FAQs

Q.1　Can any industry sector apply for a certification?

Answer

When applying for OSHMS certification by a third party, it is essential to choose standards and certification bodies appropriate to the business sector. The standards used for JISHA OSHMS are developed in line with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Occupational Safety and Health Management System Guidelines, which are applicable to any industry. However, as for construction sector, the Japan Construction Occupational Safety and Health Association (JCOSHA) separately developed Construction Occupational Safety and Health Management System (COSHM) Guidelines according to the Ministry's same guidelines and offers its own certification services.

In terms of certification bodies, those with expertise in occupational health and safety of the industry will be the best choice. JISHA mainly certifies manufacturing industry, but also has experience in facility works in construction or engineering in railroad or telecommunications industries. We believe we can expand certification field further to mining/smelting, commerce as well as services through application of our wide professional knowledge on manufacturing.

Q.2　We have heard that for being certified, progress made by the implementation and operation of OSHMS is required. To be more precise, what does this mean?

Answer

Article 15 of the Standards reads “Effects resulting from the implementation and operation of the OSHMS”. As explained in “JISHA Standards 2006 Certification Practical Guide” (Japanese only), this means the realization/achievement of occupational safety and health policies and/or safety and health objectives has to be confirmed in some form. Basically, this should be demonstrated in the decrease of industrial accidents. However, if evident, well-activated daily safety and health activities or appropriately implemented risk reduction/elimination, etc. will also be considered as one of the effects.

Q.3　Recently, a fatal accident has taken place in our worksite. Can we still be eligible for a certification?

Answer

A case where two years has not passed since the employer of the applicant workplace sentenced to penalty or greater in violation of national occupational safety and health law or any regulations under this order had completed or spared from the enforcement, will fall into a disqualification item. As long as this condition is inapplicable, just because a fatal accident occurred, it does not mean that your worksite can not apply for certification. However, our assessment personnel will carefully check whether or not the operated OSHMS had had any problem in relation to this accident.

Q.4　Can overseas sites such as factories apply for JISHA standard certification?

Answer

JISHA has experience certifying abroad in the past. Whether or not to accept an application depends on local conditions, however, at least the following conditions need to be met:

1. The parent organization of the applicant overseas has already had its site(s) certified in Japan, and the OSHMS of the certified site(s) and that of the applicant are basically the same.
2. The certification can be conducted in Japanese through the use of translation/interpretation.

For overseas certification also, it is required that the applicant does not fall into any disqualification item (concerning the violation of local safety and health law or regulations, etc.). Additional fees such as interpretation or travel expense for on-site inspection will also be charged.

Q.5　To be certified, how much document preparation will be necessary?

Answer

At a minimum, documents and records for document inspection need to be prepared. See JISHA OSHMS Certification Guidelines（PDF 1,709KB） (Japanese only)for details.

Q.6　What are differences between JISHA OSHMS standards and OHSAS 18001?

Answer

The contents of JISHA Standards and OHSAS 18001 are as shown in the table below. There is not much of a difference in system or constituent elements. Main contents are common to both documents with requirements to:

1. express safety and health policies by top management;
2. control risks by risk assessment/determine legal requirements;
3. operate objectives and planning in line with the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement;
4. investigate/analyze the cause of an industrial accident to take preventive/corrective actions;
5. help workers to participate to the system operation, and to provide for information to contractors.

However, to read the requirements to details, some differences exist as below.

1. Activities effective in Japanese companies such as hazard prediction, 4S (refers to Japanese terms meaning arrangement, orderliness, cleanliness, and cleaning), close call reporting are included.
   Lessons learnt from hazard prediction, 4S, and close call reporting should be efficiently shared. Since these safety and health activities are known to be effectively as well as widely implemented in Japanese companies, their incorporation into companies' OSHMS to promote integrated operation makes obvious sense. Being an object of management through the PDCA cycle, they should be better implemented in this manner. Therefore, the JISHA Standards require six daily safety and health activities including hazard prediction reports, and their understanding and evaluation by the workplace as well as by the related departments, hereby the OSHMS and traditional safety and health activities are brought together. As with risk assessments or necessary legal actions, daily safety and health activities impact industrial accident prevention. JISHA believes that with or without of the activities will make a significant difference in the results gained from the same OSHMS.
2. Effects resulting from the operating OSHMS are included;
   TThe last article of the Standards reads “Progress shall be recognized in OSH performance towards the realization of OSH policy and the achievement of the OSH objectives as a result of the implementation and operation of the OSHMS”. This is a requirement concerning not the system itself, but performance (effects) achieved through its operation. This is a unique item not included in OHSAS 18001, the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare's OSHMS guidance, or in the ISO quality/environment management system.
   Only the JISHA Standards require performance due to one simple reason: Unless producing satisfactory results, a safety and health management system will not be a true sense of system.
   It is often said “although having developed a management system with vast amounts of documents, we have observed very few effects”. The incorporation of performance evaluation helps to clarify as well as track the effects of the introduced management system.
3. The requirements corresponding to the provisions of the Japanese Industrial Safety and Health Act and what should be practiced are specifically written in the Standards.
   The JISHA documents require incorporation of workers' opinions through the internal safety and health committee to develop/implement safety and health plans and to assess/improve their implementation. There is also a requirement, “The safety and health committee shall be used to implement the measures to be taken in accordance with the OSHMS”.　　To ensure workers' participation is essential for an effectively operated OSHMS. Since the use of safety and health committee according to the Industrial Safety and Health Act is thought the most appropriate in Japanese companies, the requirement is clearly specified like this. Further, the development/implementation of safety and health plans has become one of the health and safety committee's discussion items by the amendment of the law in 2005, accordingly changes were made in the latest version of the Standards.
   For implementing safety and health plan, the standards also define to the detail on:
   1. Accessibility of documents on machinery/equipment or chemical substances:
   2. Safety and health training to new workers and those engaged in dangerous and/or hazardous operations:
   3. Preparation of documented operation procedure on OSH matters:
   4. Actions taken in the event of an emergency to prevent industrial accidents.
   As can be seen, specifically described “what to do” in line with the Industrial Safety and Health Act will be practical and easy for workplaces to follow.

Q.7　 What follow-up will we need after certification?

Answer

Certified workplaces are required to annually submit records on implementing safety and health plan, industrial accident statistics, system audit results, etc. as periodic reports, which assessment personnel will check for the OSHMS operation status. Also at request, assessment personnel can conduct on-site inspection of the operating OSHMS to check its conformance to the Standards, offer advice and so on.

Q.8　If a fatal accident takes place after the certification, will the certification be revoked?

Answer

In the event of a fatal accident/serious injury, the workplace has to promptly report it to the JISHA Accreditation Center. Upon receipt, the assessment personnel will investigate the cause of the accident/injury as well as the conformance to the JISHA Standards. If the results prove that no measures had been taken for facilities/equipment, materials, gas, dust, or operation related to the accident/injury, or after the occurrence no actions such as cause investigation or correction specified in the Standards had been implemented, after the Certification Committee discussion the certification may be revoked. Also, where the employer becomes subject to disqualification for conviction of violation of national related laws, the certification will be also revoked with the consent of the Committee.