity Management)
Recognizing that the health of our employees is essential for the sustainable growth of our group, we established the "SHI Group's Declaration on Health Promotion" in January 2018.
We will make further efforts to promote health and productivity management by continuing to pay attention to and support the health of each and every one of our employees.
SHI Group will strive to maintain and improve the health of workers based on the management philosophy of "respect for human beings," and create the environment where everyone can live in good physical and mental health.
Strategy Map
To increase the effectiveness of our efforts by visualizing the connections between the management issues we seek to resolve and health measures, we have created a healthy workplace (health and productivity management) strategy map.
Promotion System
We are promoting health and productivity management with the following system, with President serving as the Chief Health Manager.
The Health Promotion Council—comprising the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Human Resources Group, the Labor Union, and the Health Insurance Society—shares issues related to occupational health and health promotion, and promotes various health management activities, such as maintaining and improving employee health, and implementing measures to create workplaces that is healthy both physically and mentally.
Health and sanitation teams at major manufacturing sites and group companies are incorporating these measures into their own initiatives and deploying them accordingly.
The Health Promotion Council shares with the Central Safety and Health Council the "Healthy Workplace Development Activity Plan," which sets specific goals for healthy workplace development activities, and the "Health Management Report," which summarizes the activities for the fiscal year.
Indicators and Targets
We consider the hospitalization rates of those with cardiovascular diseases attributable to hypertension and untreated hypertension, and the number of employees on care leave or administrative leave due to mental health problems as material issues, and are taking initiatives to address these issues along with various other issues.
To further promote activities to create a healthy workplace (health and productivity management), we have established specific indicators for our group.
We are working to achieve the targets set for each indicator by reviewing the status of achievement for each fiscal year.
| Indicators | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate of regular health checkup participation*1, *4 | 97.1 | 98.6 | 97.2 | 95.0 | 96.5 |
| Hospitalization rate due to cardiovascular diseases*1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.89 | 0.79 | 0.75 |
| Treatment rate for hypertension*2 | 79.8 | 89.0 | 86.9 | 84.6 | 86.0 |
| Smoking rate*2, *3 | 27.7 | 26.6 | 25.2 | 25.0 | 24.0 |
| Stress check participation rate*2 | 93.3 | 92.8 | 93.7 | 95.5 | 95.5 |
| High-stress individuals rate*2 | 10.4 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 12.4 |
| Rate of mental health training participants*1, *4 | - | - | 83.4 | 85.0 | 87.1 |
- *1 The company and its domestic group companies
- *2 The company (non-consolidated)
- *3 Age 40 and above
- *4 The denominator for the rate of regular health checkup participation includes employees on long-term leave due to childcare, nursing care, or illness.
The participation rate excluding those on long-term leave is nearly 100%.
Examples of approaches
Promotion of Data-based Health and Collaborative Health Management
We are working to improve the quality of health support provided by industrial healthcare staff, etc. to employees by using the online health management support system.
Based on the health status of employees aggregated through this system and information compiled from health-related data owned by the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Health Insurance Society, our group companies, the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Health Insurance Society, and the Federation of Sumitomo Heavy Industries Workers Unions are working together to promote healthy workplaces.
Promoting Measures to Address Mental Health Problems
Using the results of periodic stress checks, we offer health counseling for employees who have health problems, as well as mental health training programs tailored to the specific issues at each business site.
For employees who are currently working while having a health problem or those who are returning to work after recuperating at home, we also offer programs to support their work or return to work in cooperation with external Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Measures to Address Cardiovascular Diseases
A diagnosis of any serious cardiovascular disease, such as cerebral hemorrhage or myocardial infarction, in employees in their prime working years can be devastating not only for the individual, but also for their families and the company.
Focusing on lifestyle diseases (especially hypertension and diabetes) that cause these cardiovascular diseases, we provide employees who are still suffering from these diseases with treatment support from industrial healthcare staff and promotes appropriate considerations in work for those who are at high risk.
Implementation of Health Promotion Programs
To prevent lifestyle diseases among employees, we offer a health promotion program that incorporates walking into a daily routine, and verify its effectiveness by comparing the body composition and blood pressure of participants before and after the program.
We will continue to encourage employees to participate in the program to help them make exercise a habit, and will also work with the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Health Insurance Society for improvement of metabolic syndrome.
Anti-Smoking Measures
To prevent passive smoking among employees and reduce the smoking rate, we have implemented the following initiatives.
We will continue to promote efforts to realize healthy and comfortable workplaces.
- Compliance with laws and regular management of each smoking area
- Provide information and education on smoking
- Discuss and report on maintaining or reducing smoking areas
- Assessment of anti-smoking promotion activities and presenting exemplary cases
Support for Employees Assigned Overseas
We actively provide employees working overseas with up-to-date information on malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other health risks at the time of assignment to raise awareness.
During their overseas assignment, we also offer assistance services such as access to EAP (Employee Assistance Program) services, information on local medical conditions and healthcare facilities, and telephone-based health consultations in case of illness.
Investment in Health Initiatives
To create a workplace where each employee can work safely, securely, and healthily, our Health Promotion Council—comprising the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Human Resources Group, the Labor Union, and the Health Insurance Society—formulates an annual action plan for building a healthy workplace, reflecting the challenges identified in the previous year.
To promote the health-related initiatives outlined in this plan, our group continues to invest in maintaining and improving employee health.
Health Investment per Employee (FY2024): Approx. ¥21,000
Main Initiatives:
- Implementation of health promotion programs
- Operation of health management systems
- Mental health training
- Stress check implementation
- Provision of EAP (external consultation service)
- Deployment of industrial health professionals
- Regular health checkups
- Influenza vaccination programs
External Evaluation
- Certified for five consecutive years since 2021 as a Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization (Large Enterprise Category) by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.
- Certified as an Outstanding Company for Cancer Control Promotion by the Cancer Control Promotion Corporate Action, a project commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (FY2022–FY2024).