After an earthquake or typhoon, your employer sends a message headed 安否確認. It asks whether you are safe, but the form may also ask about injuries, your location and whether you can work. First get to a safe place; then reply with what you know now. If your circumstances change, send an update through the channel your employer specifies. An 安否確認 reply is a status report, not a promise to travel or work in unsafe conditions.
Japanese terms in a workplace safety check
| Japanese | Reading | What to enter or check |
|---|---|---|
| 安否確認 | anpi kakunin | Safety or welfare check |
| 無事／けがあり | buji / kega ari | Safe / injured |
| 現在地 | genzaichi | Your current location, as accurately as you can safely give it |
| 自宅／勤務先／外出先 | jitaku / kinmusaki / gaishutsusaki | At home / at work / away from either |
| 家族の安否 | kazoku no anpi | Whether family members are safe, if the form asks |
| 被害状況 | higai jōkyō | Damage or impact; say when still unknown |
| 出社可否 | shussha kahi | Whether you can come to the workplace |
| 勤務可否 | kinmu kahi | Whether you can work |
| 交通機関の運行状況 | kōtsū kikan no unkō jōkyō | Public transport service status |
| 回答期限／再回答 | kaitō kigen / sai-kaitō | Reply deadline / submit an updated answer |
These are common labels, not a standard national form. Your employer’s system may use different options, separate “unknown” from “no,” or send a test message marked 訓練 (kunren, drill). Read the specific prompt before tapping.
How to respond
- Secure your safety. During shaking, follow the Japan Meteorological Agency’s earthquake safety guidance. If you are near the coast and feel strong or long shaking, follow its tsunami evacuation guidance and local warnings. Do not delay evacuation to complete a work form.
- Check the sender and channel. Use the company system, email, phone number or contact chain you were given in advance. If a link looks unfamiliar, check your workplace’s established contact method. A reply to an automated email may not register as a form response.
- Report only what you know. State your safety, injury status, current area and any immediate need. Use “確認中” (still checking) when a family member or transport status is unknown. Do not mark someone safe merely because you have not heard of a problem.
- Separate safety from attendance. If the form asks 出社可否 or 勤務可否, report your present ability and the reason you cannot yet decide. Transport, damage and official warnings may change. Ask your manager how to update the answer and where to get the next work instruction.
- Update when needed. If you move, need help, or learn new information, use the designated re-response or emergency contact route. The Cabinet Office’s business continuity guidance places life safety and safety confirmation among workplace disaster planning priorities.
Short replies you can send
| Japanese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| 現在、自宅にいて無事です。けがはありません。 | I am currently at home and safe. I am not injured. |
| 現在地は〇〇区です。家族の安否は確認中です。 | I am in [ward]. I am still checking on my family. |
| けがをしています。現在、〇〇にいます。連絡可能です。 | I am injured. I am currently at [place]. I can be contacted. |
| 交通機関が止まっており、現時点では出社できません。 | Transport is stopped, and I cannot come to the office at present. |
| 状況が変わったため、安否情報を更新します。 | My situation has changed, so I am updating my safety status. |
| 次の勤務について、どの方法で連絡を受ければよいですか。 | How should I receive the next work instruction? |
If the form does not offer a matching option, use its comment box or your designated contact. For an urgent injury or danger, seek local emergency help first and tell work when you can. If a workplace injury has occurred, our separate guide explains how to report a work injury. If this is a scheduled practice exercise, see our evacuation drill notice guide for meeting points and roll calls.
