4.7 Safety and hygiene

Employers are obliged to pay due consideration to safety and hygiene matters so as to avoid illness or injury to workers in the course of work.

When hiring a regular employee, employers must have the new employee undergo a predetermined health check-up before hiring him/her.

The employer must appoint a Health Officer when the workplace regularly employs 50 workers or more, and have said health officer take charge of technical matters related to health.

The workplaces regularly employing 50 workers or more, the employers must have appoint an industrial physician from among medical doctors, and have the said person provide health care for workers and carryout other matters.

The employer shall, when a new worker is employed, educate said worker on safety and/or sanitation concerning work operations in which the worker is to be engaged.

The employer shall, when employing a worker as a regular employee, provide said worker with a predetermined medical examination.

The employer shall provide a regularly employed worker with a medical examination by a physician annually (biannually in the case of night shifts and specific types of work that might cause health problems, such as being exposed to X-rays).

For workplaces regularly employing 50 workers or more, the employer shall provide a regularly employed worker with a stress check and interview instruction based on the results annually.

The employer shall, when a worker is killed or suspended from work due to an industrial accident or injury, submit a report to the chief of the competent labor standards inspection office.

Employers are obliged to take measures in the workplace to prevent sexual harassment, harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, family care leave, etc., and power harassment.

"Sexual harassment" means giving disadvantageous working conditions to a worker because of the worker’s response to undesired sexual words or actions in the workplace, or damaging the work environment by sexual words or actions.

"Harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, etc." means harming the working environment of female workers who have become pregnant or given birth or who have applied for or taken child-care leave, etc., by words and actions of superiors or colleagues (words and actions related to pregnancy, childbirth, use of child-care leave, etc.) at the workplace.

"Abuse of authority (or, power harassment)" refers to words and deeds conducted in the workplace that meet all of the followings: ① taking advantage of a person’s superior position, ② exceeding the scope necessary and reasonable in the course of work, and ③ harmful to workers’ working environment. Providing proper work instructions and guidance, which are objectively considered necessary and appropriate for business purposes, are not applicable.