What are Industrial Safety Consultants and Industrial Health Consultants?
The qualification of Industrial Safety Consultants and Industrial Health Consultants has been established in the article 81 of Industrial Safety and Health Law since 1972. The Consultants are authorized to start practice after registration on the name list of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare after passing a high level of qualifying examination imposed by the Minister.
With a retainer, the Consultants provide inspection and guidance in safety and health under the title of Industrial Safety or Health Consultants at the request of clients.
The special areas of Industrial Safety Consultants are classified into the mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, and architectural areas, and those of Industrial Health Consultants are classified into the medical health and the industrial health engineering.
Conducting the safety and health inspection and developing the improvement plan are Industrial Safety and Health Consultants’ most important services based on the article 81 of the said law.
Please
utilize Industrial Safety and Health Consultants on the following occasions:
・ An industrial accident has occurred.
a・ Your factory has been designated as the one requiring special guidance
in safety or health management.
・ You notify a plan for installing or modifying the facilities to the authority.
・ You make improvement of the machinery or work environment.
・ You build a new plant or introduce new technology.
・ You want to revitalize safety and health management activities.
・ You have a difficulty in appointing a trainer in safety and health.
・ You have a difficulty in developing rules of safety and health management.
・ You want to appoint an appropriate institution of physical examination
or
work environment measurement.
・ You have a difficulty in finding an adviser on safety and health.
Examples of benefits gained from Industrial Safety and Health Consultants
Case 1: Food Manufacturing Industry
The company A manufactures desert food by about 550 employees. Its factory was designated as the one requiring special guidance in safety management in 2001 because many incidents of burn, pinching and fall occurred there. The company then concluded the agreement to consult the Industrial Safety Consultant for continuous guidance.
The consultant focused on (1) equipment, (2) management system and (3) safety and health training among problem areas, and developed the improvement plan. Regarding (1) equipment, the consultant led risk assessment and 119 items were checked. Then, improvement of the high-risk items was made including installation of guards enclosing mixers and conveyors and fall protective guards, and application of slip stoppers on floor surfaces. Regarding (2) management system, the consultant revitalized the safety and health committee, reviewed the safety management rules, and developed operation procedures for 16 types of operation in collaboration with responsible persons in the factory. Regarding (3) safety and health training, the consultant provided training for managers through development of operation procedures and discussion about those, and for assistant mangers in the fundamentals of safety and health, which were abstracted from operation procedures, and in the study of accident cases. The consultant provided training also for ordinary employees in the study of accident cases (35 cases in the past 10 years with photographs) in ten times.
As a result, the factory has been extending their record of no accident since 2002.
Case 2: Furniture
Manufacturing Industry
The company B manufactures bridal
furniture by 19 employees. Its factory was designated several years ago as the one
requiring special guidance in health management, and was later again directed to
improvement by the Labor Standards Supervision Office. The company then decided
to consult the Industrial Health Consultant for improvement guidance.
The consultant focused on (1) equipment, (2) management system and (3) safety and health training among problem areas, and developed the improvement plan. Regarding (1) equipment, the consultant led improvement of the wind velocity at the local ventilation equipment in the painting area, led improvement of illuminance by addition of fluorescent lamps, and instructed the workers to wear ear plugs in the noisy area. Regarding (2) management system, the consultant reviewed the safety and health management rules, assigned two safety and health promoters from managers, and developed the list of qualifications. Regarding (3) safety and health training, the consultant developed 48 types of instruction boards of operation procedures, which cover operation, safety and quality separately, installed them on a total of 78 pieces of machinery, and provided training for the workers.
As a result, the work environment became the class 1 (acceptable level) in all the categories, the illuminance became 150 lux or higher in all areas, and safe and accident-free workplaces have been realized.
Typical benefits gained from Industrial Safety and Health Consultants
・ You can take safety and health experts’ advice which may not be available internally in your company.
・ You can receive special technical safety guidance such as the guidance to a fail-safe system of the machinery.
・ Safety and health issues which may not be noticed internally in your company will be made clear, and you can take advice on effective ways to solve them.
・ You can save manpower costs as you can utilize Consultants on an
as-needed basis.
・ You can learn the safety and health management that is helpful in business management.
Please consult Industrial Safety or Health Consultants if you are interested in Occupational Safety and Health Management System.
There are an increasing number of companies that adopt the Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS), which is based on the guidelines by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, into their safety and health management to make sure to prevent industrial accidents. Please consult Industrial Safety or Health Consultants if you are interested in introducing OSHMS. About 50 consultants who have completed training for the system auditor are available to help you. Please consult us about clarification of the guidelines, establishment of OSHMS, system audit, risk assessment, and so on as needed.