Safety and Prevention

In addition to the above, the following initiatives are routinely implemented.

The Mitsui Chemicals Group introduces and maintains equipment that ensures safe and stable operation.

When introducing new facilities, we not only satisfy the relevant laws and regulations, but also design them in accordance with company rules based on our experience and accumulated technology, and introduce facilities that prevent accidents such as fires, leaks, and explosions through repeated change management based on various technical evaluations.

After an equipment is installed, we formulate maintenance plans and conduct periodic inspections and regular maintenance from the perspective of preventive maintenance.

In recent years, many of our facilities have been in operation for more than 40 years. While focusing on countermeasures against age-related deterioration, we have worked on developing appropriate maintenance plans, improving construction quality, and strengthening change management to maintain and improve the reliability and soundness of our facilities.

In the non-financial metric of VISION 2030, we define incidents resulting in losses of 100 million yen or more per case as "problems involving high-value losses" and have set the number of such occurrences as a KPI. With the goal of achieving zero problems involving high-value losses incidents by 2030, we are placing particular emphasis on strengthening facility management and addressing the challenges associated with aging facilities. Furthermore, by actively adopting advanced technologies that are becoming practical due to recent technological advancements, we will seek to streamline and optimize our maintenance, design, and construction operations.

In fiscal 2024, the Mitsui Chemicals Group reported zero major accidents^*1 and met its target of zero. In addition, the number of abnormal conditions and accidents^*2 increased from the previous year to 31, not meeting the target of 8 or fewer. There were 22 incidents of leakage and nine incidents of small fires, and countermeasures to prevent their recurrence are an issue. To prevent recurrence, we are focusing on implementing countermeasures for particularly critical incidents, identified through analysis of the causes and other factors.

Example) Equipment-related: external corrosion; Process-related: human error (such as operational mistakes)

In fiscal 2024, the Mitsui Chemicals Group recorded two serious occupational injuries^{*1, 2, 3} that must not occur, against a target of zero.

We aim to achieve the world’s highest safety standards and have set a target frequency rate of 0.15 or lower for work-related significant occupational injuries^*4. Our current injury frequency rate remains at a high level compared to the Japanese overall industry average and the chemical industry average. However, our overseas affiliates and construction subcontractors unfortunately did not meet the target.

In light of this situation, the Mitsui Chemicals Group will continue working to foster personnel with a high sensitivity to danger and to instill a safety culture across the Group. Particular focus will be placed on preventing incidents with a high potential to result in serious injuries, such as falls from height and being caught or entangled in machinery. These include "crashing and falling" and "being caught or entangled in machinery." Regarding construction subcontractors, we will have them trained using content from the VR (virtual reality) safety training programs at our Plant Operation Technology Training Center, which is intended for them. This enables them to experience simulated hazards for the purpose of cultivating human resources who have high sensitivity to danger. Through these efforts, we will also enhance education in order to reduce occupational injuries among construction subcontractors.