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| Occupational Health & Safety |
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| Sony strives to adopt sound labor and employment practices and to maintain a healthy, safe and productive work environment. |
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Basic Policy and Management System
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| In 1998, Sony enacted a Global Policy on Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), which serves as a group standard and reflects Sony's commitment to the health and safety of its employees. The policy not only requires compliance with countries' and regions' laws concerning occupational health and safety, but also sets out additional activities to be undertaken through its health and safety management structure. To further supplement the policy, Sony is continuously improving the OH&S management system concentrating on manufacturing sites. The sites have set their own goals, in line with Sony's basic policy, and are implementing ongoing initiatives. Under this system, sites are also promoting a comprehensive approach to OH&S, including protection measures in the event of fires and earthquakes, as well as other security measures, in light of the potential threat of such occurrences to safety and health. |
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Risk Assessment
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| Sony's manufacturing facilities conduct risk assessments to ascertain types and degrees of risks and implement appropriate risk prevention and management measures to eliminate or mitigate risk. By using risk identification check sheets, Sony strives to identify risks associated with major earthquakes, which can be expected to cause significant damage, and security. These measures enable Sony to identify potential risks and encourage individual sites to take ongoing steps, in accordance with their OH&S management systems, to eliminate, reduce or manage such risks. |
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| Risk assessment at Atsugi TEC,Sony Corporation |
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Promoting the Creation of Business Continuity Plans
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| Based on risk assessments like those described above, Sony is promoting the design and implementation of business continuity plans (BCPs) for all of its businesses, the aim of which is to mitigate predictable risks and ensure the prompt restoration of operations in the event of a disaster. For sites in Japan, for example, Sony has prepared BCPs relating to the occurrence of a major earthquake. These place top priority on ensuring human survival and outline measures to ensure the restoration of operations based on an estimate of damage, including preventative measures, such as earthquake-proofing and reinforcing production and energy supply equipment, exhaust ducts and drainage pipes, and ongoing preparatory measures, such as analyzing business impact and determining restoration time requirement targets. |
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| Earthquake-proof equipment |
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Global Workplace Injury Statistics
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Since fiscal 2001, Sony has employed a data collection system to gather annual workplace data in the countries and regions in which it has operations. Sony analyzes these statistics to gain an understanding of circumstances and trends in terms of country/region, injury, accident and illness, and the related practices of Sony Group companies in order to help prevent reoccurances.
In Japan, sites assessed risks and analyzed the potential for injury, and in response implemented a variety of measures. Examples include installing safety covers and safety switches in areas where there is a danger of employees being jammed or caught up in equipment and, in the area of chemical substance handling processes, switching to airtight storage containers, thereby minimizing employee exposure. Corporate audits are also conducted regularly with the aim of improving the health and safety performance of all manufacturing sites.
In the Americas, Sony DADC Pitman Plant conducted a review of the existing OH&S management system that involved job hazard analysis for all manufacturing jobs. In Sony Brazil, Ltd., an increase in communication and visual controls (notices and signs) based on Kaizen (continuous improvement) activities and the implementation of new procedures based on observations by production staff resulted in a decrease in injury rates.
In Austria, performance improvement has resulted from a systematic program for safety prevention at Sony DADC. In 2006, the specific risk reduction activities implemented focused on: increasing the efficiency of the internal audit system; increasing health and safety awareness, assurance of safety conformity in all machinery; and the strengthening of health and safety management processes.
In the Pan-Asia region, orientation programs for new employees are routinely updated through the use of training tools and employee websites. Employees also receive jobspecific risk assessment and health and safety training.
On another front, in January 2007 a fire broke out at the headquarters plant of Sony Manufacturing Systems Corporation in Kuki, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Although the fire destroyed approximately 5,000m2 of the facility, there were no injuries.
In March 2007, four Indonesia-based Sony employees on a business trip within the country were slightly injured when their aircraft was involved in an accident.
In April 2007, a commuter bus carrying 24 Sony shift workers in Slovakia was hit by a truck while it was stopped on a highway exit ramp. This accident resulted in the death of three employees, while the remaining 21 suffered injuries of varying seriousness. Subsequently, Sony issued an urgent request to all group sites worldwide regarding vehicle safety management in an effort to prevent the recurrence of such an accident. |
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| Workplace Injury Statistics for Japan*1 |
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| Workplace Injury Statistics for the United States*2 |
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*1 Frequency ratio = Number of injuries resulting in more than one lost day ÷ Total working hours × 1,000,000
*2 Rate of incidence= Number of cases of injuries requiring one or more days of missed work ÷ Actual number of worked × 200,000. Rates include all Sony regular and temporary employees at manufacturing sites. The scope of data is manufacturing sites of Sony Electronics Inc. and Sony DADC US Inc. in the United States. |
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Workplace injury statistics for the Americas, Pan-Asia, East Asia and Europe
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Workplace Injury Statistics for Brazil and Mexico*3 (Calendar Year)
Country/Region |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Brazil |
N/A |
1.7 |
1.6 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
| Mexico |
2.4 |
3.5 |
2 |
1.4 |
1.0 |
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*3 Rate of incidence = Number of cases of injuries requiring 1 or more days of missed work ÷ Actual number of hours worked × 200,000
Rates include all Sony regular and temporary employees at manufacturing locations.
Brazil does not include all manufacturing sites. |
Workplace Injury Statistics for Pan Asia and East Asia*4 (Fiscal Year)
Country/Region |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Malaysia |
2.2 |
1.2 |
2.9 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
| Singapore |
1.6 |
1.4 |
0.7 |
1.3 |
0.0 |
| Thailand |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.5 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
| Mainland China |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.4 |
| South Korea |
1.7 |
1.1 |
1.9 |
1.7 |
0.4 |
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*4 Frequency Rate = Number of injuries resulting in more than 1 lost day ÷ Total working hours × 1,000,000
Rates include all Sony employees and Sony temporary employees in manufacturing companies. |
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Workplace Injury Statistics for Europe*5 (Calendar Year)
Country/Region |
Sony vs. National Industry |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Austria |
Sony |
13.3 |
12.5 |
13.5 |
17.7 |
6.5 |
| National Industry |
37.0 |
39.0 |
39.0 |
38.5 |
N/A |
| France |
Sony |
28.5 |
26.8 |
25.4 |
16.7 |
22.3 |
| National Industry |
43.0 |
40.9 |
39.5 |
39.1 |
N/A |
| Hungary |
Sony |
13.2 |
35.6 |
26.9 |
18.2 |
15.5 |
| National Industry |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Netherlands |
Sony |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
0 |
| National Industry |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
18.0 |
N/A |
| Slovakia |
Sony |
13.7 |
15.6 |
9.4 |
7.7 |
9.1 |
| National Industry |
14.6 |
13.0 |
10.5 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Spain |
Sony |
142.9 |
116.6 |
120.6 |
123.0 |
121.3 |
| National Industry |
105.2 |
99.6 |
102.4 |
101.7 |
N/A |
| UK |
Sony |
25.2 |
30.5 |
18,6 |
7.7 |
4.6 |
| National Industry |
11.6 |
10.8 |
10.2 |
N/A |
N/A |
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*5 Units used: Number of injuries per thousand employees
The definition of workplace injury statistics varies from country to country.
Statistics for Spain include both occupational and non-occupational illnesses as required by legislation. As such, the definition is different and direct comparison cannot be made with other European countries. |
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Employee Health
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Sony Corporation is committed to creating workplaces conducive to sound health. Related activities focus on offering regular health check-up and counseling, as well as disseminating information via intranet to increase employee understanding of health-related issues.
Clinical studies of the general population in recent years have shown an increasing incidence of illnesses caused by changes in eating habits, a lack of exercise and other lifestyle-related changes, including longer working hours. The increasing complexity of tasks and diversifying work styles are compelling society to search for solutions to health problems caused by long working hours and working practices that threaten mental health. To help address these issues, Sony Corporation provides access to industrial medicine practitioners and counseling if desired for employees with health problems. It also provides managers with special training so they can identify symptoms of disorders at early stages and prevent such disorders from developing into other serious illnesses. Sony Corporation has also established in-house and external counseling services to advise employees regarding mental and physical health issues and help them resolve a variety of work-related and other concerns. |
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Initiatives to Combat HIV/AIDS
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Recognizing HIV/AIDS as an urgent global issue, Sony is implementing various initiatives, focusing on areas having a high prevalence of the disease. For example, Sony Device Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd., initiated HIV/AIDS awareness training for all employees in 1993 and developed a specific policy in 1998. The policy covers nondiscrimination in hiring, awareness training and the confidentiality of employee medical information. These activities continue to be performed under policy and are promoted during Safety Week.
Sony South Africa (Pty) Ltd. is also undertaking various initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS. In addition to prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, Sony South Africa is implementing an ongoing HIV/AIDS awareness program, under which medical specialists give talks to employees on the causes and prevention of transmission of HIV/AIDS and other related topics. In 2005, the company launched the Community Upliftment Program, which provides food, medicine, winter clothes and blankets to school-age children infected with the virus, and offers various HIV/AIDS-related public education programs. |
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| Sony South Africa's HIV/AIDS Awareness Program |
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