Status of information disclosure on occupational safety and health activities in micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the information disclosure on occupational health and safety activities in micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). We surveyed 2,437 companies. Approximately half of these companies were certified as excellent corporations for health management in 2020 (MSME category). We searched the websites of each company and obtained data on information disclosure regarding four survey items: corporate social responsibility, excellent health management, occupational accident prevention measures, and social contribution. We calculated the percentage of companies that made their websites available to the public and disclosed information for each survey item by industry and employee size. In total, 91% companies had publicly available websites. Among all surveyed companies, the proportion of disclosing information was 12% for corporate social responsibility, 56% for excellent health management, 11% for occupational accident prevention, and 18% for social contribution. The proportion of companies disclosing information about occupational accident prevention measures was highest in the transportation industry (79%). With increased employee size, the proportion of companies disclosing information increased for all survey items. It is important to collect and disseminate good examples of companies that are actively engaged in information disclosure.