[Blog]Growing Workplace Accidents Among Foreign Workers and the Challenge of Effective Safety Training

2025-12-03

Introduction: A Serious Trend in Workplace Accidents

In 2024, the number of occupational accidents involving foreign workers exceeded 6,000 for the first time, according to a report covered by this Yahoo! News article. Fatalities also reached their highest level since the current statistics began. Behind this rise lies insufficient safety training and communication on the employer side. Whether they are technical interns, Specified Skilled Workers, or long-term residents, foreign employees support essential sectors of the Japanese economy. Yet many are sent into worksites based on assumptions such as “they’ll pick it up as they go” or “basic Japanese should be enough,” with insufficient preparation. This article examines why safety education for foreign workers is so difficult and highlights what employers must pay particular attention to.

Why Safety Training for Foreign Workers Is Difficult

The first challenge is language. Even if someone can hold everyday conversations in Japanese, understanding technical manuals, hazard concepts, or nuanced safety instructions is far more demanding. Words such as “stop,” “evacuate,” or “secure” may seem simple, but in noisy environments, with fast speech, dialects, or abbreviated terms, comprehension drops sharply. Employers often assume understanding after a single explanation, even though comprehension has not been confirmed.

The second issue is differences in safety culture and risk perception. In some countries, workers may come from workplaces where safety regulations are minimal and reporting hazards is discouraged. Even when told, “Stop the line if it looks dangerous” or “Report anything that seems wrong,” workers may hesitate because they fear being seen as troublesome or being penalized.

The third challenge is the complexity of employment structures. For technical interns and Specified Skilled Workers, multiple actors—supervising organizations, support agencies, dispatch companies—are involved. This often leads to unclear divisions of responsibility: Who teaches what? Pre-entry training and on-site training may not align, causing gaps in critical, site-specific safety knowledge.

The fourth factor is pressure from labor shortages. Many workplaces rush to place new foreign workers on the line because “we need help now,” reducing valuable training time. Safety education becomes a formality—watching a video and signing a form—without hands-on confirmation or repetition, which leaves dangerous gaps.

Key Points Employers Must Prioritize

Given these challenges, what must employers focus on? First, eliminate the mindset of “I explained it once, so it’s fine.” Provide manuals and materials not only in Japanese but also in the worker’s native or preferred language. Use visuals—photos, diagrams, and pictograms—and ask workers to repeat the instructions back in their own words to confirm understanding.

Second, assign tasks in stages. New foreign workers should not be placed alone in high-risk tasks involving blades, heat, heavy loads, or rotating machinery. Start with low-risk tasks, monitor them closely, and gradually expand their duties.

Third, educate team leaders. No matter how strong the safety manual is, frontline supervisors who say “Hurry up” or “Don’t ask questions” undermine safety culture. Leaders must be trained in communication techniques suited for multilingual teams—slower speech, simple vocabulary, hand signals, whiteboards, and clear instructions.

Fourth, clearly define roles with supervising organizations and support agencies. Even though these bodies provide training, the primary responsibility for workplace safety lies with the employer. Companies must understand what has been taught before entry and then provide additional training for equipment-specific hazards and company rules.

Fifth, build systems that encourage workers to speak up. Set up multilingual channels using translation apps or chat tools. Hold monthly check-ins specifically for foreign employees. Workers must feel safe saying, “I’m not confident about this task” or “This seems dangerous.” Treat these comments as contributions to workplace improvement—not as inconvenience.

Sixth, document and review training thoroughly. Record who received training, when, and in which language. When near-misses or minor injuries occur, investigate not only the worker’s actions but also communication methods, signage effectiveness, and training timing. If a foreign worker is involved in an accident, review Japanese proficiency, training steps, and assignment process to identify systemic issues.

Conclusion: Safety Training Is Not a Cost—It Is a Prerequisite

The rise in workplace accidents among foreign workers reflects a structural failure to adapt training and communication methods to a multilingual workforce. Injuries can jeopardize a worker’s livelihood, immigration status, and family back home. For employers, serious accidents damage reputation, recruitment ability, and long-term access to foreign talent. The statistics cited in the original article should be interpreted not as “foreign workers are prone to accidents,” but as evidence that Japanese workplaces have not yet restructured their systems to accommodate a diverse workforce. Safety education is not an expense to cut—it is a foundational requirement for any workplace relying on international labor. As Japan continues to depend on foreign talent, redesigning safety training with language, culture, and system differences in mind is no longer optional but an urgent responsibility for all employers.