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Occupational Safety and Health

HOYA Group’s Occupational Safety and Health Activities

The HOYA Group is pushing for the creation of a pleasant workplace environment where every one of the employees can work in good health and safely. For the HOYA Group’s philosophy, basic policies and organizational structure related to occupational safety and health, please refer to HOYA’s website.

Status of Occupational Accidents

The HOYA Group engages in day-to-day safety and health activities aimed at preventing occupational accidents from occurring. We are striving to reduce the risks of occupational accidents occurring by sharing information within the Group and conducting in-house training, internal audits, etc., in addition to assessing risks based on the HOYA Group Risk Management Guidelines for Occupational Safety and Health and engaging in various initiatives for managing chemical substances and assuring the safety of machines and equipment. The trends in the incidence of occupational accidents are shown in the figure below.

* Reference data: Lost time injury (LTI) frequency rate: 1.29, Lost time injury (LTI) intensity rate: 0.08 in the manufacturing industry according to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s fiscal 2023 data

Reduction of Risks Using Risk Assessment

In line with the HOYA Group’s Occupational Safety and Health Risk Management Guidelines, we assess risks associated with hazardous and harmful factors in our business operations and implement countermeasures based on prioritized risk reduction. Specifically, we promote initiatives to prevent occupational accidents caused by chemical substances and machinery by identifying potential hazards through risk assessments and taking proactive steps to mitigate them. These efforts help minimize the risk of workplace accidents and contribute to building a safe and healthy working environment.

Strengthening of Chemical Substances Management

With the aim of preventing accidents, disasters, health hazards, and environmental pollution caused by hazardous chemicals, we are managing chemical substances used in our business activities throughout the Group based on the HOYA Group Chemical Substances Management Standard. This helps prevent occupational accidents such as health problems caused by chemical substances and also reduces environmental impact. We conduct regular surveys and reports on the occurrence of environmentally hazardous substances, and through risk assessments of the substances used, we take measures such as considering alternatives to chemical substances, improving the working environment, and managing exposure prevention measures to reduce risks. In addition, based on compliance with the laws and regulations of each country, we have established an effective management system that includes the preparation of safety data sheets (SDS), implementation of work environment measurements, and enhancement of education and training. These initiatives are applied to all business sites in Japan and overseas, contributing to the improvement of safety and health standards across the entire Group.

Assurance of Safety of Machines and Equipment

The HOYA Group considers the safety of machines and equipment a matter of great importance in achieving occupational safety. To prevent occupational accidents caused by machinery and equipment, we implement risk reduction measures based on the HOYA Group Standard for the Safety of Machines and Equipment, starting with risk assessment at the design stage.

This standard mandates risk assessment when installing, modifying, relocating, or reusing equipment, and clearly defines structural and technical measures (such as guard installation, interlocks, and emergency stop devices) to minimize risk.

Furthermore, based on a design philosophy that assumes human error, we place great importance on creating a safe working environment for our operators.

We are also working to improve safety awareness and prevent occupational accidents throughout the Group by conducting risk assessments when introducing new equipment and providing education and training to employees. These initiatives are applied to all manufacturing sites in Japan and overseas, and continuous improvements are being made under a globally unified safety management system.

Implementation of Internal Audits on Occupational Safety and Health

Environment and occupational safety and health personnel and head office specialized staff conduct internal audits periodically at our business facilities inside and outside Japan. These audits aim to prevent occupational accidents and continuously improve safety and health performance.

Audits are conducted by combining confirmation of survey sheets submitted in advance with on-site audits. Based on the audit reports, each business facility formulates and implements improvement plans, and a process is in place to confirm the status of improvements at the next audit.

These activities are conducted under a globally unified safety and health management system, contributing to the development of a Company-wide safety culture and the creation of a sustainable workplace environment.

Training in HOYA Group Safety and Health

We are conducting education and training on management systems and risk assessment, focusing on newly established overseas production bases. These training programs are conducted with consideration for local culture and customs and include on-site training to enhance practical effectiveness. Furthermore, we are striving to foster a culture of safety throughout the entire Group by developing human resources to support the implementation of ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management system) and providing systematic education and training based on the management system. In addition, the facility environment and occupational safety and health personnel conference is held regularly to share and exchange information on key issues across the Group and to disseminate newly established Group standards, thereby striving to continuously enhance the performance of its occupational safety and health activities.