NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) today announced that it received its first Category 5 Zero-Accident Record Certificate* in Shiga Prefecture from the Labour Standards Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan in recognition of the fact there were no injuries caused by industrial accidents at work (lost worktime accidents and more serious accidents) over the ten-year period since January 18, 2007.

The Ishibe Plant received the first Category 5 Zero-Accident Record Certificate in the prefecture from the Shiga Labor Bureau as the total working hours reached 15.7 million with 871 employees (average number during the period of records) since January 18, 2007, the longest award standard recorded in Shiga Prefecture, on April 7 this year.

As a safety measures, the plant provides rigorous education at the “Safety Dojo” every two months for all employees, which includes hands-on hazard training such as intentionally pinching their fingers in plastic equipment as well as conducting DVD education and tests on the level of understanding of safety and health.

On receiving the certificate, Masaru Takayama, the plant manager, said, “This is the result of every single employee's high level of awareness and consciousness. It is a great honor, and I hope it will serve to motivate the entire company.”

* Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare presents Zero-Accident Certificates to worksites where there have been no industrial accidents (lost worktime accidents and more serious accidents) for a certain period. There are five levels of award standards from the Category 1 Zero-Accident Record through to the Category 5 Zero-Accident Record for each industry and size of enterprise, and Category 5 is the highest.

Kouji Oyama (left), Director, Shiga Labour Bureau, Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare and Masaru Takayama (right), Manager, Ishibe Plant
The NSK Group will continue to promote its business strategy going forward with “safety, quality, and compliance” as the foundation of management.