Promotion of Health and Occupational Safety

Since 2009, Sysmex Corporation has conducted the “Kokoro no Health Check” once a year to assess employees’ mental health and identify any harassment-related issues, maintaining a response rate of over 95%. This enables us to track results over time and implement workplace improvements. We also provide channels for health consultation with industrial mental health physicians, public health nurses, and psychologists, together with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, to ensure that external professionals are available to our employees at any time.
In fiscal 2024, we held several seminars conducted by industrial physicians on themes such as mental health, women’s health, and improving sleep quality, to regularly raise employees’ awareness of health and well-being. We also provided management training for those in managerial positions to improve psychological safety in organizations. From fiscal 2023, we began offering training on “Workplace Psychological Safety and Individual Psychological Flexibility,” utilizing external consulting services mainly for production divisions, and have since expanded it to other departments.

Health and Safety Committee meetings are held regularly at each Sysmex business office, and preemptive measures are implemented from both short- and long-term perspectives based on a risk management concept, which includes eliminating risks identified through walk-around checks. In addition, the Central Health and Safety Committee, which monitors Sysmex Group companies in Japan, introduces measures and targets for health and safety and health management of domestic Group companies, monitors their progress, and deliberates on a variety of items ranging from measures against workplace risks and overwork to ensuring the safe handling of chemicals used in research. In the event of an industrial accident, the Health and Safety Committee of the relevant business office will deliberate on the causes of, and countermeasures against, the accident and report on such matters to the Central Health and Safety Committee. This body will share the reported contents within the entire Group with the objective of preventing a recurrence of the accident.
In addition, employees are given safety training on emergency and evacuation measures to be taken in the event of an accident or an employee suddenly falling ill, on handling potentially dangerous machinery and raw materials, and on safe driving. We hold comprehensive fire drills based on hypothetical large-scale disaster scenarios and conduct training on the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). We also offer courses to train citizen emergency medical technicians on a regular basis. We hold initial-response drills in the event of a disaster, such as quickly confirming and ensuring employee safety and sharing information on the damage status at business offices. We also conduct labor compliance training, provide guidance from industrial physicians on the importance of follow-up medical examinations, and carry out workplace patrols and improvement activities by employees.
Group companies also promote occupational health and safety management by carrying out workplace patrols and surveys, risk assessments, and training for emergency situations in accordance with the laws and regulations of specific regions and the characteristics of each facility. Sysmex Brazil has acquired ISO 45001 certification, the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety management systems.

To prevent overwork, we focus on reducing long working hours, which can impair physical and mental health, in collaboration with the Sysmex Union. To manage working hours, we log employees’ hours with IC cards that they use to enter and leave the office, as well as with the times when they start and shut down their computers. In addition to complying with relevant laws and regulations, we have established internal standards that are more rigorous than the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. When an employee exceeds the specified limits set in accordance with internal standards, we communicate this fact to their superior and ask the employee to submit a self-health check form so that improvements can be made to their work situation. Employees are also offered opportunities to see industrial physicians when necessary. Time management training by external lecturers for executives is continuously conducted, and in fiscal 2024, we further enhanced awareness of the need to improve overwork by implementing e-learning for managers and promoting the concept of “Proactive Leave” through awareness posters.
The average total annual working hours per person for fiscal 2024 was 2,009 hours¹, a decrease of 1 hour from the previous fiscal year. Although there were factors contributing to an increase—such as more product renewal activity in the Sales departments, increased activities in the MR Division, and the renewal of the Company-wide core system—overtime hours have shown a declining trend. This is due in part to progress in addressing labor shortages through recruitment efforts and to more efficient workstyles resulting from the adoption of the value-added productivity indicator².
Sysmex will continue to proceed with appropriate personnel allocation through the strengthening of recruiting activities, proactively educating employees, and carrying out awareness-raising activities in alliance with the Sysmex Union, with the aim of reducing working hours.

• 1 Full-time employees in Group companies in Japan
• 2 (Operating profit + labor cost + depreciation)/working hours