Preventing Rising Health-Related Accidents in Logistics: A System to Turn Neglected Health Data into 'Actionable Safety Management'

DUAL STORY (HQ: Osaka, Representative Director: Rina Kageyama, established April 15, 2026), in collaboration with Beauty Health Lab Maria and A2Z, has officially launched a specialized 'Health Management and Health & Productivity Support Service' for the logistics, passenger, and transport sectors. The service began implementation in May 2026 with two SMEs.

By analyzing and visualizing neglected previous-year health check data, the service addresses root health issues to reduce the rising incidence of health-related driver accidents.

Experts provide monthly accompaniment to management and health coordinators at SMEs who are unsure how to ensure drivers can work healthily. The service reviews measures suited to actual work shifts and builds backup systems to support families of drivers who are away from home for long periods, thereby promoting health management solutions and increasing employee engagement.

[Background: Rising health-related accidents and barriers for SME transporters]

Recently, accidents caused by drivers' health issues on highways and bus/truck routes have become a major social problem. According to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) data, approximately 80% of driver deaths in health-related accidents are due to brain or heart diseases. The underlying factors include irregular work shifts, leading to poor eating habits (e.g., eating too fast, high carbohydrate intake) and lack of exercise.

However, 90% of the industry comprises SMEs that, despite recognizing the importance of health management, struggle to start due to lack of dedicated staff or not knowing how to proceed. Even when external services are adopted, many fail to implement measures tailored to the workplace, leading to hollowed-out efforts.

Estimates suggest that each driver lost due to health reasons (lower productivity, leave of absence, resignation, uncompensated gaps, or recruitment/training costs) can cause an economic loss of roughly 7-10 million JPY per person. Thus, health management is critical for both operational safety and corporate survival.

[Solution: An approach utilizing neglected data with expert support]

This program utilizes existing internal resources. It collects historical health check data and uses a newly developed 'Health Check Data Analysis System' to visualize health risks across the organization and departments.

A public health nurse holds monthly meetings to review actual work shifts (night shifts, long-haul) and collaborate with SME management to design 'practical' lifestyle improvement plans that are sustainable for field staff. Additionally, support extends to practical tasks like creating visual awareness posters, ensuring the health management framework is built alongside the professionals rather than being dumped on coordinators.

[Implementation with two companies]

As of May 2026, two companies with different status levels have begun operations. One company was already 'Health & Productivity Management' certified but struggled to implement substantive safety management and driver habit improvements. The other felt the need for health initiatives but lacked the dedicated staff to initiate them.

Both business owners decided to implement the service not for certification, but based on their own experiences—improving their health indicators by changing lifestyle habits after seeing their own health checks. Their philosophy—'I want my irreplaceable employees to work healthily for a long time; certification is just a result'—prioritizes the employees' health and future.