As chemical-related companies, the Kureha Group handles dangerous materials, high-pressure gases, and poisonous substances on a daily basis. We consider disaster prevention, safety, and not having any serious equipment accidents to be our most important responsibilities, and for this reason we manage equipment and operations thoroughly. We aim to maintain safety, security, and the trust of our local communities, therefore we not only comply with laws and regulations, but we also establish our own control standard values and practice preventive maintenance of equipment.

We carry out practical training according to the needs of each factory so that every employee can quickly and properly perform their assigned role in the event of an emergency.

Every year, the Iwaki Factory conducts a comprehensive disaster drill for the entire site to prepare for large-scale disasters and accidents.
On December 2, 2022, we conducted a drill based on the following scenario: An earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 occurred off the coast of Iwaki, Fukushima, causing a crack in the hexane tank yard piping, resulting in a leak. An aftershock occurred while the leak was being fixed, and a damaged electrical cable caused the hexane to ignite into a fire.
This drill reflected the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake to inspect the self-defense disaster prevention organization and confirm the roles of the commander and each unit. In fiscal 2022, approximately 1,450 employees, including those from Group companies, participated in the drill, along with the Iwaki City Nakoso Fire Department, the Iwaki City Fire Brigade No. 3 Branch, the Iwaki City Nakoso Branch Office, and the Iwaki City Minami Police Station. After the drill, the deputy chief of the Nakoso Fire Department stated, "There was accurate communication of information and precise coordination among platoons, and appropriate measures were taken in keeping with an actual disaster situation in all drills. I hope that you do more drills in the future of all kinds of disaster scenarios so that you can respond quickly and adequately."

In addition to comprehensive disaster drills, we also continuously conduct training for initial contact and other first-response activities at the time of a disaster in the Production Department, induction drills for the standing disaster prevention teams (Security Section), individual training for each department to improve the disaster mitigation capability of their standing disaster prevention team according to the equipment and substances handled in the Production Department, and joint training between the Production Department and the standing disaster prevention teams.
Furthermore, in order to keep the fire at the PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) plant that occurred in 2006 from fading into obscurity, the Iwaki Factory has designated September 7, the day of the accident, as Disaster Prevention Day and conducts the President's Safety Inspection every year in conjunction with disaster prevention training.

The Hyogo site conducted a comprehensive disaster drill on October 14, 2022 with the attendance of the General Manager of the Manufacturing & Technology Division, and the Ibaraki site conducted the same drill on November 4, 2022 with the President in attendance.
At both sites, the scenario used for the drills was of a fire that broke out during the daytime on a holiday. Ingenuity was required to minimize damage safely and quickly with the limited number of personnel available on a holiday, such as incorporation of large fire extinguishers as an initial response. Through drills that simulated a variety of situations, the participants acquired the ability to respond to fires, and reaffirmed their ability to mitigate disasters while protecting the safety of employees, thereby improving their disaster awareness and response capabilities.

Kureha collaborates with Group companies involved in logistics to carry out training and education for disaster prevention and safety during freight transportation, and we are working to make sure procedure manuals and communication systems are examined and followed.
At the monthly safety meetings for crew members of Kureha Unyu Co., Ltd., which transports chemicals, employees are alerted about any logistics accidents that have occurred and notified of changes in the equipment of our business partners. We also carry out hands-on training using actual vehicles and chemicals to raise safety awareness of crew members and eliminate accidents.

Moreover, at the Onahama Tank Facility, the main base for hazardous raw materials, to ensure prompt initial firefighting in the event of a high-pressure gas leak or fire, we conducted water sprinkling drills for tanks on September 29, 2022 and fire hose drills in the transfer station on November 29, 2022.

Kureha is working to ensure stable operations at both the Iwaki Factory and the Plastics Processing Factory by promoting various initiatives to reduce accidents, strengthen disaster prevention and safety capabilities, and take measures to prepare for natural disasters, with the goal of maintaining zero serious equipment accidents.
At the Iwaki Factory, there was one serious equipment accident in fiscal 2022 (one in fiscal 2021) involving the leakage of flammable gas due to equipment damage, and six minor accidents (18 in fiscal 2021). Looking at the trend of accidents, five accidents were caused by human error by employees and partner companies, and two accidents were caused by defective or deteriorated equipment. In the analysis of the causes of equipment accidents that have occurred in recent years, the majority of accidents were caused by human error, such as confirmation errors, mishandling, and misjudgment, followed by accidents caused by insufficient equipment management.
Through strengthening our efforts in factory audits and static equipment inspections, the number of accidents at our facilities has been greatly reduced compared to fiscal 2021. In addition, we will introduce a method for understanding maintenance levels (Maintenance Optimum Strategic Management System, MOSMS) and create a database of case examples to ensure that recurrence prevention measures are thoroughly implemented and reflected in design, aiming to prevent equipment-related accidents and eliminate serious equipment-related accidents.

In addition, in order to minimize damage, including personal injury, in the event of a disaster, the Iwaki Factory has been systematically conducting small-scale drills and nighttime drills for each production department to repeatedly learn emergency procedures, thereby strengthening disaster prevention and safety capabilities and improving emergency response capabilities. Furthermore, in preparation for natural disasters, which have become increasingly severe in recent years, we are reviewing the establishment of operating standards for heavy rain and strong winds, confirmation of equipment integrity, response to flying debris, and employee safety assurance.

At the Plastics Processing Factory, there were three accidents in fiscal 2022 (nine in fiscal 2021). In a typical year, forklift accidents caused by human error account for approximately 75% of all accidents (seven accidents in fiscal 2021; approximately 78%). The Plastics Processing Factory, which is a production site, is required to ensure safe and stable production, and it is essential to ensure the safety of onsite logistics that support production activities.
Therefore, in fiscal 2022, we established new forklift operator classifications and ratings and rules accordingly, and began operating them in April. In addition, through activities to establish point and call to prevent human error, we were able to significantly reduce the number of accidents involving forklifts in fiscal 2022 to one (about 33% of the total). We will continue to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents by firmly establishing the point and call method and improving our ability to investigate the root causes of accidents and develop a safety framework.

At the Kureha Group RC Council, held twice a year, examples of safety promotion activities and information on accidents to prevent similar accidents are shared among Group companies to promote safety activities as a united force.