About Us

Safety Research Institute

When it comes to human factors,
JR-West is dedicated to the pursuit of safety
“anytime”, “anywhere”, and for “anyone”.

The Safety Research Institute was establish on June 23, 2006, following the derailment accident on the Fukuchiyama Line, as a result of the determination to prevent such serious accidents from ever happening again. Through a multi-angle approach with a focus on human factors, the Institute promotes effective research and investigations that can be put to actual use in the field through its dedication to safety “anytime”, “anywhere”, and for “anyone”.

Basic Policy

Human factors are the foundation of management.”
“In order to provide safe and high-quality railway services, it is important to understand and put to use the viewpoints and ideas related to human factors."
These are the Safety Research Institute’s core beliefs.

Railways are operated through the hands of its many employees. As such, the Institute has established three keywords—“Anytime”, “Anywhere”, and “Anyone”—as its basic policy in promoting research.

The Safety Research Institute’s Basic Policy

The Safety Research Institute is dedicated to the pursuit of safety “anytime”, “anywhere”, and for “anyone”.

  1. 1Study safety from multiple angles, including from the human factor perspective, by working closely both inside and outside the company.
  2. 2Strive to be a trusted establishment and to employ a corporate culture that prioritizes safety.
  3. 3Make effective use of research results while also making the results available outside the company in an effort to contribute to society at large.

“Understanding and utilizing human factors” is both the foundation of sound corporate management and operation, as well as the foundation necessary for establishing safety management.
Since its establishment, the Safety Research Institute has been engaged in research and investigations related to human factors, as well as activities to broaden the viewpoints and ideas related to human factors within JR-West. (These initiatives are hereinafter referred to as “Human Factor Education”.)
We will continue to promote research by understanding our company's needs and advancing the understanding and application of human factors throughout the West Japan Group. We will also continue to focus on human factors education. In addition, we will work on qualitative and quantitative improvement of research results related to human factors and support the implementation of research results. We aim to be a "trusted and reliable group of experts."

①We will promote research and consulting and conduct lectures on human factors.

-We will strive to understand the company's needs as an internal research institute. To date, we have advanced our research from the following perspectives: 'preventing human errors based on psychological and physiological consideration,' 'preventing human errors based on ergonomics,' and 'improving safety based on the psychology of organizations and groups.' We plan to continue our research and publish our results while utilizing the know-how gained from these studies.

-It is essential to understand and use the perspectives and rationale of human factors based on the viewpoint that 'human factors are the basis of managing and providing safe, high-quality railway services.' We will conduct lectures on human factors for people outside the company" according to our basic policy.

②Our role as in-house research institute:

-(The public foundation) Railway Technical Research Institute will interact with universities, other external research institutions, and railway companies and conduct research while maintaining close cooperation.

-We will work on digitizing and utilizing the Safety Research Institute’s past research materials within the company.

Safety Research Institute Goal Diagram