Social report
Main Efforts in 2007 - Social Report - Highlights
The business establishments and affiliates of the DOWA group, based on the Dowa Group’s Values and Standards of Conduct, are engaged in social activities appropriate for each region they are located in, in order for the group to contribute to the sustainable development and to be a company whose existence is desired by each region. We are going to introduce our main efforts in 2007.
We offer science and environment classes at elementary schools.
In January and February, the Environmental Education team consisting of mainly young engineers of DOWA Eco-System delivered science classes (Sponsor: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) at an elementary school in Odate City in Akita, targeted at 5th and 6th graders. The team helped young people enjoy learning science by delivering total six classes, including desalination of sea water and metal recycling, in order encourage students to be interested in science. We were able to achieve excellent results including receipt of letters of gratitude from young people and exposure to newspaper media.
Environmental Technology Research Institution Yoshiyuki Narabe
I started a class, worrying about “Isn’t it too difficult?” or “Isn’t it too easy and are kids going to get bored?” However, I think they enjoyed a class to a certain extent that is different from regular classes. Looking at kids enjoying a class, saying “Woo, color has changed!” or “Metal has melted”, we reaffirmed that science is exciting and interesting.
Junior Ski Festival
On February 23 and 24, 2008, we held a DOWA Cup Towada Lake junior cross country ski festival in Mt. Okawadake in Kosaka, Akita Prefecture. Four hundred and twenty one elementary and secondary school students participated in the 18th festival this year and they compete in three ski races of sprint, cross country and sit (ski on a wheel chair only using arms).
Kosaka Smelting & Mining Co., Ltd. The Administration Department Chief:Osamu Saito
The DOWA Cup this year faced the risk of cancellation many times. Three days before the festival we learned that there would not be enough snow, but in the morning of that day we had a heavy snow storm. We worried that the efforts of players and those who supported the festival might be wasted, but right before the festival, the weather recovered and we could start the festival. Players of sit ski experienced an enthusiastic coaching of Mr. Eiji Nozawa, the silver medalist at the Nagano Olympic Games.
Installation of AED
Automatic external defibrillator (AED) is a device to improve a person’s survival rate significantly having a cardiopulmonary arrest. In August 2007, an emergency life saving training was conducted at the headquarters of DOWA in connection with installation of AED. Twenty employees participated in the emergency drill. An actual flow of the drill is as follows: 1. Check whether a person is conscious or not and call for an ambulance→2. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation→3. Use AED.
The HR and HR Development Department, DOWA Holdings Co., Ltd. Fumiko Innan
Installation of AEDs in offices and plant sites is one of our efforts to create safe workplaces for employees. AEDs were installed in workplaces of the headquarters as defibrillation (electric shock) at an early stage will increase survival rate at ventricular fibrillation. We strive to promote installation of AEDs and expand training sessions as part of risk management to ensure safe workplaces, by raising employee’s awareness of safety and preparing for emergencies.
Winning of the PRTR Special Award
New Nippon Brass Co., Ltd. won the PRTR Special Award (for the business sector) in the PRTR Grand Prize (award designed for management of chemical substances and risk communication) sponsored by the Center for Environmental Information Science, where
1. a steady operation of the chemical substance management system,
2. participation in risk communication businesses and
3. employee education were highly evaluated.。
Person in charge of the environment management of New Nippon Brass Isamu Amatsu
We are much honored to have received the PRTR Special Award (for business sector) as a result of our chemical substances management and environmental load reduction activities. It was also a result of our efforts of risk communication model business for small and medium-size enterprises that is sponsored by Chiba Prefecture. A town hall meeting with local people, as part of our local communication activities, offered us a great input in improving our business operations, as it gave us insight about their interests in environments and expectations to our environmental activities. We endeavor to further communication with local people and create an environmentally friendly society through these opportunities.
Welcoming Visitors
We welcome visitors as part of the public relations of Kosaka Smelting and Refining. We regard this as means of communicating with not only our business partners, but also with local people. Local elementary and secondary schools make use of our facilities in their education programs.
Kosaka Smelting & Mining The Administration Department Chief:Osamu Saito
Kosaka Smelting and Refining receives about 2,000 visitors every year. We would like to contribute to resolving issues of resources and environments by helping visitors to understand the importance of recycling business and resource-recycling society from a global standpoint.
In 2007 we received local elementary and secondary school students and trainees from JICA and local women’s associations and explained our recycling business. The 21st Century New Japan-China Friendship Committee was held in June 2007 to show the importance and technologies of the DOWA group’s environmental and recycling businesses to the world. We strive to make Kosaka Smelting and Refining to be the Asian center of the smelting and refining business using recycled materials.
Award winning from the Minister of the Environment for Resource-recycling Promoter Award (for business sector)
Eco-Cycle won an award from the Minister of the Environment for Resource-recycling Promoter Award (for the business sector) in the second national conference of the 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) initiative.
Eco Cycle President Yamaguchi Kiyomi
We won the award based on the evaluation of the following points.
1. Building of the energy-saving heat insulating CFC collection system
2. Educating local communities on the environment (Its plant receives 1,600 visitors annually.)
3. Its efforts to test the first recycling system to extract rare metals from used small electronic and electric appliances on a national basis.
We will continue to contribute further to promoting the resource-recycling society through these activities.
Citation as a Business Establishment with Zero Accidents
The Shiga Plant of DOWA Thermoengineering was recognized as “zero accident plant for 200,000 hours over two years” from the Konan Industrial Park Association. The association is located in Konan City to the south of Shiga Prefecture and 63 companies in the industrial park joined the association.
The Shiga Plant Superintendent of DOWA Thermoengineering, Masayuki Yagi
We were recognized as “zero accident plant for 200,000 hours over two years” from the Konan Industrial Park Association. This citation is not only for a record of zero accidents but also for 80% of attendance to the Health and Safety Committee (general meeting) held every odd month and the monthly Safety Session to be held in the association.
Shiga Plant had also been awarded during the former Dowa mining days from the local industrial association and industrial park association consecutively since 1992; however, there were 8 year blank since 1998. This year’s recognition resulted from sincere efforts of all the workers of the plant towards safety under the supervision of those concerned. Taking this recognition as an opportunity, we will continue to promote implementation of safety workplaces for all employees, in order to renew the zero accident record of a “legend of infallible safety” in the past.