V Environment-Oriented Communications
Occupational Safety and Health Activities
Organization for Safety and HealthActivities

method. In fiscal 2002, the fourth year of thebeing pursued.

sponsibility lies, just like business responsibility, with the managers of business divisions, notwith the managers of Works as was conventional. At the same time, the Safety, Environment

dards
A-, B- and C-ranked specifications of facil-

The occurrence of a grave accident in 1999 has
led to form a new organization in which the re-n Rechecking and Maintenance of Stan-new regime, look-ahead safety measures are

ity safety design standards in conformity withPriority Environmental Activities forFiscal 2002n Training of In-House Safety andHealth Instructor

ISO12100 were drawn up by the facility designdepartment.
Safe work standards against residual risks thatcannot be covered with facility improvements
have been drawn up at the Oyama, Chiba andand Health Promotion Department consisting

Training of safety and health instructor wasof experts in safety, health and environment

carried out six times aimed mainly at supervi-

has been established to be under direct con-sors of workplace, and 166 in-house safety andA-ranked specification: Fundamental safety matter

trol of President. The Central Committee forhealth instructors were trained. These instruc-B-ranked specification: Common safety matter

Safety and Health has also been established, intors are now educating individual employees.

which a Director in charge of safety and healthn Look-Ahead Safety Measures against

takes office as the Chairman and managers ofOsaka Works.

C-ranked specification: Facility-specific safety matter

Number of work-leaving accidents

Dangerous Work20Safety check of plant facilities and machines

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company-wide policies and measures are dis-is being pursued thoroughly in their third-year

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cussed in order to promote safety activities in aplan aiming at possible improvements, together

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definite and comprehensive manner. Moreover,with safety check for dangerous or hazardous

experienced visiting lecturers are invited to allwork.

the Works to reform employees’ environmental

Required and prohibited practices are defined

consciousness through such educational cours-

against dangerous or hazardous work, andes for safety and health and safety investigation

thorough “point and call” practice is pursued

4of plants to improve, on-the-spot and on-the-everyday on an actual-place and actual-material

2object, facilities, work environment and workbasis.

0

Number of accidents

business divisions as the members, thereby

12
10
8
6

'93

'94

'95

'96

'97

'98

'99

'00

'01

'02

Mental Health Care

Working Conditions Measurement

To prevent employees’ mental stress caused by

The results of measurements in fiscal 2002

rapidly changing business structure, we haveindicate that 98 % of the special workplaces

set up a three-year program of mental healthdesignated by the law (dealing with organic

promotion as one of the Priority Safety andsolvent, dust, specialized substance and lead)

Health Measures. In fiscal 2002, the program

belong to the Class-1 Control Category.

started with a declaration of “introduction ofmental health program” by a Director in charge.

Workplace improvement initiatives are being

Mental health education bynursing staff

implemented to improve the working conditions

Mental health education has been conducted allof workplaces corresponding to the Class-2 andthe while to the managers, supervisors and gen-User card for outside
EAP advice to be carriedby employeeseral employees, and in fiscal 2003, the programis extended to all employees.
An outside institution for employee assistanceorder to standardize the check-up work and toprogram (EAP) contracted to provide consult-improve the daily life. This enables us to unify

ing windows, supporting preemptive moves forthe management of health information and tomaintaining mental health. Moreover, travelingcompare the data from diversified viewpoints.

service of medical specialists is under way.

Thus, health conditions ranging from a group toMedical Check-Up

individuals can be grasped to be developed into
guidelines for a better daily practice, thereby

Since fiscal 2002, medical check-up wasreforming the health consciousness of all em-

shifted to a company-wide common practice inployees.

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Class-3 Control Categories.
Class-1 Control Category: Working condition whichis assessed to be appropriate.
Class-2 Control Category: Working condition whichis assessed to allow some scope for improvement.
Class-3 Control Category: Working condition whichis assessed to be inappropriate.

Environment-Oriented Communications
Enlightenment and Publicity ActivitiesEnlightenment Activities
To raise the environment consciousness of theagement delivered a message to all the Works

employees, we have put up an environmental

about the significance of the month of environ-campaign poster at all the Works, Laboratories

mental preservation, offering encouragement ofand Branch Offices in succession to the lastenergetic activity. Each Works, in response toyear. The poster contains a slogan about envi-

this message, carried out diversified activities

ronmental preservation activities, Basic Envi-such as distribution of a leaflet informing theronmental Policy and major activity targets forenvironmental preservation month, installation

fiscal 2003.

of notice boards, call for a catchphrase con-In June, which is designated as the month ofcerning the environment, implementation of theenvironmental preservation, the chairman of

5S activity in and around the Works’ premises

the Central Committee for Environment Man-

together with nighttime patrols.

Environmental campaign poster

Publicity Activities
We positively disclose the information on ourenvironment-friendly products and environmental preservation activities through our website
together with active participation in exhibitions
and communal activities, thus making efforts
to communicate with our customers and localcommunities.
n Information Disclosure on Website

n Communal Activities

On our website, under the title of “Environmen-Since fiscal 2002, the Chiba Works actively

tal Preservation Activities” we disclose how Fu-

participates in “Eco-Fair Ichihara” that is held

rukawa Electric is promoting its environmental

in the Ichihara Citizen Hall.

preservation initiatives, and present, since fiscal
2000, previously published environmental reports in PDF. The environmental report on thewebsite is upgraded every year by December.

Eco-Fair Ichihara
Organic fertilizer made from garbage from thecompany cafeteria is exhibited and delivered at nocharge.

Eco-Fair Ichihara
Planter boxes made of recycled wooden drums areexhibited.

Furukawa Electric’s website
http://www.furukawa.co.jp/english/index.htm
Environmental Preservation Activities
http://www.furukawa.co.jp/enviro/english/index.html

Eco-Fair Ichihara
Disposition of PCB is exhibited and illustrated using
a VTR.

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Environment-Oriented Communications
Enlightenment and Publicity Activities
n Exhibitions
Furukawa Electric’s products and technological information including environment-friendly
products are exhibited at major exhibitions
around the country.

Electrical Construction Equipment and Material Fair 2002

Automotive Engineering Exposition 2002

Name of exhibition

Fiber Optics Expo 2003

Thermal Solution Technologies in Techno-Frontier Week 2002

Exhibited productsElectrical Construction Equipment and Material Fair 2002
(at INTEX OSAKA)

Compact optical fiber fusion splicer, Cable connecting materials including CellPack, Eco-Bus duct, Flexible
conduit of plastics (ECO-PLAFLEKY), Underground cable duct made of cable waste (KOHTA KUN), Eco-cable(ECO-ACE), Terminating materials for high-voltage cable, Fire-preventive products (NIJIKAN Series), etc.

INTERNEPCON JAPAN (at Tokyo Big Sight)

Nitrogen-atmosphere reflow oven “SALAMANDER”

Fiber Optics Expo 2003 (at Tokyo Big Sight)

Network equipment, Compact optical fiber fusion splicer, OFS specialty fiber

IEEE/PES T&D 2002 Asia Pacific(at PACIFICO YOKOHAMA)

Eco-material wire and cable, Recyclable drum, Cable jointing material

Automotive Engineering Exposition 2002
(at PACIFICO YOKOHAMA)

36-V car battery, Wire harness for roof modules, PCB joint box, Flat speaker, EV connector, Optical fiber, Optical connector

Thermal Solution Technologies in Techno-Frontier Week 2002
Heat-dissipating cabinet, Heat exchanger, HeatPlaner, Heat sink, Micro heat pipe, TM sheet, HeatKicker, etc.
(at Makuhari Messe)

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Environment-Oriented Communications
Environmental Initiatives of Business Bases
Chiba Works
Location: 6, Yawatakaigandori, Ichihara-shi, Chiba-ken
Number of employees: 1,724
Lot area: 737,605 m2
The Chiba Works was established in 1961 infriendly Works”, it consistently pursues three

the city of Ichihara, the hometown of “JEF

major themes of environmental preservation:

UNITED ICHIHARA” which belongs to the J.

zero-emission activity, law-abiding activity andLeague, and now develops and manufacturescommunal activity.

energy and information transmission media
such as raw materials for electrical wire, power

Environmental area patrol

cables, communications cables, electrical wirefor electronic equipment as well as large-capacity communications equipment. The Works
acquired ISO14001 certification in June 1998
going ahead of the entire company. Striving to
be an “environmentally advanced Works”, italways addresses many challenging tasks.
Under the slogan of “Toward an environmentExplanation of environmental activities is given to thevisitors

Zero-Emission Activities
Through complete separation of the waste generated in the Works, the volume of waste disposed of in landfills infiscal 2002 significantly decreased by 62.5 % over fiscal 2000, and the total volume of waste by 51 %. Now theactivity extends to daily-life features such that paper cups at vending machines are recycled and that garbage fromthe company cafeteria is being turned into compost.
Paper cup with environmental
catchphrase

Law-Abiding Activity
In response to the fact that “Stop Idling” became compulsory by the Environmental Preservation Ordinance ofChiba Prefecture, members of the EMS Promotion Committee distributed leaflets on “Stop Idling”, positively pursuing enlightenment activities.
Members of EMS Promotion Committee distributing leaflets

Communal Activities
We actively participate in various communal activities, whereby, at the Yawata
Coastal Area Fair and the Eco-Fair Ichihara held every year in May and June,
we present environmental preservation activities of the Chiba Works, sell
wood planters brought about by recycling promotion activities, and deliver atno charge organic fertilizer made from raw garbage from the company cafeteria, thus acquiring a favorable reputation.

Eco-Fair Ichihara

Yawata Coastal Area Fair

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Environment-Oriented Communications
Environmental Initiatives of Business Bases
Mie Works
Location: 20-16, Nobono-cho, Kameyama-shi, Mie-ken
Number of employees: 959
Lot area: 540,216 m2
The Mie Works was established in 1971 in thesuperb natural surroundings at the foot of theSuzuka mountain range as a business base ofFurukawa Electric in the Chukyo and Kansai

A scene of summer evening festivalareas. The Works manufacture not only nonferrous materials such as copper products, copper
wire and magnet wire, but also optical fiber cable, automotive products and plastic products,
thus consolidating its position as a backbone
business base both in name and reality. The

Aerial photograph of Mie Works

Works is actively communicating with the local
communities through such activities as summer

Presentation of a booth at the environmental fairsponsored by Mie Prefecture

evening festivals and factory tours inviting nearneighbors.

Environmental Preservation Activities
After it acquired ISO14001 certification in November 1998, the Mie

Because it is located in an inland area, the Mie Works is carrying out

Works is pursuing reduction activities of environmental impact on aenvironmental preservation activities placing special emphasis on

Works-wide basis such aswastewater quality control, whereby stringent voluntary levels are set

1) Reduction of PRTR-targeted chemical substances

up and an automatic supervisory and alarming system for control items

2) Promotion of energy conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas

is installed to quickly detect any abnormalities in wastewater qual-3) Reduction of waste (Promotion of zero-emission)ity. Moreover, in view of the Fifth Immutable Weight Control against4) Purification of wastewater and flue gas

Wastewater Quality to be applied in April 2004, an automatic analyzer
for total phosphorous and total nitrogen in wastewater has been installed to enable full-time monitoring using the automatic supervisory

Automatic monitoring equipment for wastewaterand alarming system. In addition, an empty reservoir for emergency
use is provided in case of water quality eventualities.
In terms of purification of atmospheric emission, a dust collector has
been installed for a copper melting furnace that is designated as a
specific facility in the Air Pollution Control Law. The installation has
reduced the dust concentration down to less than one tenth the level
before the installation. Thus at the end of fiscal 2002, the emission volume of dust of the entire Mie Works was reduced by 90 % over fiscal
1997, contributing a great deal to pollution reduction in the Works aswell as in the neighboring areas.
In future, we intend to continue conventional activities including
wastewater- and atmospheric emission-countermeasures, simultaneously placing emphasis on global warming prevention including energy
conservation as well as waste reduction, which constitute important
policy of Mie Prefecture.

Analysis room for wastewater

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