Industrial physician

A physician an employer (事業者) must appoint at each workplace of the size a Cabinet Order (政令) sets, to look after workers' health and carry out the other duties an Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省令) sets (Industrial Safety and Health Act, Article 13, paragraph (1)). The physician must have the medical knowledge for those duties that such an Order requires, and must carry them out in good faith on the basis of it (Article 13, paragraphs (2) and (3)). The employer must give the physician the information such an Order lists as needed for them, such as workers' working hours (Article 13, paragraph (4)), and must try to put in place what the physician needs to take and deal with workers' health consultations (Article 13-3). Where it is needed to protect workers' health, the physician may make recommendations to the employer, which the employer must respect and report to the workplace's health committee (衛生委員会) or safety and health committee (安全衛生委員会) (Article 13, paragraphs (5) and (6)); the employer names some of its industrial physicians as members of those committees (Article 18, paragraph (2), item (iii), and Article 19, paragraph (2), item (iii)). The employer must make known to workers what the physician does at the workplace, such as by posting it at all times where it can be seen in each work area (Article 101, paragraph (2)). At a workplace not required to have one, the employer must try to have a physician with the medical knowledge needed, or another person such an Order names, carry out all or part of these duties (Article 13-2, paragraph (1)).