While working to protect the environment, the TonenGeneral Group places the highest priority on ensuring the safety of its employees, the employees of business partners, and society at large.

At refineries and petrochemical plants, there are hazards that can gradually impact human health over a long period of time, such as chemical substances and noise, in addition to immediate risks such as a fire or accident. ExxonMobil has established an independent specialized organization, the Medicine & Occupational Health Department, to control these hazards and ensure the health of its employees. Some of these specialists are stationed at the major refineries of the ExxonMobil Japan Group to directly provide comprehensive care for local employees.

Occupational health activities are carried out systematically by occupational physicians, industrial hygienists, and occupational health nurses in a cooperative fashion. The industrial hygienists evaluate hazards in the workplace scientifically as a “patrolling engineer” and ensure that the appropriate mitigating measures are being taken. The occupational physicians and occupational health nurses provide healthcare to workers based on the evaluation results of the industrial hygienists.

It is the Company's policy to:

• identify and evaluate health risks related to its operations that potentially affect its employees, contractors or the public;
• implement programs and appropriate protective measures to control such risks, including appropriate monitoring of its potentially affected employees;
• communicate in a reasonable manner to potentially affected individuals or organizations and the scientific community knowledge about health risks gained from its health programs and related studies;
• determine at the time of employment and thereafter, as appropriate, the medical fitness of employees to do their work without undue risk to themselves or others;
• provide or arrange for medical services necessary for the treatment of employee occupational illnesses or injuries and for the handling of medical emergencies;
• comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and apply responsible standards where laws and regulations do not exist;
• work with government agencies and others to develop responsible laws, regulations, and standards based on sound science and consideration of risk;
• conduct and support research to extend knowledge about the health effects of its operations;
• undertake appropriate reviews and evaluations of its operations to measure progress and to foster compliance with this policy;
• provide voluntary health promotion programs designed to enhance employees' well being, productivity, and personal safety.

These programs should supplement, but not interfere with, the responsibility of employees for their own health care and their relationships with personal physicians. Information about employees obtained through the implementation of these programs should be considered confidential and should not be revealed to non-medical personnel except: at the request of the employee concerned, when required by law, when dictated by overriding public health considerations, or when necessary to implement the Alcohol and Drug Use policy.

Initiatives against new influenza viruses

Since 2006, the ExxonMobil Japan Group has been working on business action plans to ensure a stable and prompt supply of petroleum products, based on a scenario involving a pandemic of the virulent H5N1 influenza virus.
In 2009, based on our business action plans, our response organization shifted its attention to prepare for an outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus, sharing the latest information among employees and taking necessary actions. We remain prepared to contend with future influenza outbreaks.