Case study: How China Life promotes workplace health and safety
Since its establishment more than 50 years ago, China Life has been dedicated to “creating the greatest benefits and value for policyholders, shareholders, employees, and society in order to become the most reliable life insurance company in Taiwan.” Promoting, through a range of policies, a workplace environment that values health and safety is, accordingly, a key priority for China Life.
This case study is based on the 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report by China Life published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Seeking to strengthen workplace safety and health, China Life has established the Occupational Safety and Health Committee Tweet This!, the Occupational Safety and Health Management Unit, and the Workplace Violence Prevention and Management Group. They are responsible for planning, overseeing, executing, assessing and improving all health and safety issues. In order to promote workplace health and safety China Life took action to:
- establish the Occupational Safety and Health Committee
- carry out inspections
- promote on-site healthcare
- improve indoor air quality
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) China Life has identified;
- How China Life proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by China Life to promote workplace health and safety
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report China Life identified a range of material issues, such as corporate governance and ethical management, operational performance, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, information security and personal information protection, climate change response and environmental management. Among these, promoting workplace health and safety stands out as a key material issue for China Life.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups China Life engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Regulators | · Proactive visits to regulators to explain corporate matters or provide reports · Participation in government meetings and offering of recommendations · Participation in conferences and seminars · Participates in evaluations by regulators · Disclosure of data to regulators to assist with oversight and inspections, as well as providing information on case progress · Routine communication via telephone, e-mail, documents (letters), and meetings |
| Channel Partners | · i-Agent and other digital consultation hotlines · Addition of a new brokerage agent consultation hotline · Maintain communication with partner channels over e-mail, telephone, and meetings, as well as education and training sessions |
| Shareholders & Investors | · The Investor Relations Department, which serves as the primary unit responsible for communicating with investors, replies to investor and analyst inquiries by telephone or e-mail · Annual and extraordinary shareholders’ meetings · Analyst meetings · Attendance at domestic and overseas investor conferences and roadshows · Updating important news and information in Chinese and English on the bilingual investor relations page of the corporate website · Provide business audit information to the parent financial holding company |
| Public Institutions and Industry Associations | · Participate in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing promotions, education and training together with public institutions · Participate in General Data Protection Regulation evaluations · Participate in seminars and meetings · Use telephone, e-mail, documents (letters), and meetings to engage in routine communications |
| Policyholders
| · Sales staff · Local customer service counters · Free customer service hotline · Overseas inquiry hotline · Overseas emergency hotline · “Peace of Mind” phone insurance purchase service hotline · Customer service and claims channels using regular mail and fax · Automatic delivery of policyholder notices · Corporate website: consultation messages, policyholder section, online policy purchases, stakeholder section, free e-newsletter subscriptions · Social media networks: Facebook, Instagram · News reports |
| Media | · Established a designated media unit · Issue regular monthly press releases and produce news special reports · Hold news conferences · Add information relating to current trends and key notices to press releases to encourage use by the media · Social media networks: Facebook, Instagram · Disclose information on the “Latest News” section of the corporate website |
| Suppliers / Contractors | · Disclose information on the “Supplier CSR Section” of the corporate website · Urge suppliers to sign the “Supplier CSR Commitment” · Use supplier selection, negotiations, and contract signing meetings as opportunities to ensure suppliers comply with environmental protection rules; continue to prioritise procurement of green-certified products · Convene annual selection meetings to update the list of qualified construction and repair contractors |
| Employees | · Diverse education and training programmes · E-learning platform for office staff on the corporate website · Publish the Employee Corner magazine · Labour-management meetings · Online communication channels: i-Agent digital consultation hotline, the digital interactive platform Top Force Network, the i-Link app, hiBox e-mail, internal and external Line groups, digital bulletin boards · List complaint channels and related information on the Company’s internal website. Handle employee complaints in accordance with the “Labor Inspection Act” · EDMs |
| Invested Companies | · Continue to follow and track invested companies, including participating in shareholders’ meetings, tracking financial reports, and heeding social issues. Issue research reports to management |
| Non-profit Organisations / NGOs | · Cooperate with foundations to offer microinsurance · Use district offices as external communication channels · Hold social participation activities · Use sponsors or donations to assist disadvantaged groups |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics China Life engaged with its stakeholders through 110 questionnaires that were distributed to both internal and external stakeholders.
What actions were taken by China Life to promote workplace health and safety?
In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report China Life reports that it took the following actions for promoting workplace health and safety:
- Establishing the Occupational Safety and Health Committee
- China Life established the Occupational Safety and Health Committee, which includes one director and six regular members. Among them are at least three labour representatives, accounting for 42.9% of total membership. In 2018, the committee convened quarterly to review safety and health policies and make recommendations and proposals. It also passed the annual Occupational Safety and Health Management Plan, which is used for managing related issues.
- Carrying out inspections
- In 2018, China Life regularly conducted workplace fire safety equipment inspections and repairs as well as building safety inspections and reporting. China Life also continued to implement automatic safety and health inspections of workplace facilities. Biannual environmental monitoring (for carbon dioxide concentration and workplace illumination) ensured that China Life’s workplace environment was favourable to operations. Moreover, China Life made arrangements to prepare for earthquakes, fires, and emergency medical situations. Besides establishing an autonomous fire safety group, China Life joined fire safety lectures and emergency evacuation drills run by building management to raise its emergency response capabilities. At its Dunbei Building headquarters, China Life established a joint defence team that can provide disaster prevention and rescue during normal times and more extensive support when actual disasters occur.
- Promoting on-site healthcare
- As part of China Life’s efforts to provide a safe and comfortable working environment, major service counters across Taiwan provide free blood pressure monitoring devices. To make sure that employees know how to use automated external defibrillators (AED), in 2018 a total of 2,263 employees underwent CPR and AED training at China Life’s headquarters and the customer service centres in Taoyuan-Hsinchu, Chiayi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, and each of these locations received AED equipment and underwent AED safe location certification. Additionally, China Life has 139 staff members certified in first aid spread across its various offices and provisions of emergency medicines and equipment. Wheelchairs are available at the headquarters in case of need, and China Life will evaluate whether more wheelchairs are needed for other major workplaces. China Life also employs seven nurses who promote health by offering health advice, information on preventing workplace illnesses and injuries, first aid, and emergency responses. They similarly provide additional information on communicable disease prevention and health maintenance using China Life’s internal mail network. In addition, China Life offered 26 lectures and consultations in conjunction with contracted clinical service physicians from across Taiwan.
- Improving indoor air quality
- To minimise the impact of air pollution China Life follows requirements in the “Indoor Air Quality Management Act,” despite this act being stricter than the standards required of the insurance industry. In 2018, China Life also sent five employees to attend external training and become certified as indoor air quality management specialists. They will be responsible for assessments and actions needed to effectively manage China Life’s indoor air quality, so its employees can work in a healthy environment.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
2) Disclosure 403-9 Work-related injuries
3) Disclosure 403-10 Work-related ill health
Disclosure 403-4 Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.8
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Targets: 16.7
Disclosure 403-9 Work-related injuries corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Targets: 3.6, 3.9
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.8
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Targets: 16.1
Disclosure 403-10 Work-related ill health does not correspond to any SDG.
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by China Life, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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