We consider the physical and mental health of each and every employee essential, and to this end we implement various initiatives to support our employees’ health.
Health Declaration for the Group of Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.
Based on the Group of Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. Declaration of Health stating that our Group believes that creating workplaces where each and every employee can work safely and cheerfully in a rewarding environment, both physically and mentally, helps us on our way to making our corporate vision a reality, leading to ongoing growth of the Company. To achieve this, we actively support our employees maintain and improve their health.
Shinichi Kajiya
President and Representative Director
Promotion System for Measures That Support Health
The Officer in charge of Human Resource Management is responsible for promoting Health Management™ , while the Employee Relations and Welfare Dept., Personnel Division and industrial physicians and health staff at each business site are in charge of running Company-wide measures. The activities and results of each fiscal year are reported to the President and Representative Director and other Officers. They discuss the details of measures and issues with the General Manager and Section Chiefs in Charge of Labor of each site, and coordinate efforts to promote measures for maintaining and improving the health of employees. Various types of information are also shared with health insurance society, and the personnel in charge discusses effective ways to implement measures. We also exchange opinions and hold discussions with labor unions regarding planning and management of employees’ health, and promote implementation and management of measures.
- Note: Health Management® is a registered trademark of NPO Kenkokeiei.
Strategy map
We are creating a health management strategy map to visualize the links between material issues that we want to resolve through health management and each health support measure/indicator. The results of activities each fiscal year are reported to the President and Representative Director and other relevant Officers, with those results applied to activities the following year.
We have been recognized as a Certified KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organization (Large Enterprise Category) under the certification system for excellent health and productivity management corporations that praised our overall efforts related to health.
We will be continuing our efforts toward creating a workplace where each and every employee is able to work with peace of mind, in sound mental and physical health, and with a sense of fulfillment in their work.

What is the Certified KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program?
As part of efforts to create a society where people live long and healthy lives, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is promoting health and productivity management, encouraging companies to consider employee health management from a corporate management standpoint and strategically implement activities to maintain and promote health. The KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program was established by METI in FY2016 with the aim of creating an environment to recognize enterprises putting health and productivity management into practice. Certification is awarded by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi, based on set evaluation criteria.
Initiatives for Managing, Maintaining, and Improving Health of Employees
Employees’ health management activities are primarily based on the results of regularly scheduled health checks. In particular, employees over 30 years old are entitled to receive cancer screening (stomach and colon) and those over 40 years old can receive abdominal ultrasonography as well.
To maintain and promote the health of our employees, we are implementing the following initiatives by coordinating and collaborating efforts with Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society and other related organizations, based on information on health-related data in the possession of the Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society.
Implementation of plans preventing the worsening of illnesses
We are focusing on reducing the number of employees who are left without being cared for despite knowing of their illnesses from the results of their health checkups, thereby preventing serious illnesses. More specifically, employees eligible for support are categorized into three levels based on criteria such as electrocardiograms, blood tests, and chest x-rays: “Employees with pending employment decisions,” “Employees eligible for priority guidance” and “Employees eligible for guidance,” and health staff provide guidance according to their levels. Our goal is to achieve a 100% rate for providing guidance to employees who are eligible to receive support.
We have also established criteria for guidance completion based on the opinions of the industrial physicians at each site, with the goal of achieving a guidance completion rate of more than 70% for employees eligible to receive support.
| Indicators | Target | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate of employees receiving regular general scheduled health checks | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Implementation rate of guidance to prevent worsening of illnesses | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Guidance completion rate for preventing worsening of illnesses | 90% (FY2030) | 74% | 74% | 63% | 68% | 84% | 84% |
| Reduction in percentage of people eligible for guidance to prevent the worsening of illnesses |
Less than 20% (FY2030) |
27.1% | 24.8% | 21.6% | 22.4% | 21.4% | 20.8% |
- Note: Rate for Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. on a non-consolidated basis (including subsidiaries with the same health and labor management)
Support for mental health
In order to promote health, we are strengthening employee education based on the understanding that it is
vital for individual employees to be aware of prevention. With regard to mental health, for which detection
at an early stage is deemed as important, we provide education to help employees gain and enhance knowledge.
Self-care training was provided as e-learning in FY2024 and 92.4% of employees took part.
94.7% of employees underwent annual stress checks in FY2024, and 13.9% had high levels of stress.
Consultations with physicians are arranged for employees who wish to discuss further required actions based
on the results of their check.*
For employees suffering from mental health issues, measures are being implemented as a support program
designed to help them return to work and to prevent relapses, with the mental health hotline run by health
staff at each site. We are working to achieve the target of a 100% implementation rate of follow-up
interviews by health staff for employees with mental health issues.
To assist employees’ return to work, employees coordinate efforts with their superiors, people in charge of
labor affairs, and health staff like industrial physicians, to ensure a smooth return to work and preventing
relapses.
- * Rate for Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. on a non-consolidated basis (including subsidiaries with the same health and labor management)
Initiatives to prevent passive smoking and assist people to quit smoking
In principle, smoking is prohibited indoors to prevent unwanted passive smoking, and outdoor smoking areas are limited to lower the risk of health problems.
We also subsidize the cost of outpatient quit smoking treatment as part of measures to support smokers who want to quit smoking. This helps smokers to quit and protects non-smokers from passive smoking, thereby improving the health of employees.
| Indicators | Target | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduction of smoking rate* | 24.5% (20% reduction compared to FY2019) |
30.6% | 29.0% | 28.0% | 26.2% | 26.8% | 26.1% |
- * Rate of persons insured with Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society
Supporting employees’ motivation to improve lifestyle habits (exercise and sleep)
We have introduced a health portal site to support behavioral changes and motivate employees to improve their lifestyle habits based on Data Health Plans. We are also organizing health events providing information and incentives catered to individuals.
| Indicators | Target | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase in exercise habit rates* | 27.4% (15% increase compared to FY2019) |
23.8% | 24.3% | 25.1% | 26.2% | 26.2% | 26.9% |
| Improvement in sleep habit rates* | 68.0% or higher (10% increase compared to FY2019) |
61.8% | 65.2% | 65.3% | 64.8% | 62.0% | 63.2% |
-
* Rate of persons insured with Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society
(Exercise habit rate refers to the percentage of employees who engage in exercise causing them to break a sweat for 30 minutes or more, at least twice a week, for at least two years)
(Sleep habit rate refers to the percentage of employees who get sufficient rest through sleep)
Initiatives to improve employee health literacy
As part of our efforts to improve employees’ health literacy (the ability to find, understand, and make use of health-related information), we encourage employees to register on a health portal site using Personal Health Records (PHR) provided by Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society.
| Indicators | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of employees registered on the health portal site | 47.6% | 76.8% |
- * Rate of persons insured with Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society. Latest figures for FY2025.
Improvement in rate of employees with abnormal findings, reduction in number of days off or leave, and improvement in presenteeism
With the above and other health support measures and various activities, we are improving the rate of employees with abnormal findings, which is one of the indicators of health checkup results, and to reduce the number of days off and leave.
| Indicators | Target | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improvement in rate of employees with abnormal findings* | Less than 62.6% (10% reduction compared to FY2019) |
69.5% | 72.8% | 71.4% | 69.7% | 71.6% | 74.5% |
- * Rate for Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. on a non-consolidated basis (including subsidiaries with the same health and labor management) Indicators
| Indicators | Target | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduction in number of days off or leave* | Less than 1.0 days (10% reduction compared to average for FY2019 to FY2021) |
1.3 days | 0.9 days | 0.8 days | 1.0 days | 1.7 days | 1.6 days |
- * Average per capita for Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. full-time employees (including seconded employees, excluding contract employees) (total number of days off, days of leave and days of official sick leave, divided by the number of employees)
| Indicators | Target | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Improvement in presenteeism* | 85% or higher | 84.0% |
- * Average of directly hired employees (including seconded employees) of
Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.
Measured using Single-Item Presenteeism Question (SPQ) developed by the University of Tokyo. Employees are required to reply to the question: “Please rate the level of your own work performance over the past four weeks, with 100% as the level of work performance you would have achieved without any illness or injury.”
Measurements began from FY2024. Figures above are the latest figures for FY2024.
[TOPIC] Health Instruction Held Online to Raise Health Awareness
In FY2024, health classes were conducted in collaboration between Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. and Sumitomo Bakelite Health Insurance Society as part of the Data Health Plan put forward under the guidance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), with the aim of improving lifestyle habits and health awareness among employees.
An online video streaming service has been used to develop a program allowing employees to take Pilates, dance fitness, and other programs for promoting health and wellness at their convenience and to suit their physical condition and level of fitness over a two-month period.
Going forward, we plan to continue to implement programs to promote employee health.
Online health instruction
Note: The photo shows a conceptual image.

