Occupational Health and Safety Management

Panasonic is currently promoting initiatives to build and operate a global occupational health and safety management system.
In Japan, all work locations of Panasonic's major affiliates have developed an occupational health and safety management system based on internal standards. Similar initiatives are being promoted outside of Japan as well, and health and safety assessments will be implemented and other initiatives promoted to achieve a high standard of health and safety.

Panasonic established an Occupational Health and Safety Committee with members from both labor and management at each business location to investigate and deliberate safety and health management issues that affect all the employees. An Occupational Health and Safety Committee was established for the Panasonic affiliates working on site to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations and to disseminate information, among other activities.

In 2008, there were 47 incidents worldwide according to reports of serious work-related accidents received last year at the headquarters: 15 accidents in Japan, 22 in China, 2 in Malaysia, 2 in the Philippines, 1 in Singapore, 1 in Indonesia, 1 in Thailand, 1 in India, 1 in Poland and 1 in Peru.
Accordingly, we will distribute a global report on the more serious accidents, address the issues companywide, and press for health and safety assessments.

Panasonic believes that, armed with the proper knowledge, HIV/AIDS can be prevented and unnecessary confusion and worry avoided in the work place. Thus, Panasonic has undertaken to educate all its employees about HIV/AIDS as the cornerstone of its initiatives in this area. In human resources management, with the protection of the human rights of our employees with HIV/AIDS as our guiding principle, we will

1. 1.keep personal information confidential
2. 2.prohibit discrimination in personnel matters
3. 3.require consent for testing of HIV/AIDS
4. 4.carry out educational activities

Against a backdrop of expanding global business activities, Panasonic introduced in fiscal 2008 the Overseas HR & Labor Assessment, whose goal is to strengthen compliance with labor and human rights requirements at companies outside of Japan, and to bolster labor risk management. The Overseas HR & Labor Assessment is used at companies outside of Japan and is a self-administered checklist of 300 items whose purpose is to determine if proper labor practices based on local labor laws and employment regulations are being followed (including observance of legally mandated working hours and minimum wages, for example), and to determine if there are latent labor risks that will affect business or create problems later. The initial assessment is done by the company itself, and a final assessment is performed by assessors from the business domain company in Japan. Panasonic also provides regular assessor training to raise the effectiveness of assessments. Panasonic is working to strengthen labor management at the global level while deepening relations between companies in Japan and other countries.

Panasonic established Equal Employment Opportunity Office and appointed full-time consultants to staff it. In addition, a consultation desk was established at each domain company and business site as well, in an effort to provide a place for employees to go and discuss their concerns about equal employment, sexual harassment, and a wide range of other topics.

For those employees who have put off retirement, Panasonic is providing practical knowledge and information about the issues caused by the mandatory retirement age. Panasonic is also offering the Retirement Planning Seminar for employees over 55 and their spouses to help them complete their post-retirement plans. This half-day seminar is held at all business locations on Saturdays, and in 2008, about 2,150 employees and their spouses took advantage of it. One employee who attended had this to say: It was a great opportunity for my wife and I to consider our post-retirement financial situation.