古河AS株式会社

Supporting Each Other’s Safety Consciousness Through Routine Greetings

Go-Anzen Ni! Go-Kenko-Ni! Be safe and healthy!

The practice of greeting each other with this phrase permeates Furukawa AS worldwide. By greeting each other in this way, we support each other in keeping health and safety foremost in our minds. In Japan, employees at other companies part with the words O-tsukare-sama deshita (“good job!” Or “Thanks for your hard work!”). At Furukawa AS, we utter the phrase Go-Anzen Ni! Go-Kenko-Ni! (“Be safe and healthy!”) as a matter of course.

As of April 2024, Furukawa AS is a global business operator with 27 locations in Japan and 24 locations in 12 countries overseas. We manufacture automotive parts, wire harnesses and various electrical equipment for the automakers in Japan who are our customers. Our global workforce consists of over 45,000 employees.

Go-Anzen Ni! (“Be safe!”) is translated into the languages of each country in which we operate and used as a common greeting in all Furukawa AS locations. Like the more commonly heard English phrase “Safety First,” “Be safe!” exhorts all employees to put safety above all else and is used in a wide range of activities, so everyone can work with peace of mind.

Global Safety Forum: Presenting and Promoting Widespread Adoption of Safety Activities at Each Location

Global Week is a major event held every year at Furukawa AS. For several days, representatives gathered from Furukawa AS locations around the world take part in four events, each with its own theme: Safety, Quality, Skills and Production. This article focuses on the Global Safety Forum, the event in the Safety category.

At the Global Safety Forum, representatives deliver presentations on safety activities conducted at their respective locations and the results achieved through those activities. By sharing the most outstanding case studies from each location, representatives play a role in extending their solutions to a broader range of applications, raising the caliber of safety activities at Furukawa AS overall and making Furukawa AS a more dynamic and effective company.

With each successive Global Safety Forum, the quality of the activities and their presentations rises. This event testifies to the rising awareness of safety matters among Furukawa AS employees everywhere.

Report on the 2024 Global Safety Forum

The 7th Global Safety Forum opened on June 19, 2024.
This year six teams, each one the winner of its area’s qualifying round, arrived from five countries: China, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan.

The process begins with assessment of current conditions at each team’s location, to flush out latent issues. Themes and targets for safety activities are then set, activities are carried out and the results are tested. The details of this series of steps are then collated into presentation materials and presented on the day of the Forum to executives of Furukawa AS, who serve as judges.

Each presentation rigorously assessed from a variety of perspectives, including the scale and difficulty of the issue tackled, the analysis and methods used to frame the activities and the degree to which the activities contribute to the safety activities of Furukawa AS. The ability of the presenters and their materials to communicate their ideas are also considered. Following the judging, the top three teams are awarded the Award of Excellence.

A core focus of judging is the degree to which the activities implement the “three pillars of safety.” This key piece of in-house terminology refers to three points around which safety activities revolve.
The Three Pillars of Safety
　　1) Safe people : Cultivation of people with a strong safety consciousness who form habits that prevent injuries
　　2) Safe environments : Preparation of environments that make injuries unlikely to occur
　　3) Safety management : Strengthening of overall management and of safety management

The Global Safety Forum was the first event of this year’s Global Safety Week. Before their presentations, the representatives appeared nervous and tense. As the presentations got underway, however, the representatives gradually hit their stride. Though still a little nervous, they succeeded in presenting their findings clearly and effectively.

Each team brought its own presentation style. Some teams used video to explain their content, others spoke perfectly from memory, never once glancing at a script.

Each team elaborated its own activity themes, framed according to its own unique focus. Themes included “Reducing safety risks in warehouse areas,” “Improving safety equipment and operations to eliminate hazards,” “Improving mold changing and setting processes,” “Raising the safety level of the plant” and “Reducing the burden of working with heavy loads.” The serious expressions on the faces of participating team members listening to each others’ presentations was an inspiring sight.

After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. The judges’ words were generally supportive but included the occasional sharp question.

When all of the teams’ presentations were concluded, attendees took a break as the judges retired to a separate room for deliberation. The tension of a few moments ago was now relieved, and the atmosphere of the venue at once became more relaxed and attendees engaged in laid-back conversation.

Announcement of an Outstanding Team That Amazed the Judges

Finally, it was time to announce the results from the judges. The names of the three teams were read out, from third to first, and Kentaro Sakamoto, President of Furukawa AS, presented each winner with a certificate of commendation.

The top team was from a factory that produces the electrical wires used in wire harnesses. The presentation detailed how they had improved their level of safety by eliminating the use of cutter blades. The production of wire harnesses includes numerous manual tasks, and eliminating processes using cutters was a formidable issue. The team produced by itself a tool to replace cutter blades, improved equipment and did other development work. As a result, a hazard was eliminated, dramatically boosting the plant’s safety level. The team presented its work using video materials.

The judges praised every aspect of the team’s presentation, from the ingenuity of its solution to its visible results and the clarity of its presentation. Admiring comments were heard such as “Devising and fabricating your own tools before implementing the improvement was impressive!” and “You made the process intrinsically safer.” Receiving the commendation, a team member captured the ambitious spirit of the team by remarking, “We’re excited about expanding the range of applications to which this solution can be applied.”

Colleagues All Over the World Share Your Safety Mindset

This year’s Global Safety Forum was filled with valuable content. It was also a precious opportunity to appreciate how colleagues from across the oceans share the same awareness of and dedication to safety.

As a Company that operates globally, with locations dispersed around the world, Furukawa AS has a duty to demonstrate leadership in efforts to improve safety. Making excellent products requires fostering an environment with zero accidents, where all employees at all locations can work with confidence and in good health. Guided by this conviction, Furukawa AS will continue to pull together as a Company and pour its efforts into safety activities.

We hope you have found this overview of the Global Safety Forum enlightening and inspiring. Furukawa AS will continue to work closely with its locations throughout Japan and around the world to advance efforts to improve safety and health.