Health & Safety

In 2018, we published the "Santen Declaration on Health," which proclaims that Santen actively tackles the promotion of colleague mental and physical health. Since then, we have implemented our original eye-health-related initiatives, including eye examinations for employees on not only legally required items but also additional items, and also have been actively committed to various mental-health-related measures. The Health and Productivity Management is an essential initiative for fostering an organizational culture that promotes value creation and a highly productive work environment. Specific programs are implemented in four main areas: (1) Eye health, (2) Prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, (3) Mental health measures, and (4) Work-style reform.

Moreover, Santen has stationed industrial health staff, including industrial physicians and public health nurses, in each workplace in order to ensure primary prevention, that is, the prevention of diseases through the maintenance of employees' health, and secondary prevention, or the early detection of employees in poor health. Furthermore, we have established a support system to help employees on sick leave return to work and prevent them from falling sick again, thereby encouraging employees, from a health perspective, to continue to demonstrate their talent at Santen in the medium to long term, in collaboration with each workplace and other employees.

In Japan, when we conduct health examinations required by the Industrial Safety and Health Act and other applicable laws, we add our original examination items, including a fundus examination and an eye pressure test, to the legally required items, in order to raise employees' health awareness and detect any diseases in them as early as possible. We also conduct various statutory types of special medical examinations of employees engaged in special duties, such as handling certain specific chemicals, and have established an environment for them to receive hepatitis screening and preventive vaccinations. Industrial physicians check the medical examination results to judge whether each employee can continue to do their current work. Employees found in need of special care are advised to consult specialized doctors or are provided with  healthcare guidance.

To help employees easily become sufficiently aware of their own stress-related symptoms or disorders, Santen conducts self-check-based health tests (stress checks). When a health test finds employees in need of special care, we take appropriate measures, for example, providing them with medical consultations mainly with industrial health staff, who will introduce them to external specialized institutions as needed. In addition to providing support to individual employees, we make positive efforts to improve workplace environments by analyzing the health test results on an organization basis and involving each workplace in improving its own environment.

To further improve the health and safety of our employees, Santen has introduced and begun to operate health and safety management systems according to the characteristics and scales of each of our operational sites. When an occupational accident occurs, we take measures such as identifying its causes, checking similar points at our operational sites, and enhancing safety education, to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents.

In FY2023, no Santen operational sites had work-related fatalities, including contract or part-time employees, caused by occupational accidents. Occupational accidents at each site are listed in Social Data.

At each Santen operational site in Japan, the Health and Safety Committee, comprising both the Company representatives and employee union members, meets every month. The Committee checks whether or not there are long-hour workers, and the working environment, including the temperature, humidity, air quality, luminous intensity, and noise level of each workplace; patrols the workplaces to check whether or not there are actually dangerous spots; and takes measures to assure greater workplace safety and prevent occupational accidents. The Committee also offers health and safety lectures to employees, to maintain safe and healthy working environments and further improve them.

Research and Development Center and Plants of the Company are making efforts to avoid chemical-related troubles, in the manner whereby, before handling newly introduced chemicals, a specialist committee assesses the safety of the chemicals beforehand, and provides the employees who handle them with information on the results of the assessment. Since the revised Industrial Safety and Health Act, which came into force in June 2016 in Japan, obligates the relevant employers to investigate the toxicity and danger of chemicals, Santen is taking necessary measures concerning the chemicals we use, through stocktaking. Additionally, Santen continuously conducts work environment examinations to promote safety management.

Santen tackles disaster risk management, including not only fire prevention management provided for in the Fire Service Act but also preparedness for disasters such as large earthquakes. In Japan, we continuously conduct drills in confirming the safety of each employee as an important initial action in the case of a disaster, checking emergency contact networks, and making the movement useful for ensuring physical safety and reporting the safety of employees based on the Disaster Risk Management Card, for example. We have made up deficiencies detected during the drills.

Materials and equipment for fire and disaster prevention are installed in our major operational sites, while emergency supplies are stored at all operational sites and offices.

Santen considers traffic safety measures important and is continuously aware of efforts to eliminate traffic accidents and traffic violations. In Japan, we provide traffic safety education and driving skill training for new sales representatives to support them in driving sales vehicles.