Worker's suicide recognized as work-related

A district labor standards inspection office on September 27 recognized the suicide of a worker at a laboratory of a major construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd. as caused by overwork in a "discretionary" work schedule system.

The 34-year-old worker in the laser development department was assigned to parts procurement and sales, in addition to research and development.

In the three months before his death in December 1999, the number of days in which he worked beyond midnight was twice that in the previous three months.

The company in April 1994 introduced the "discretionary work" system allowing workers to decide how many hours and where they would work. Under this system in which workers are judged by merit and performance, the company used to ask for R&D to be completed within apparently impossible deadlines.

The Hiratsuka City Labor Standards Inspection Office in Kanagawa Prefecture, where the laboratory is located, regarded the "discretionary" work system as conducive to a heavy work load. (end)