Labor Practices - Occupational Health and Safety of Employees

Basic Policies concerning Occupational Health and Safety

NuFlare Technology, Inc.(“NuFlare Technology”) is a “Corporate Citizen of Planet Earth” engaged in the development and production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and provision of related services. We conduct all activities in accordance with our corporate principles (“Committed to People,” “Committed to the Future,” and “Committed to the Society”) and accords full respect to the culture and customs of the societies in which we operate.
In its business conduct, we place the highest priority on human life, safety, and legal compliance, and make concerted efforts throughout our operations to “create safe and comfortable workplace environments and promote maintenance and improvement of physical and mental health.”

NuFlare Technology’s Basic Policies on Occupational Health and Safety

NuFlare Technology shall:

1. Positions health and safety among the most important issues for management, and strives to prevent occupational injury and disease in the workplace by achieving continual improvement based on an occupational health and safety management system.
2.  Complies with legally mandated requirements and also with other requirements to which we voluntarily subscribe that relate to occupational health and safety hazards.
3. Set objectives and targets and act decisively to achieve the following with participation by all the members:
   1. Eradication of occupational accidents and diseases in the workplace and all sources of such hazards, and the mitigation of OHS risks by:
      1. The eradication of occupational accidents and diseases in the workplace, and the mitigation of the risks that may cause such accidents and diseases.
      2. Adequate preparation for the risk assessment of chemicals.
      3. Reduction in risk due to high-pressure or toxic gases electricity, and machinery.
      4. Reduction in the risk of collapses, collisions, or flying or falling objects during disassembly or assembly or other tasks involving equipment, etc.
      5. Promotion of the 5S activities (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain), that is the base of our safety and security.
   2. We promote physical and mental health of employees so that each and every employee can make full use of his/her capabilities.
4.  Properly discusses occupational health and safety with people in different positions and their representatives involved in our business and supports them in engaging in the promotion of occupational health and safety.
5.  Proactively discloses our commitments to occupational health and safety and the results we achieve, in order to contribute to society’s enhancement of health and safety management standards.

Basic Policies Concerning Occupational Health and Safety（467 KB）

Occupational Health and Safety Promotion Framework

NuFlare Technology has organized an occupational health and safety promotion framework in which our president acts as the Chief Occupational Health & Safety Officer and the Occupational Health and Safety Committee takes the initiative in activities relating to occupational health and safety.

The Occupational Health and Safety Committee holds discussions with the representatives of employees to improve the working environment, including measures for removing hazard sources, preventing health problems, identifying the causes of and preventing work-related accidents, and maintaining and improving health. In addition, the president of NuFlare Technology, an industrial physician, and members of the Occupational Health & Safety Committee carry out periodic workplace patrols, while workplace self-patrol, Specialist Committee activities and the like are implemented to assure workplace safety. When improvement needs are identified, they will be reported to the Occupational Health & Safety Committee and corrective action will be undertaken.

Raising Awareness and Training for Ensuring Employee Health and Safety

NuFlare Technology provides various safety training programs such as education based on the needs of different organizational levels and job functions (including those of new employees and all managers responsible for safety management). We also offer Kiken Yochi Training (KYT) (hazard prediction training) and mental health education at regular intervals to help our employees increase awareness about occupational health and safety.

NuFlare Technology places particular emphasis on clean room safety training. As our R&D, manufacturing, and maintenance operations take place in special environments, namely clean rooms, we require all employees and business partners working in our clean rooms and in customer factories to take part in clean room safety training. Moreover, we implement different levels of safety training for different job functions. Furthermore, NuFlare Technology mandates the attendance at the safety trainer education recommended by the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) and raises in-house trainers for SEAJ safety training. In addition, as part of our global safety effort, all field engineers of NuFlare Technology America, Inc. have completed SEAJ safety training.

Occurrence of Work-related Accidents

NuFlare Technology conducts awareness-raising activities including risk reduction activities through risk assessment, education, and training with the aim of achieving zero-accident operations. NuFlare Technology promoted the following company-wide measures in 2020 with the aim of achieving zero-accident operations:

1. Cultivating an organizational culture in which safety is prioritized and raising safety awareness among employees
2. Spreading awareness of and providing education on rules
3. Taking effective safety measures according to the situations of individual workplaces including promotion of the 5S activities (sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain)

Occupational Health and Safety Management

NuFlare Technology gained OHSAS18001 certification in 2015, an international occupational health and safety management system standard.As the occupational health and safety management has been established as an ISO standard, NuFlare Technology transferred from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 in March 2020.Based on this management system, NuFlare Technology promotes visualization of safety management through continuous efforts involving all employees.As the occupational health and safety management system has been established, We are working to continuously improve an occupational health and safety performance to prevent all workers from work-relate injuries and illnesses and to create a safe and healthy workplace.

Note 1: OHSAS: Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series
Note 2: ISO45001 is an ISO standard for management system of occupational health and safety published in 2018.

Message from the President on Occupational Health and Safety

The president of NuFlare Technology sends a message on occupational health and safety to all employees during National Safety Week in July and Occupational Health Week in October. The purpose of these letters is to raise awareness about safety and occupational health, and encourage a focus on a particular theme related to a recent issue. Moreover, we announce our annual safety policy during an event held at the beginning of a quarter so that it is shared among the employees. At the foundation ceremony in August every year, we give an award to workplaces that have not caused any accidents over a long period of time. during that year. This encourages safety awareness to take root among the employees.

Regular Evacuation Drills and Other Drills

NuFlare Technology places the highest priority on protecting the lives and ensuring the safety of our employees. To achieve this, we conduct evacuation drills for all employees every year in preparation for major earthquakes and tsunamis, including the simulated use of a safety confirmation system. NuFlare Technology also conducts a practical evacuation drill for clean rooms in which hazardous substances and gases are used. Further, employees practice evacuating in the event of an earthquake or fire, and practice going upstairs in the event of a major tsunami.

Evacuation Drills

Gas evacuation drill

Disaster Contingency and Business Continuity Plans

In preparation for a large-scale disaster, NuFlare Technology conducts evacuation drills periodically, stores satellite phones, food, drinking water, and other supplies, and implements other disaster prevention measures. In addition, NuFlare Technology has a safety confirmation system that allows us to determine whether employees and their families are safe in the event of a large-scale disaster. NuFlare Technology also maintains a comprehensive business continuity plan (BCP), which includes countermeasures for infrastructure, equipment recovery, and customer response so as to be prepared to resume business operations as soon as possible after a disaster. We conduct table-top exercises and hold workshops at individual sites based on the prescribed standard of conduct, etc. in preparation for a large-scale disaster.

Ensuring Health Management

NuFlare Technology strives to raise employees’ awareness of the importance of health and takes various measures to maintain their physical and mental health, including periodic medical checkups, counseling provided by industrial physicians in person, and mental health education.

Periodic Medical Checkups and Remedial Action, and Health Assistance

NuFlare Technology has introduced a medical checkup support system for periodic medical checkups and follow-up interviews that employees can access online from their own desk PCs in order to complete questionnaires, register and change scheduled times for checkups and follow-up interviews, view the results of checkups, and perform other functions. Industrial physicians and healthcare staff also have access to the online medical checkup data, as necessary, for use in identifying the health status of employees and visualizing checkup results through health checkup report charts and graphical illustrations used in follow-up interviews. These charts and graphs are designed in a manner that allows them to be readily understood by employees. For fiscal 2020, 100% of employees underwent periodic medical checkups, except those who were away on business trip for an extended period.

At present, we give priority to brain and heart diseases and promotion of healthy habits, and provides employees with health guidance on topics such as lifestyle and diet.

Interview Guidance for Employees Working Excessive Overtime

With a view to preventing health problems caused by excessive work, NuFlare Technology requires all employees who have worked for no less than 45 hours of overtime per month for three consecutive months to undergo interview guidance with an industrial physician (Interview Guidance for Employees Working Excessive Overtime).

Mental Health

NuFlare Technology works to address the issue of employees’ mental health by developing a comprehensive system of mental health care involving industrial physicians and occupational health nurses, as well as individual workplaces. We also hold mental health meetings for all our directors and employees at regular intervals and provides telephone counseling on both mental and physical health issues conducted by specialists.

Stress Checkup

In response to the revision of the Industrial Safety and Health Act of Japan (December 1, 2015), NuFlare Technology has been conducting stress checks since 2016 in order to aid employee awareness of their mental condition so that they can improve their working environment and maintain a healthy mental state.

Health Management for Employees assigned to Work Overseas

With its extensive overseas operations, NuFlare Technology can provide a wide range of support to employees who are stationed overseas or traveling overseas on business trips.

1. NuFlare Technology provides education to employees and their families to support their overseas lives, safety, and healthcare before they relocate overseas.
2. To support overseas employees and those on overseas business trips, NuFlare Technology has Japanese-speaking doctors available to provide medical assistance in the event of an illness or injury; provides information on medical institutions according to the locally available medical services, and makes any necessary arrangements; and provides assistance to patients who need to be transported to a hospital.
3. NuFlare Technology provides mobile phones to all employees traveling overseas on business trips so that we can contact them in case of emergency, in cooperation with overseas subsidiaries. NuFlare Technology also distributes timely information to all employees about natural disasters, crimes, accidents, and infectious diseases.
4.  NuFlare Technology also provides education about safety issues in foreign countries for managers who send their subordinates abroad and for employees who have little experience with overseas business trips.
5. In order to protect employees who need to travel on business to any countries that the government warns against traveling to because of COVID-19, NuFlare Technology has established criteria for each country and provides an explanation to the employees.

AED Training Session

A number of times each year, NuFlare Technology invites a trainer few times a year from a third-party organization to conduct training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and operation of an automated external defibrillator (AED). We promote these training sessions on a company-wide basis. Our plan calls for all employees to learn how to use an AED by receiving practical training and a lecture, thereby ensuring that they can administer emergency medical treatment when necessary. To date, 286 employees have completed the program. We will continue to hold these AED training sessions to systematically increase the number of employees who can use an AED.

Promotion of the 5S Activities

NuFlare Technology considers the 5S activities as an important basis for safety. All our employees promote the 5S activities to make their workplaces safe, comfortable and efficient. We also hold presentations and other events to recognize employees who made outstanding achievements so that they can be shared among the employees.

Measures against Disasters and Infectious Diseases

NuFlare Technology’s business continuity plan (BCP) provides action guidelines for measures against earthquakes and new flu pandemics.

As part of its efforts to become better prepared for large-scale disasters, NuFlare Technology holds periodic disaster drills and proactively implements a wide range of disaster preparedness measures, including setting up a satellite-telephone system and building stockpiles of food, potable water, and other supplies. At the same time, we also have in place a safety confirmation system that will automatically confirm the safety of employees in the event of a large-scale disaster in order to assure the safety of employees and their families.

In addition, as NuFlare Technology is a company with extensive overseas operations, we also collect information concerning restrictions on overseas travel, infectious diseases, and other relevant issues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries and agencies and proactively alerts those assigned to work overseas, including those on short-term business trips, regarding such risks.