Safety and Prevention

Skill Improvement for Volunteer Firefighting Units

Mitsui Chemicals’ Ichihara Works, Osaka Works, Iwakuni-Ohtake Works, and Omuta Works are equipped with volunteer firefighting units. The unit members are regularly trained in preparation for an emergency.
In recognition of their daily efforts, the Osaka Works received a Fire and Disaster Management Agency Director’s award (Encouragement Award) in the 2021 Skill Contest of Self-Defense Disaster Management Groups at Petroleum Complexes held by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. This skills contest has been held since fiscal 2014 to inspire volunteer firefighters, as well as motivating them to continue to improve their skills. The participants complete safety, reliability, and promptness of their performance by conducting a procedure of releasing foam water from a height onto a simulated fire at a hazardous facilities. This is our eighth consecutive year to receive an award since the beginning of the contest, and the first year that we received the best performance award. We continue improving our firefighting skills through determined training to contribute to the safe and stable operations of our Works.

Osaka Works volunteer firefighting unit at the award ceremony and in skills contest

Hazard Prediction (Kiken Yochi, or “KY”) as well as Pointing-and-Calling

In order to eliminate accidents and occupational injuries at the Mitsui Chemicals Group, we undertake initiatives at the Works and at domestic and overseas affiliates to entrench and energize hazard prediction (Kiken Yochi, or “KY”) and Pointing-and-Calling.
At each Works of Mitsui Chemicals, planning, implementing, evaluating and improving each Works leads to a raised level of operations. During the course of these initiatives, as it is important to develop human resources who are able to recognize dangerous things as being dangerous and take safe action to prevent danger, KY education is implemented on an ongoing basis at each Works. KY trainers are chosen at each Works to perform as drivers of these KY initiatives, and Companywide meetings held once a year. At these meetings, KY trainers report on the status of KY initiatives at their Works, and exchange opinion on troubles or questions about KY initiatives. KY trainers utilize the information with regard to KY activities at their own Works.
With regard to KY and Pointing-and-Calling training for domestic and overseas affiliates, the Safety & Environment Technology Division have provided training support on an ongoing basis. Through this support, we are working to ensure that all of our affiliates understand the significance and necessity of KY activities and Pointing-and-Calling so that they can use and entrench them in their actual work situations. The training is also held online and incorporates exercises, presentations, and team discussions that are appropriate to actual work situations. It looks back on their daily tasks and raises awareness so that safer actions can be taken. Key men are of necessity to entrench KY and Pointing-and-Calling, and the Company is encouraging their development through training.

KY training sessions

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Near-miss Activities

At each Mitsui Chemicals Group production site, information on workers’ narrowly avoided major accidents or disasters, or “near-misses,” that occur as a result of operations, is identified, and the details are shared within the organization. These sharing activities are ongoing. In line with the occupational safety and health management system for each production site, the organization determines the cause of these near misses, as well as preventive measures. Those concerned are provided with the awareness gained, and plans are put into effect that cover both concrete matters, as well as more intangible issues, in the course of operations. In carrying out these preventive measures, Mitsui Chemicals continues to secure necessary resources. Examples of specific representative measures are as follows.

Small-group Activities

Our Works conducts small-group activities that undertake activities in group units of small numbers of people to deal with issues or matters causing concern, such as, in view of the characteristics of a Works, enhancing production workplace capabilities, refining mindsets and human resources development, workplace revitalization and business improvements.
We share the results of the small-group activities throughout a Works by means of presentations, and the honoring of best practices leads to heightened motivation.
We held a company-wide small-group activity presentation in October of fiscal 2021. Connecting the Head Office, Mitsui Chemicals Works, and domestic affiliates online, each site actively asked questions and commented on presentations from Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Works. We share the contents within the Group and promote the revitalization and improvement of workplaces and Works as a whole.

Company-wide Small-group Activity Presentation (Head Office)

The Best Plants Awards

The purpose of the Best Plant Award is to revitalize Works by honoring the excellent production sections for their activities related to safety, environment, quality and production technologies. Having started this system in fiscal 2004, since fiscal 2013 Mitsui Chemicals has focused outside the field of safety achievements and the like but also on safety processes and recognized through these awards the successes and hardships of production sections.
In fiscal 2021, 12 applications were submitted from domestic and overseas production sites, one of which was selected for the President's Awards and six for Production & Technology Center Executive’s Awards. The Company’s global expansion is advancing due not only to the Mitsui Chemicals but also to award-winning domestic and overseas affiliates. It should be noted that along with the aforementioned awards, we simultaneously awarded the General Manager of Works’ Award and General Managers of Headquarters Award.

The Best Plants Awards FY2021

President’s Award for Best Plant
ICROS Sections 1 and 2, Manufacturing Dept. 2, Nagoya Works, Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc. Theme: “Human resource development” and “Building a system to boost production”
Production & Technology Center Executive’s Award
Tank Yard and Environment Section, Manufacturing Dept. 1, Ichihara Works
Polypropylene Section, Ichihara Works, Production and Technology Dept., Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.
Polypropylene Section, Osaka Works, Production and Technology Dept., Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.
Production Section, Senboku Works, Osaka Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.
Utility Section, Polyurethane Manufacturing Dept., Omuta Works
Zhang Jia Gang Free Trade Zone Mitsui Link-upon Advanced Material, Inc. (MLZ)

In addition, we toured the outstanding workplaces recognized by the President’s Award for Best Plant as well as held an exchange meeting as a means to exchange information. Starting in fiscal 2015, we have held this event with the aim of enabling employees to gain awareness that is difficult to obtain in their own workplaces and Works, provide opportunities for line managers to share their concerns and encourage each other, and improve the safety culture throughout the Mitsui Chemicals Group.
The fiscal 2021 exchange meeting took place online to share information and exchange opinions with the plant^* that won the President’s Award for Best Plant 2020, because the meetings for these organizations were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to hold the exchange meeting in fiscal 2022 as planned for the winner of the President’s Award for Best Plant 2021. Details of the excellent activities of the winning plant are published on the intra-company network as good practice across the global Mitsui Chemicals Group. This enables those practices to be used by each workplace of Mitsui Chemicals and affiliates. The collection of good practice is published in English and Chinese as well as Japanese.

*Plant that won the FY2020 President’s Award for Best Plant: Zhang Jia Gang Free Trade Zone Mitsui Link-upon Advanced Material, Inc. (MLZ)