Japan
Sustainability Data Book 2024Basic Safety Concept
● Make safety the first priority. (Safety First)
The basis of corporate activities is “people.”
The first priority must always be given to safety that protects “people.”
● All accidents are preventable.
Managers must lead the workplace, having the strong belief that “all accidents are preventable.”
● Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
While the Company conducts what it should do, every single person must take responsible actions to protect themselves.
Let’s make a culture where everyone follows the rules and mutually warns each other in the workplace.
Safety and health control system
The Central Safety and Health Committee, which representatives from plants, offices and labor unions attend, is held twice a year to determine basic policies related to corporate work safety, labor health and traffic safety.
In addition, the Central Safety and Health Committee conducts a central safety patrol once a year to raise safety awareness within the Company through cross-functional safety activities by inter-department crosschecks. A departmental health committee is established at each office and constantly conducts activities related to safety and health based on the policy of the Central Safety and Health Committee.
Initiatives for safety and health
Following are the initiatives primarily implemented in FY2023 to ensure employees can work safely, securely and in good health.
■ Initiatives in FY2023
| Target | Priorities | Specific measures | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Safety | Zero serious or lost-time accidents Total number of occupational accidents of 30 or less |
Rigorous workplace safety management |
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| Improve safety awareness and ensure safe behavior through repeated education and drills |
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| Prevent accidents by inexperienced workers (less than three months) and workers transferring between processes (less than one month) |
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| Occupational Health | Create a better workplace where employees can be physically and mentally healthy | Management of chemical substances |
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| Better working environment |
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Risk assessment activities
At Suzuki, we conduct risk assessments as part of activities aimed at preventing occupational accidents. By identifying risks in individual tasks and implementing measures to mitigate them, we are working to improve safety and enhance employees’ awareness of safety. Risk assessments were first introduced in 2001, and since 2016, we have also conducted risk assessments on chemical substances. In 2017, to prevent any serious occupational accidents, we revised our risk assessment evaluation methods, re-evaluated particularly high-risk tasks, and have been working to reduce risks even further.
■ Incidence of occupational accidents
(Cases)
| FY2021 result | FY2022 result | FY2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Result | ||||
| Total number of occupational accidents | 75 | 58 | 30 or less | 68 | |
| Serious and lost-time accidents | Lost-time | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Serious | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| (Fatal on-site accidents)* | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
* Number of worker deaths was zero
■ Trends in occupational accident frequency rate
* Source: Survey on Industrial Accidents, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Employee health
Health management
Guided by the catchphrase, “Happy customers are created by happy employees!” Team Suzuki has worked together on health management initiatives to ensure we can provide products that delight customers. Through these ongoing initiatives, Suzuki has been certified a Health and Productivity Management Outstanding Organization every year since 2021.
Health Declaration
Guided by the catchphrase of “Happy customers are created by happy employees!” the Company will take on health initiatives as Team Suzuki to ensure that all employees who work at the Suzuki Group can implement the Mission Statement and work positively and energetically in excellent mental and physical health, and as a result, provide products that delight customers.
Representative Director
and President
Health management promotion structure
Headed by the Representative Director and President, the Human Capital Department takes the lead in promoting employee health.
In promoting employee health, an individual responsible for health promotion is appointed at each business location, and the entire company works together on these initiatives.
Accordingly, proactively taking opinions from experts, including health promoting industrial physicians, public health nurses, and nurses, activities through labor management cooperation are carried out.
In addition, the members of the Health Management Promotion Team have increased their understanding of health management by acquiring Health Management Advisor certification. They also carry out activities to promote Suzuki’s health management activities to a wide audience, both inside and outside the Company.
■ Promotion structure
Suzuki’s business challenges to be solved by health management
- *1 A condition in which operational efficiency has been reduced due to a health problem
- *2 A condition in which business processes cannot be performed due to absence from work
- *3 A condition in which vitality (feelings of energization from work), enthusiasm (pride and work satisfaction), and immersion (dedication to work) are fully realized
■ KPIs for promoting health management
| Category | Measurement method | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2025 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absenteeism →Being on leave or absent from work |
Count of the number of employees on leave due to mental health issues | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0% |
| Count of the number of employees on leave due to illness other than mental health | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% | |
| Presenteeism →A condition in which operational efficiency has been reduced due to a health problem |
Average employee survey results (employees’ demonstrated performance) using SPQ (Single-Item Presenteeism Question, the University of Tokyo single-item edition) →Smaller scores indicate better conditions |
ー | 29.0% | 20% |
| Work engagement →A condition in which vitality, enthusiasm, and immersion are fully realized |
Average employee survey results using the short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (0: Never — 6: Always) →Larger scores indicate better conditions |
ー | 2.71 | 3.5 |
■ Health indicators
| Category | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2025 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of employees who received regular health checkups | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | Continued 100% |
| Percentage of employees who underwent a thorough examination after a regular health check | 71.3% | 59% | 57.6% | 100％ |
| Specific health check implementation rate | 99.4% | 99.5%*2 | 99.0%*2 | 100％ |
| Specific health guidance implementation rate | 53.1% | 57.8%*2 | 59.0%*2 | 55％→60% (Updated target because it was achieved in FY2022) |
| Stress check response rate | 95.2% | 93.0% | 91.9% | 95% or more |
| Smoking rate | 24.8% | 26.2% | 24.3％ | 15% or less |
| Exercises regularly*1 (Exercises for at least 30 minutes per session at least twice a week, for one year or more) |
25.5% | 20.6% | 25.3% | 30% or more |
| Sufficiently rested through sleep*1 | 61.6% | 62.5% | 61.9% | 65% or more |
| Skips breakfast at least three times a week*1 | 17.4% | 18.6% | 18.8％ | 10% or less |
| Drinks alcoholic beverages regularly*1 (approximately 180 ml or more per day) |
11.7% | 10.7% | 9.3% | 10% or less |
| Obesity ratio | 32.0% | 30.7% | 27.0% | 25% or less |
| Prevalence of employees showing irregularities in glucometabolic items | 14.7% | 14.2% | 16.8% | 12% or less |
| Prevalence of employees showing irregularities in lipid items | 29.3% | 27.5% | 25.5% | 25% or less |
| Prevalence of employees showing irregularities in blood pressure | 8.9% | 11.8% | 13.0% | 8% or less |
- *1 Calculated based on health-check questionnaire forms for regular health checkups.
- *2 Disclosed based on figures aggregated as of September 17, 2024.
Initiatives for in-house dissemination
Each month we publish the “Health & Management News” to provide employees with information on health management activities and as an effort to solicit ideas and opinions regarding these activities.
The internal medical office monthly newsletter “Hanaemi” is published under the concept of “Information when you need it, even if that time is not now,” and includes close-tohome health information.
- * Hanaemi is a yamato kotoba (an old Japanese word) that means a bright smile that blooms like a flower, or to smile like a blooming flower. The internal medical office named the character with the hope that “smiles can overflow among all of the people who work for Suzuki.”
Health management character
Captain Kenta
Internal medical office character
Hanaemi
Initiatives to enhance health literacy
Informal discussion between management and employees
We regularly hold informal discussions on health management topics between members of management, including the President, and employees. Videos of the discussions are distributed through the Company in an effort to enhance employee health literacy.
Health checkups and efforts to stay healthy
Employees under the age of 40 undergo regular health checkups conducted by the Company, while those age 40 and above are referred to an outside medical institution for comprehensive health checkups, including screenings for cancer and other diseases, to facilitate early detection and treatment. In collaboration with the Suzuki Health Insurance Association, we also focus on dental health, and have put in place a system enabling employees to receive annual dental checkups. We also have in place a system to allow employee family members to undergo health checkups, ensuring that both employees and their families can lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Further, to assist employees in improving their lifestyle habits, we provide a visualization of their vegetable intake, and provide health guidance through everyday, practical dietary practices.
● Prevention of health damage caused by working long hours
Interviews with an industrial physician are conducted for employees who work more than 80 hours of overtime in a month, in addition to which consultations are held for employees who work more than 60 hours of overtime in a month, both part of our efforts to facilitate early detection of mental health issues and prevent damage to employee health.
● Specific health guidance
The Health Insurance Association and medical offices at each business location collaborate to ensure that employees who were not able to receive specific health guidance during their comprehensive medical checkups at outside medical institutions can access such guidance within the Company.
● Mental health measures
We conduct mental health training to facilitate early detection of mental health issues and prevent their recurrence.
To ensure employees do not try to deal with their issues alone, we have established a Mental Health Consultation Room (providing counseling by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists), and further, as an outside counseling service, we have also worked with an external specialist organization to put in place an employee assistance program (EAP service) which is available to both employees and their families.
● Initiatives to promote habitual exercise
Athletes from the Suzuki Athlete Club travel to various offices to provide instruction in Suzuki Original Calisthenics, the correct way of walking and more.
Suzuki Original Calisthenics were devised by athletes of the Suzuki Athlete Club based on an internal survey.
As a result of these activities, employees’ habitual exercise increased from 20.6% (in FY2022) to 25.3% (in FY2023).
● Health counseling service for women
We have established a health consultation service run by an obstetrician-gynecologist where female employees can easily go with questions about their own health, and where male employees can also turn for answers to questions about their partner’s health, pregnancy and childbirth.
● Health management initiatives for employees assigned overseas
We conduct in-house health checkups and vaccinations for employees who are assigned overseas, both before their departure and after their return. Moreover, we encourage employees assigned overseas and others to check medical information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FORTH, the Quarantine Information Office, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, to understand the symptoms, treatment and prevention methods for diseases (including infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV) prevalent in the countries and regions to which they will be traveling. We also recommend various types of vaccinations at Company expense based on the country or region to which the person will travel.
We have also created a system that allows employees assigned overseas to receive consultations and guidance from internal industrial physicians, public health nurses, and nurses via online conferencing. In addition, the Company subscribes to a medical assistance service that provides hospital appointments, medical interpretation and cashless services using overseas travel insurance in the event of injury or illness to employees assigned overseas and others.
● Initiatives to prevent secondhand smoking
We are subsidizing half of outpatient fees up to ¥10,000 for employees who are taking on the challenge of quitting smoking through health insurance associations.
As an initiative to prevent secondhand smoking, we have prohibited all indoor smoking, set up smoking areas ( outdoor), and prescribed smoking times. We also hold regular monthly, Company-wide no smoking days.
● Welfare system connected to health management
Under the cafeteria plan (selective welfare system), one of the in-house welfare systems, we have prepared many items to support health and for work and family balancing, providing help for employees’ needs.
Initiatives to promote health management in the community
As part of efforts to contribute to community health, former Olympic athletes from the Suzuki Athlete Club attended the Lake Sanaru Fureai Walk, an event sponsored by the local government, offering preand post-walk exercise and a class in the correct way to walk.
JapanDomestic sales distributors
Sales distributors emphasize the maintenance and promotion of good employee health, and are advancing initiatives aimed at achieving “Health Management.” From time to time, they conduct health management training for employees, to increase overall employee health awareness and promote health management across the company as a whole. To promote health management among their own clients (their sub-distributors), some distributors have also incorporated health management seminars as part of their conferences.
- ① Suzuki Motor Sales Tokai Inc.
“Aging Seminar for Working Adult Women” - ② Suzuki Motor Sales Tottori Inc.
“Tips for Improving Intestinal Function and Gut Health (Sponsored by Tottori Yakult, Inc.)” - ③ Suzuki Motor Sales Aomori Inc.
Seminar titled “Health Management will Improve Your Company’s Results” (With support from Tokyo Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.)
JapanDomestic sales distributors
Sales distributors emphasize the maintenance and promotion of employees’ good health, and strive to create workplace environments that are easy to work in.
A total of 26 sales distributors have been recognized as 2024 KIH Outstanding Organization (Large Enterprise Category) as part of the Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program* operated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.
- * Certified KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program: A system to award companies, including large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises, that practice particularly outstanding health management based on initiatives that meet local health issues and health promotion efforts promoted by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.
■Suzuki sales distributors recognized as 2024 KIH Outstanding Organization (Large Enterprise Category)
| Suzuki Motor Sales Hokkaido Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Hokuriku Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Aomori Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Chubu Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Yamagata Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Tokai Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Ibaraki Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Kyoto Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Gunma Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Kansai Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Kanto Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Hyogo Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Saitama Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Tottori Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Nishisaitama Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Hiroshima Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Chiba Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Yamaguchi Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Keiyo Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Saga Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Tokyo Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Kumamoto Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Minami Tokyo Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Kagoshima Inc. |
| Suzuki Motor Sales Syonan Inc. | Suzuki Motor Sales Okinawa Inc. |
External recognition
2024 Hamamatsu Wellness Award
In recognition of our contribution to promoting the Hamamatsu Wellness Project, aimed at realizing a preventive and health-focused city by the city of Hamamatsu, and as a model project and initiative for other companies and organization, Suzuki received the Hamamatsu Wellness Award in the health management category at the 2024 Hamamatsu Wellness Awards.
TOPICSSuzuki joins the Health & Productivity Management Alliance
—Promoting health and productivity management through practical initiatives and sharing expertise—
On December 26, 2023, Suzuki joined the Health & Productivity Management Alliance.
The Health & Productivity Management Alliance was established on June 30, 2023, and is comprised of 319 companies and organizations (as of December 26, 2023) that support the Alliance’s vision to “Revitalize Japanese companies and achieve the sustainability of company-run health insurance societies by promoting employee well-being.”
With its catchphrase, “Happy customers are created by happy employees,” Suzuki, led by its President, is working to promote health and productivity management activities. Since being certified as the KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) Outstanding Organization in 2021, it has continued to be recognized with that certification every year since.
In joining this Alliance, we will accelerate our health management initiatives by sharing expertise with other participating companies, building our organizational structure, analyzing health issues and developing measures to address them.
The Company will take on health initiatives as Team Suzuki to ensure that all employees who work at the Suzuki Group can implement the Mission Statement and work positively and energetically in excellent mental and physical health, and as a result, provide products that delight customers.
The Health & Productivity Management Alliance URL:https://kenkokeiei-alliance.com/ (Japanese language only)
Health and Productivity Management® is a registered trademark of the non-profit organization Kenkokeiei.
Suzuki Motor Corporation Health Management URL:
https://www.globalsuzuki.com/corporate/csr_environment/social/safety.html