EHS Report
Health and Safety
Initiatives

Health and safety are a vital foundation of our business activities.
The Tokyo Electron Group promotes “health and safety first” in every
aspect of its activities.

• Our approach to health and safety
As part of our social responsibility activities, the Tokyo Electron• Preventing workplace accidents*2 before
they occur

Group places great importance on ensuring that our customers,

Although the number of workplace accidents that occurred in fiscal

employees and everyone else involved in our business can work in2012 was almost the same as in fiscal 2011, the frequency of serious

a safe workplace environment, use our products safely, and enjoy

accidents that could have led to severe injury was reduced to half ofgood health.

that in fiscal 2011, thanks to vigorous activities aimed at eradicating

In fiscal 2012, we further expanded our existing safety inspection

serious accidents. These activities include checking, before our productactivities at our customers’ factories in Japan and overseas. For

is delivered, evacuation routes and emergency exits from clean rooms

newly built factories in particular, our safety specialists verify with

as well as the availability of safety facilities, such as a shower room thatthe customer the safety of the work environment as well as thecan be used when a worker is exposed to a liquid chemical; identifying

availability of safety equipment before our product is delivered, using

potential hazards at work sites; conducting safety inspections;a check sheet created specifically for new factories.

and providing training based on accident case studies. We conduct

When installing our production equipment in a clean room, forthese activities regularly to prevent accidents before they occur. In

instance, there is a risk of tripping or falling during the installation

fiscal 2013, its 50th year, the Tokyo Electron Group is reminding its

because a floor opening needs to be made so that the equipment canemployees of the Group’s “safety first” policy and working to further

be connected to power and other utilities* 1. In order to ensure that

foster a safety culture with the aim of totally eliminating workplace

workers are well aware of these risks and carry out all the necessary

accidents through the collective efforts of the entire Group.

safety measures, like installing barricades in the work area, we*2 Workplace accident: Following the guidelines of the United States Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA), the Tokyo Electron Group defines an accident
involving an injury to an employee as a “workplace accident.”

implement regular programs at each business site. These programs
simulate actual working conditions using one of our own clean rooms
to instruct participants on proper work procedures and how to deal
with dangerous situations. Similar safety education and practical

Workplace accident occurrence rate
(%)

100

100
3hands-on training sessions are also conducted in other countries andregions around the world.
4350

2302001

2009192010

245

1

10.5
2011

2012

(FY)

0

Occurrence rate of accidents that could lead to a severe injury*3 (FY2011 = 1)
Occurrence rate of workplace accidents in the Tokyo Electron Group (FY2001 = 100)
*3 Accident that could lead to a severe injury: An accident that, in the worst-casescenario, could result in a severe injury with after-effects

Practical training in a clean room
*1 In addition to a power cable, production equipment needs to be connected withexhaust, cooling water and pure water piping, among others.

• Safety education
Since July 2000, the Tokyo Electron Group has been promoting
Group-wide safety education to encourage a shared understanding of
the importance of safety. Basic safety education targeted at all Group

TOPICS
Multilingual safety promise booklet for overseas locations
The safety promise booklet summarizes important points to prevent
accidents and ensure safety in the workplace. These points have been
identified as the result of analyzing past accidents. Workers check thebooklet before work as an aid to preventing accidents. In addition toJapanese, the booklet is now available in English, Korean and Chinese foruse by our overseas organizations, where it has proved popular due to its
ease of carrying and use.

24

employees is conducted using a manual created by the Group for thispurpose. More advanced safety education based on the guidelines• EHS seminar in Taiwan

compiled by the Semiconductor Equipment Association of JapanOn February 23, 2012, Tokyo Electron Taiwan organized a seminar(SEAJ) is provided for our technical employees who work in clean

to explain the Tokyo Electron Group’s environmental and safety

rooms. In light of our safety track record from fiscal 2011, advanced

commitments to our semiconductor and FPD manufacturer customers.
The seminar introduced efforts made by our plants and offices toelectrical work and the handling of heavy goods and chemicals.

protect the environment and save energy along with our environment-

These refresher courses are available via our Intranet and on CD, andfriendly products and technologies, while also detailing our safety

roughly 7,700 employees participated in these courses during fiscal

activities to reduce accidents and anti-seismic measures taken

2012. We also make sure that workers take a pre-work safety checkfor our plants and products. A video created for safety education

test prior to visiting customers’ factories to verify their understanding

purposes that explained how some past accidents occurred wasof customers’ rules and practices.

shown at the end of the seminar. The seminar attracted about 50
participants from leading semiconductor and FPD manufacturers inTaiwan. Because Taiwan, like Japan, is earthquake-prone, there wereHIGHLIGHT

safety refresher courses in fiscal 2012 focused on the hazards ofmany questions regarding the anti-seismic measures, particularly
the seismic isolation technology adopted for our products. There wasalso a request that we produce a video similar to the one screened inMANAGEMENT REPORT

the seminar that could be used throughout the industry.
Refresher training and pre-work safety check test on
the Tokyo Electron Group Intranet• Introduction of MoveSMART*4
We have introduced the MoveSMART program to our locations inNorth America and Europe as a way to prevent low back pain andother work-related musculoskeletal disorders. MoveSMART is a

EHS seminar in Taiwan

EHS REPORT

wide-ranging safety education program developed by U.S. company
Strategic Safety Associates based on martial arts, ergonomics* 5 ,exercise and sports science, industrial psychology, and actual workrelated experiences. The objective of
the program is to prevent backacheSpace-saving, thin seismic
isolation system(A system that protects
the equipment andcustomer’s products)

and other problems caused byadopting physically straining
postures during work hours. Trainers

The installation position of the system

Electron Group are assigned to our

SOCIAL REPORT

Seismic isolation technology

trained exclusively for the Tokyo*4 MoveSMART is a trademark or registered trademark of Strategic Safety Associates,
Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.

offices in North America and Europe
to implement the program.

Video explaining how past
accidents happened

Practice of MoveSMART*5 Ergonomics: A scientific approach in which both physical and psychological human
functions and properties are studied in order to design and develop equipment andenvironments based on the findings

TOPICSAccident case study DVD
The Tokyo Electron Group has produced a DVD on case studies of clean
room and other accidents that have occurred in recent years and offeredcopies to the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The
DVD explains how accidents have occurred during work carried out at highelevation, near a floor opening, while carrying heavy objects, or underother circumstances during the setup or maintenance of semiconductor
production equipment. It then explores their causes and suggests ways
to prevent accidents from the viewpoint of workers. We created thisDVD with the hope that it will be utilized as a supplementary tool for theprevention of similar accidents, hazard prediction, safety education, andother safety management activities across the industry.

25