제  목 : Cooperation In Safety and Health in the Asia-Pacific Region:
  일  자 : 1996년 01월
  제공처 : SAFETY ＆ HEALTH IN JAPAN

    I attended the 1995 annual meeting of the Asia - Pacific Occupational
  Safety and Health Organization (APOSHO) held in New Delhi, India from
  November 16 to 19. APOSHO is an organization established by safety and
  health organizations mainly in the Asia and Pacific region, under a
  proposal by the Australian National Safety Council, to promote the
  exchange of information and regional cooperation for advancement and
  development. This regional organization has held annual meetings each
  year, starting from its first meeting in 1985, with the number of member
  organizations increasing from the initial six to the current twenties.

    It is widely recognized that, in order to enhance safety level in one
  country, voluntary activities of employers are really important, in
  addition to appropriate regulations set by the government and their
  strict enforcement. Acoordingly, the roles of APOSHO member
  organizations in their home countries are quite important.

    It is very satisfying to see APOSHO actively pursuing its goals
  supported by the sincere efforts of member organizations. Promoting
  personal contact among the heads of these organizations for mutual
  confidence is essential to advance future cooperative activities from
  the mid - and long - term points of view. The meetings of APOSHO held
  in the decade have actually played a significant role set at the
  beginning.
  Given that such personal contacts have already been established, we
  should proceed to the next stage in which substantial systems to promote
  pragmatic cooperation will be constructed, in particular, in terms of
  educational systems, technical information exchanges, and database
  development.

    In the light of the fact that voluntary safety and health activities
  developed by Japanese enterprises have played important roles in the
  reduction of industrial accidents, I believe that the experience of
  Japaness private industries should actively be transferred to
  neighboring countries, as a way of Japan's contribution to the
  development of this region. The Japan Industrial Safety and Health
  Association will also make efforts to improve its programs for
  international cooperation based on such a viewpoint.

    Recently, international organizations such as ISO, ILO and WHO have
  embarked on efforts to formulate evaluation standards for safety and
  health management. Discussion among the concerned parties is carried on
  for the development of such global standards. The APOSHO annual meeting
  of this year was also the venue of active discussion on this matter.
  JISHA has also been making efforts to work out such standards for
  domestic purposes during the past several years. Preliminary standards
  have been tentatively completed and are being used on a trial basis at
  several workplaces. I believe that these draft standards can be used as
  a reference for discussions at ISO and other organizations. JISHA
  intends to actively contribute to the future preparation of evaluation
  standards for safety and health management, particularly in terms of
  technical areas.

    In conclusion, I sincerely hope that the year 1996 will bring a bright
  future to all of you.

  Masayuki Nomiyama

  President
  Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association