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| Annual Report |
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Annual
Report 2006 |
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Fiscal 2005
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Project sponsored
by the Japan Keirin Association |
The summary of the Report on the captioned
Research Committee is shown below: |
| Despite safety measures continuously adopted in the industry
and other sectors, we find the rise of serious accidents occurring
at the manufacturing sites or at the time of product usage.
The background of such strings of accidents can be the progress
of sophistication, diversification, and globalization of industries,
streamlining of corporate management, and vast changes in social
systems. If corporations are to ensure the safety of their workplaces and products under such situation and to respond to the diversified needs of the market, they must ensure the transparency in corporate activities, and account for their actions, including various measures to solve environmental and safety problems, while improving the efficiencies of corporate management. In recent years, the forerunners of corporations have started to focus on the concept of corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Consumers, on the other hand, start to take greater interests in the products themselves and the manufacturing processes of such products from the information provided by corporations, as they become more environment and safety-conscious. Their attitude is gradually changing to take more interests in understanding corporate actions through dialogues with corporations, in order to enhance safety in cooperation with corporations. In order to reduce the risks on product usage and to ensure safety, every stakeholder related to the product safety, including consumers, society, and administration, need to play a role required for each position. For example, corporations must voluntarily adopt safety measures as the professionals with expertise in products and technologies, and consumers need to take initiatives in securing the safety in product use when using the products manufactured by corporations in conformity with the safety regulations set forth by the government, while maintaining and enhancing strong mutual relationships with corporations, governments, and the society. For this, it is extremely important to share and exchange safety information. Corporations must actively disclose safety information at appropriate times and consumers need to properly understand the concept of risks involved, to learn how to make judgment in balance of benefits and risks, and to objectively comprehend the safety information given to them. Up to now, corporations have made efforts to maintain the safety in manufacturing and of products under the safety regulations set forth by the governments. In the future, however, there will likely be the development of new and varied risks involved. Therefore, to enhance safety in the industrial society, it is important not only to let corporations adopt safety measures, but also to build a partnership with the stakeholders of corporate activities such as consumers and the society. Moreover, the government will likely take even greater role to develop such a system and to manage it. Our report reviews risks involved, risk management, and risk communication related to the products safety in the Japanese society, introduces various measures taken by industries to ensure safety, and identifies challenges to be addressed in the future. (From the Outline and Introduction chapters of the Committee Chair Tamura) |
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