A thorough discussion on two major global safety trends was held with an audience of just under 200 people.
On November 2018, 11, the General Incorporated Association, Institute for Global Safety Promotion (IGSAP) and Nikkei BP Research Institute held the "Safety 20 International Safety Symposium 2.0." This was the third symposium, and the number of participants was almost 2018, filling the B3 Hall of the Kikai Shinko Kaikan (Minato-ku, Tokyo), where the symposium was held. In this environment, six lectures and a panel discussion were held under the theme of "The world will strengthen companies through safety."
The first speaker was Yoji Ueda, Deputy Director-General for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Manufacturing Industry Bureau). In his speech entitled "Safety and the Future of Manufacturing Sites," Ueda emphasized that as the way of manufacturing is changing dramatically due to the latest technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things), new initiatives are also needed to ensure safety by utilizing the latest technologies and capturing the changes in manufacturing.Safety 2.0This can be called cooperative safety.
Following Mr. Ueda,Safety 2.0Mr. Masao Mukaidono, the founder of the program and chairman of IGSAP.
At the SIAS (International Conference on the Safety of Industrial Automated Systems), an international conference on safety in industrial automation held in France in October 2018, he gave a speech titled "Japan Promoting Future Safety Initiatives by Implementing Collaborative Safety 10," and shared Japan's advanced approach to safety with the world. This symposium analyzed the trends in safety around the world based on the presentations from each country at SIAS. Specifically, he said, "The main topic was machine safety when the conference was first held in 2.0, but it gradually shifted to functional safety, and this year it has shifted to collaborative safety." With Japan taking a leading role in collaborative safety, he concluded, "The world is heading in the same direction. It is essential that we join hands around the world and build safety together."
Similar to collaborative safety, the megatrend in global safety is "Vision zeroIt is.
This refers to activities to achieve safety, health, and happiness in the workplace, based on the idea that "all accidents, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace are preventable."
The International Social Security Association (ISSA), an international organization whose members include social security institutions and organizations around the world,Vision zeroThe organization has been working to popularize the initiative, and called for participation from around the world for the first time at the 2017st World Safety International Conference held in Singapore in September 9. This was the start of launch events held around the world. In just over a year, 21 companies, 1 organizations, and 1860 trainers have participated.Vision zeroHans-Horst Konkolewsky, Secretary General of the ISSA, made an emergency visit to Japan to hold the symposium, which was positioned as the first launch event in Japan.Vision zero"In JapanVision zero"We would like to cooperate with these activities and promote them in conjunction with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)."
Next to take the stage was Thomas Pilz, CEO of Pilz, a long-established German safety equipment manufacturer.
First, he explained about Industry 4.0, which Germany is promoting as a nation. According to this, Industry 4.0 utilizes cyber-physical production systems that collect various data in real space (physical space) using sensor networks and analyze and convert it into knowledge using large-scale data processing technology in virtual space (cyberspace). What will happen as a result?
Using cars as an example, Pilz said, "Instead of building standardized cars, we will build cars that match the customer's preferences. This is what Industry 4.0 means." He then pointed out his recognition that "people and robots are beginning to work in the same space," and emphasized that both safety and security are important prerequisites for Industry 4.0.
Next up were representatives from the manufacturing and construction industries who are proactively and proactively promoting safety in Japan.
First, from the manufacturing industry, Mr. Haruyasu Hoshino, Chief of the Safety and Health Office, Safety and Health Promotion Department, Toyota Motor Corporation, gave a speech. In fact, he revealed that the company's total accidents (accidents requiring medical treatment) had stopped decreasing from the 1990s to the mid-2000s, and in this respect the company had no advantage over its competitors or affiliated companies. Therefore, with the aim of building a new safety culture, the entire company implemented a number of measures, such as "visualizing 'safety first'", "felt leadership", and "changing the awareness of managers and executives". As a result, the effects began to appear in the late 2000s, and thereafter, the total accidents were significantly reduced. In this situation, the use of collaborative robots has emerged as a new issue in production sites. Mr. Hoshino introduced a video of the company's production site and mentioned the future direction of human-collaborative machines.
Next up, from the construction industry, Takashi Kawata, Executive Managing Director and General Manager of the Civil Engineering Technology Division at Shimizu Corporation, took the stage.
Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is leading the construction industry in promoting "i-Construction," which utilizes the latest technology such as ICT (information and communication technology) in all construction production processes, from investigation and surveying to design, construction, maintenance and renewal, and has set a goal of increasing productivity at construction sites by 2025% by fiscal year 2. In this context, Shimizu Corporation is developing a next-generation tunnel system, the Shimizu Smart Tunnel, and Mr. Kawada, who is in charge of the system, revealed the details for the first time. Specifically, the tunnel will use sensing technology to acquire and quantify the knowledge of skilled workers, while coordinating AI-based operation control of construction machinery, introducing a so-called Safety 2.0 system to achieve a high level of both productivity and safety. Mr. Kawada said, "By combining technological innovation with the basic 'thoroughness in the ordinary things,' I would like to do my best to make tunnels known as the safest and most productive type of construction work."
After the six lectures, a panel discussion was held with Mr. Toshihiro Fujita, Director of IGSAP, as moderator, and the six panelists, including the speakers Mr. Mukaidono, Mr. Konkolewsky, Mr. Pilz, Mr. Hoshino, and Mr. Kawata, as well as Mr. Kenji Abe, Executive Director of the Japan Association for the Prevention of Industrial Accidents.
The four main themes were "Vision Zero and commitment from the top," "Collaborative safety Safety 2.0 as a technological evolution," "Human resource development and safety personnel qualifications," and "International standardization and cooperation." Prior to the discussion, questions were solicited from the participants in the venue, and the majority of questions were about Vision Zero, one of the highlights of the symposium, particularly questions related to changing the mindset of management, such as, "I understand that commitment from the top is important, but in Japan there is a tendency to think that safety is enough if the people on the front lines are careful about safety. In that case, how can we change the mindset of management?" In response, Konkolewsky stated that "communication is key," and offered a concrete measure, saying, "It would be good to express the problems and issues on the front lines in just two lines and communicate them to management," highlighting the importance of communication in Japan.Vision zeroHe offered various advice to help popularize and establish the system.
Furthermore, during the panel discussion, Mr. Abe of the Central Safety and Health Agency looked back on the Zero Accident Campaign's activities to date and pointed out the importance of "integrating safety and health with management" and "responding to internationalization" in order to respond to the new era.Safety 2.0In keeping with the ideas and names used in the Zero Accident Initiative, the previous movement that relied on people was defined as "Zero AA (Accident Activities) 0.0," the Zero Accident Initiative that collaborates on making things and equipment safer through risk assessments that reflect on-site activities was defined as "Zero AA1.0," and the Zero Accident Initiative that utilizes information technology and the latest technology such as IoT and AI in areas beyond the reach of human capabilities was defined as "Zero AA2.0," highlighting that the Zero Accident Initiative has taken a major step toward the next step.
Thus the International Safety Symposium, which lasted for over seven hours, came to a close.
In his opening remarks, Nobuyuki Yamaki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association, commented, "We had a very meaningful and in-depth discussion. In a time of great change, with advances in science and technology, work style reforms, and diversification of values, we learned a lot about how the latest technologies such as IoT, ICT, AI, and big data affect safety, and how we can utilize them. It was a very timely and meaningful day." Finally, he concluded by saying, "Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association has promoted the Zero Accident Movement, including pointing and calling and KYT (hazard prediction training), but in the future, it will be important for top management to take the lead, invest in safety, and have a continuous management system. To put this into practice, we will definitely need someone like a Chief Safety Officer (CSO). Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association will continue to actively participate in collaborative safety and future safety initiatives, and strive to eradicate workplace accidents."
Details of the six lectures and panel discussion will be posted in due course.