In accordance with the OMRON Principles and CSR Practice Guidelines, OMRON makes sure to comply with environmental laws and regulations. OMRON quickly responds to environmental accidents and risks by taking appropriate measures to minimize damage and ensure continuation of business while giving top priority to maintaining the safety of people. OMRON is also committed to restoring the original state as quickly as possible and preventing recurrences of the same problem. OMRON’s basic policy for environmental pollution and risk management is to maintain and strengthen a relationship of trust with stakeholders while making sure to fulfill its social responsibilities.

OMRON evaluates environmental risk based on the crisis level evaluation criteria stipulated by its Crisis Management Rules. In the event of a serious crisis that puts OMRON in a socially liable position, a corporate-wide emergency response task force headed by the President will be set up. Its environmental risk reporting system will be put into practice to build an appropriate team depending on the event so as to quickly implement necessary measures.

Monitoring a cleanup process

A cleanup process was completed in October 2010 for the Okayama Factory, where hazardous substances were detected that were polluting soil and groundwater in excess of environmental standards. Monitoring is now underway for reporting to the Okayama municipal government on a regular basis.

Three cases of legal infringement occurred in fiscal 2010. The first case was a failure to provide a sufficient green area as stipulated by the Factory Location Law when a new factory building was constructed. Implementation of corrective measures to ensure legal compliance, such as rooftop greening and greening of the parking area, was completed by March 31, 2011.

The second case involved non-submission of a notice to the relevant governmental office regarding retirement of a substitute pollution prevention manager, accompanying transfer to a different position at a site where such notice is required. To redress this problem, the site in question reported a replacement person appointment plan to the relevant governor. The replacement person had acquired the necessary qualifications for a pollution prevention manager by April 21, 2011, initiating the registration procedure.

The third case was detection of arsenic and fluorine at levels exceeding the standards for soil pollutants stipulated by the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law on the grounds of the former Minakuchi Factory under the control of the Micro Devices HQ. Due to this finding, the Minakuchi Factory was designated by the Shiga prefectural government as a district required to submit a notice when the land form or nature is altered. Removal of sources of contamination was launched in June 2011 through excavation of contaminated soil.

Emergency drill for
coping with leakage of
cleaning liquids

Emergency drills are conducted at OMRON Group companies in Japan to prepare for environmental risks. Drills targeting all related departments offer training to respond to leakage of compressor oil or cleaning liquids and outbreak of fire, as well as preventing leaked chemical substances from being discharged outside the factory grounds.

At OMRON Relay & Devices Corporation, engaged in the manufacture of relays and other electronic components, emergency drills are organized to prepare for a potential emergency involving leakage of cleaning liquids. In fiscal 2010, a drill allowed employees to confirm the procedure for using a mat for adsorbing the cleaning liquid. They were also trained as to which steps to take when dealing with an emergency situation, such as wearing a gas mask.

 Pollution Control and Risk Management