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Safety, Industrial Hygiene

The Bridgestone Safety Mission Statement applies equally to employees, contractors and visitors to our facilities. In all workplaces the Bridgestone Group operates around the world, the Safety Mission Statement is prominently displayed for all to see. Together with the display, the Group maintains programs to ensure all employees embody the Safety Mission Statement.

This mission serves as a blueprint for protecting the health and safety of the Group’s employees and contractors. These standards must continue to evolve as the Group continuously learns from experience, while ergonomic risks increase with the aging of populations, as regulations change, as machinery and equipment ages and as new technologies are progressively introduced at sites. The Group is also proactively promoting the highest levels of safety culture within the new businesses it develops or acquires.

The Group also adheres to the Bridgestone Health and Safety Management Policy (guideline of safety, industrial hygiene and disaster prevention activities in the Group), which has been approved by the Global Quality Management Committee (GQMC) chaired by the GQMC leader, the Global Chief Quality Management Officer (Global CQMO). The policy summarizes the Group’s safety activities based on the Safety Mission Statement in order to inform our decision-making when implementing Bridgestone’s health and safety management system. The policy covers compliance with health and safety-related laws and regulations, risk assessments to identify and mitigate risks in the workplace, investigation and implementation of countermeasures to prevent recurrence based on various procedures, training and education for safety awareness and safe behavior, and continuous improvement through internal and external audits.

Bridgestone Health and Safety Management Policy (1.9MB)

Under the oversight of Global Executive Committee (G-EXCO) members, including the Global CEO, the Group’s Fundamental Area Safety Group within the Global Quality Management Committee (GQMC) manages and responds to global risks, challenges and opportunities related to health and safety.

The Fundamental Area Safety Group has established five task forces:

• Monitoring & suggestion;
• System content standardization;
• Metrics/KPI’s to visualize perfect safety;
• Safety activities for retail stores and warehouses; and
• Safety rule compliance and safety education.

The Group exchanges examples of best practices with the strategic business units (SBUs) and Global Business Support (GBS) through regular safety meetings and promotes related activities in consultation with other global committees to create better synergy.

The task force for “Monitoring & suggestion” collects information on the prevention of occupational health and safety accidents and prepares a quarterly report for the working group’s use. Each task force regularly reports occupational health and safety (OHS) related risk assessment activities to the Audit Committee, which is made up of Board members, and Global EXCO members.

The Group’s Safety, Disaster Prevention and Environmental Division and the SBUs share information on accidents and recurrence prevention measures, identifying issues and deciding on workplace policies. In order to share these policies and detailed measures with the rest of the Group, the Group holds meetings with OHS personnel at Group company locations and exchanges information with business managers and safety personnel at the SBUs. At the plant level, periodic health and safety committee meetings are held to discuss safety enhancement and risk mitigation between labor representatives and management.

To track progress towards our aim of achieving “Perfect safety” as outlined in the Safety Mission Statement, the Group annually evaluates its safety performance and monitors global best practices. The overall goal is to continuously enhance the safety culture with the aim of achieving the best results in the industry. Since 2022, the Group has established four KPIs and monitors the results on the digital platform as follows.

The Group has established the Global Criteria for Occupational Injury to classify injuries occurring at Group production sites, distribution and sales facilities, as well as warehouses. The Group compiles injury statistics on a quarterly basis and uses any findings to help prevent similar injuries. The Group has collected data on the lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) for employees and contractors globally since 2019 and data on occupational illness frequency rate (OIFR) since 2020.

In 2023, across the Group, there were 15 serious injuries^*1 and two fatalities among employees at its 4,880 production and logistics sites and retail shops.

The Group conducts investigations and shares findings with related departments when a serious work-related accident occurs within the Group, including contractor accidents. Countermeasures based on root cause analyses are introduced to prevent recurrence. This includes identifying priority equipment/machines to be addressed based on past accidents and creating a standard. The Group has also introduced procedures to investigate and analyze work-related injuries, health issues, and diseases based on severity.

The Group will continue to promote safety activities centered on the Bridgestone Fundamental Safety Activities without compromise, deviation or exception, with the aim of reducing the total number of injuries and preventing the occurrence of fatalities and serious injuries.

In 2023, the LTIFR and severity rate for operations in Japan was below the average for both the Japanese manufacturing industry as a whole and the rubber product manufacturing industry.

The Group’s safety-related data is verified by LRQA Group Limited, a third-party institution, to ensure the accuracy and transparency of this information.

Independent Assurance Statement (241KB)

The analysis of serious injuries from 2012–2016 showed that approximately 85% of all serious injuries were related to five major risks: body caught by equipment, mobile equipment, work at height, heavy object handling, tire high-pressure inflation.

To reduce injuries associated with these five major risks, the Group has established global safety standards that include provisions for risk assessment, lockout-tagout (LOTO), mobile equipment, work in high places, hoist/crane operation, and handling large/heavy tires and tire inflation. In 2023, serious injuries related to the five major risks were 29% of all serious injuries.

*1 The Group defines serious injuries as amputation (except some first joints of finger or toe), complete loss of vision, bone fracture (excluding fingers, toes, feet, hands or infraction) or hospitalization of more than one month.
*2 Includes Russia, South Africa, Turkey.
*3 Includes Liberia.
*4 The incident rate for rubber product manufacturing in the U.S. is 5.0 per million hours. (2022 incident rate from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
*5 Includes technology center and head office.
*6 Severity rate = (Total number of working days lost ÷ Total number of working hours) × 1,000
*7 Occupational illness frequency rate = (Number of occupational illnesses ÷ Total working hours) × 1,000,000

The Group has established a global health and safety management system in conformance with ISO 45001 and national standards/regulations and other established global standards. As of March 2023, 51 manufacturing plants have obtained ISO 45001 certification (47% of a total 108 plants), eight manufacturing plants have obtained Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) certification and other certifications (7% of a total 108 plants) in various countries, and all facilities are working to implement the Group’s global standards.

The Group’s manufacturing sites plan and conduct internal audits in order to monitor compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as our global safety standard requirements, and evaluate safety-related performance at least every three years.

The Group has established 42 global-level standards for occupational health and safety, and disaster prevention in line with ISO 45001 (OHS management system standards) as well as national standards and regulations. These standards have been implemented at all sites throughout the organization. In 2023, new standards related to safety management for maintenance, engineering control and electric shock prevention, etc., were formulated. The Group is also formulating global standards for logistics sites and retail stores as well as production sites.

The Group implements Bridgestone Safety Fundamental Activities (BSFA) at all worksites. These activities stipulate basic safety practices: the 3S (seiri, seiton and seiso meaning select and remove, sort, and keep clean); KY (kiken yochi meaning preempting hazards); RA (risk assessment); and safety rules (including compliance with standards). All these basic safety practices are conducted uniformly at all worksites and by all employees as ongoing initiatives.

In 2023, all Group employees (approximately 130,000) received additional safety training and 109 instructors were trained to promote BSFA.

The relevant task force has created standardized global training materials to further deepen understanding of BSFA among employees working in a variety of global value chains. The materials were deployed to SBUs and will be utilized in the second half of 2024.

It is important to not only share standards, which define specific actions to take to proceed with implementation, but also to assign to each SBU instructors who have thorough knowledge of BSFA to help develop and execute uniform safety activities at all the worksites.

The Group also conducts level-based safety education for managers and supervisors at each worksite.

The Group conducts risk assessments to better promote the overall safety of new operations, projects and equipment, and setting targets for equipment safety.

Also, the Group is in the process of expanding safety-risk assessments beyond equipment to include work performed at production facilities, logistics sites and retail stores.

From 2023, safety-risk assessments are also being conducted at motorsport sites (e.g., setting up tents, tire and wheel assembly, etc.) to address any risks that are identified.

To further advance its safety culture, in August 2021, the Group began focusing on uniform implementation of safety measures for 12 types of machines. From 2022, safety requirements for equipment were added for smarter factories, as a measure to accelerate our transformation in manufacturing toward becoming a sustainable solutions company. We will do this by applying global standards to machinery and equipment and actively introducing new technologies that incorporate digital technologies, sensing, and AI control such as detection of human presence in hazardous areas.

The safety maturity assessment introduced in 2021 indicates the level of realization of the Bridgestone Safety Mission Statement. The Group has developed a safety maturity assessment tool based on its global common safety standards. Monitoring the progress of assessment contributes to identifying common global issues, confirming the effectiveness of the PDCA cycle on safety activities and making sure continuous improvement activities are being implemented.

Assessments started at production sites from 2022 with the goal of completing assessments at all production sites by 2024. As of the end of 2023, approximately 60% of production sites have completed the assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, issues at each site, SBU, and company-wide are being identified, and improvements made. The Group is also preparing for implementation at non-production-related facilities such as logistics sites and retail shops. Assessment results such as for safety maturity assessments will yield strengths that can be best leveraged globally, and points needing improvement that can be addressed to continue to enhance safety culture. From 2023, the Group has also started to create a maturity assessment check sheet focused on fire risk.

Under the new global program, master assessors and assessors who will conduct safety maturity assessments are being certified. Over time, the Group’s goal is to improve awareness and implementation levels worldwide.

To raise safety awareness and cultivate knowledge to create a safe workplace, in addition to safety training offered locally at every Bridgestone location in accordance with legal requirements and the Group’s own requirements, Group-wide safety training was provided as follows.

Ongoing safety training is also conducted throughout the Group to meet both the Group’s own standards and local regulatory requirements wherever the Group operates.

The Fundamental Area Safety Group will continue to work on the design of a global framework of best practices to enhance the awareness and behavior of all employees through dedicated communication, educational tools and full support from leadership.

Bridgestone is working to lower risks by pursuing occupational safety in manufacturing locations, stores and warehouses according to ISO 45001-based global risk assessment standards. The Group also conducts risk assessments when any new equipment is introduced, or when any new or revised work practices are determined. The effort involves conducting assessments to identify risks and establish engineering controls and implementing appropriate work procedures to reduce serious injury risks.

The Group actively implements measures to mitigate residual risks identified through risk assessments, including the integration of new technologies such as AI to address potential operational risks.

Pilot projects:

• Safety support device for mill rolls utilizing AI: a camera monitors the roller, and if a hand enters the hazardous area of the roller, AI detects it and stops the roller. This system contributes to resolving the issue that a sensor could not be installed due to material blocking the sensor.
• Tire burst prediction device: the sensor is activated when the tire is inflated, and if it detects an abnormal vibration, the air is automatically released safely.
• Reduction of ergonomic risk: trials are underway to utilize power-assist suits in heavy lifting operations.

The Group continues to assign and train safety engineers (SEs) as experts in equipment safety. Based on the results of risk assessments for existing operations and equipment and for new or modified projects, it identifies any equipment that carries a high injury risk and puts safety measures in place.

The Group established a global standard called “Management of Near-misses Hidden dangers” to report incidents and unforeseen circumstances that did not lead to an accident but may occur again. In case of an incident, we strive to prevent recurrence by taking measures based on this standard.

As part of efforts to manage work environments, Bridgestone Corporation issued a global standard on ergonomics to identify improvement opportunities and mitigate the workload.

Through risk assessment of musculoskeletal workload, the Group is quantitatively evaluating risks and making improvements. For example, the Group is reducing workload by eliminating high-load work itself, installing auxiliary motors on heavy carts, and trialing suits that assist workers in lifting heavy objects.

In addition, as a measure to prevent heat stroke, the Group has installed air-cooling equipment to circulate cool air throughout plants, and by 2024 will establish a global standard based on heat stroke prevention guidelines being developed in Japan. By implementing both engineering and administrative measures, the Group will continue to realize a smarter and more comfortable work environment.

Disaster prevention is another key safety value for the Group. Implementing lessons learned from past incidents, the Group created the Disaster Prevention Global Guidelines, which focus on emergency drills, including firefighting drills and electrical wiring inspections. As with injuries, the Group shares information on accidents involving fire and any subsequent measures taken to prevent similar accidents throughout the Group. The Group also designated September 8 as Bridgestone Group Disaster Prevention Day. All company worksites conduct emergency drills every year on that day.

Moving forward, the Group will continue to work on improving fire prevention in the workplace by including fire risk mitigation in the new safety policy. The Group established fire risk assessment as part of the Bridgestone Global Safety Management System Standards, which is being implemented at the SBU and worksite levels. The fire risk assessment will enable each site to identify and mitigate fire risks from both internal and external sources.

The goal at Bridgestone Corporation is “to maintain a sound labor force and create a comfortable workplace,” and the company conducts occupational health management, including healthcare programs, with that aim in mind.

Health and productivity management

Bridgestone Corporation values the physical and mental well-being of its employees as a key management priority, seeing it as vital to a dynamic organization where everyone can work safely and with deep personal fulfillment and satisfaction. The Company practices health and productivity management to support the health of each employee in accordance with the Group’s mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality.”

In Japan, the company aims to maximize productivity by fostering a healthy workforce that helps employees improve their personal health and brings a natural vitality to every task. In partnership with the Bridgestone Health Insurance Society, the company implements the following six core programs while also working to improve employees' health literacy.

Six core programs

▪Smoking cessation

This program seeks to reduce the smoking rate among employees in Japan in addition to preventing passive smoking. In April 2020, the Company banned smoking during work hours. The Company aims to lower the smoking rate to 12% or less by 2035, which is aligned with the target set in the Japan National Health Promotion campaign. The Company closed down all the indoor smoking areas across its own facilities in 2022, and encourages employees to receive medical assistance for smoking cessation and to participate in a cessation support program

▪Cancer detection and treatment

Bridgestone Corporation conducts regular and special health check-ups, as well as health exams for employees working outside Japan as required under the Industrial Safety and Health Law. Industrial physicians and other medical personnel offer healthcare guidance to employees with health issues, usually at the Company’s Health Care Center.

Furthermore, in order to increase screening rates and achieve early detection and treatment, the Company provides at-work cancer screening, with an emphasis on female-specific cancer (breast and cervical cancer). As one of the priority issues, the Company aims to improve the female cancer screening rate (the percentage of the female employees and achieve a rate at least 50% of female employees at each site take the screening test. It also informs employees of subsidies for screening expenses, and raises awareness through videos and e-learning. In addition to using a bus to provide screening services, the Group started to offer screening services through a nationwide network^*1 of clinics made available through the Bridgestone Health Insurance Society in 2021.

*1 Made possible through an agreement between Bridgestone Health Insurance Society and a medical examination enforcement organization.

▪Lifestyle diseases

The Company uses information and communication technologies to encourage employees to use a health guidance program^*1 designed to improve lifestyle-related health outcomes. It also encourages use of an online health improvement service available by smartphone or computer.

*1 A program for employees deemed at high risk for serious lifestyle diseases based on the results of their annual health check-up. Eligible employees receive free guidance and support from a medical expert for improving their lifestyle habits.

▪Mental health care

The Company has developed a guideline on mental health and established a mental health plan for each office that complies with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidelines on self-care, consultation line care, on-site industrial medical staff care, and off-site care.

Based on a mental health plan, every site in Japan has a health promotion officer or nurse, public health nurse, or other health professional who can organize a mental health team. It provides counseling services under the guidance of an industrial physician and is supported by an external Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that also covers employees’ families.

▪Infectious disease

The Company is working to protect the mental and physical health of each employee and creating a safe and secure work environment. The Company educates employees on how to prevent the spread of seasonal influenza, norovirus, and other infectious diseases and how to prepare for them.

▪Integration of health-related efforts

Bridgestone Corporation's CRO, Risk Management and Health Management Division manages the advancement of the above programs in partnership with the Health Care Center and industrial health staff at each site and with the Bridgestone Health Insurance Society.

Bridgestone Corporation evaluates the health programs and management status against original standards in five areas of occupational health: overall management, health education, work environment management, work management and health management. The company introduced this evaluation at manufacturing facilities and offices in 2010, extending it to Group companies in Japan in 2011.

Going forward, the Company will seek to further enhance health education and improve compliance with occupational health regulations and its own standards.