Process Safety and Disaster Prevention
Preventing Production-Related Accidents and Injuries
Here at the Mitsui Chemicals Group, we are constantly striving to improve our process safety and disaster prevention capabilities, so that we can eliminate accidents entirely.
Accidents and Injuries
Our process safety and disaster prevention priorities for fiscal 2011 included improving capabilities on the shop floor, improving, distributing and making use of information regarding the dangers associated chemical substances, and ensuring compliance with all operating procedures. As such, we carried out a wide range of initiatives in order to improve and enhance the standard of process safety technologies throughout the Mitsui Chemicals Group.
Although there were no serious accidents this year, we still experienced a number of leaks and other such incidents. With that in mind, we intend to further reinforce preventive measures to guard against leaks in fiscal 2012.
Passing down skills and techniques by learning from past accidents
Having analyzed accidents that have occurred in the past at Mitsui Chemicals Group premises, we have divided the accidents (common accidents, accidents we can learn from, etc.) into 32 categories and put together a selection of 59 case studies.
During fiscal 2011, we organized a series of 12 seminars in order to run through these case studies for plant managers, technical staff and researchers, so as to improve employees' ability to identify hazards in their operations and to pass down skills and techniques to equipment and facility designers. A total of 887 employees attended the seminars.
Training using case studies (Omuta Works)
Case study form
Ensuring safety
The Process Technology Center's Process Safety & Disaster Prevention Technology Unit plays a central role in our process safety and disaster prevention activities, and strives to improve and enhance the standard of process safety technologies throughout the Mitsui Chemicals Group, at both domestic and overseas sites, by providing support for safety assessments and organizing process safety and disaster prevention training. In addition to collecting data for the purpose of safety assessments at every stage, from research to the installation and modification of equipment, the Process Safety & Disaster Prevention Technology Unit also carries out safety assessments based on safety technologies, including material risk assessments, process safety assessments, equipment safety assessments and safety measure assessments.
In fiscal 2011, we conducted 124 safety assessments and 82 safety checks, and responded to four internal accidents or incidents. We took swift action in response to these incidents and, based on the lessons learnt, rolled out the same measures to other group facilities in order to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
Safety issues at individual works and workplaces are handled by specially trained Safety Engineers (SE*1) assigned to each site. SEs play a central role in resolving safety issues specific to each plant or workplace and making improvements.
*1: Safety Engineers (SE) are responsible for coordinating the resolution of safety issues
Safety assessments at every stage, from research to installation and modification of equipment
Local safety and disaster prevention plans and drills
We are continually improving our in-house disaster prevention capabilities here at the Mitsui Chemicals Group. In addition to conducting disaster prevention drills, including emergency activities such as firefighting, call-outs and reporting, we also carry out initiatives such as organizing discussion sessions with municipal fire departments and participating in “firefighter for a day” programs.
We formulate site-specific plans every year and conduct disaster prevention drills designed specifically for the operations carried out at each of our sites. We try to ensure that drills are as realistic as possible, through measures such as surprise drills whereby no information is provided about the emergency situation ahead of time.
We organize comprehensive disaster prevention drills on a regular basis at each of our works, including joint training with municipal fire departments and volunteer firefighting units and training involving the local police. We invite members of local community associations to observe comprehensive disaster prevention drills, to give them a better understanding of our process safety and disaster prevention activities.
We also work with municipal fire departments and local companies to organize joint disaster prevention drills as a form of reciprocal training between companies. At our Osaka Works in fiscal 2011, we organized a firefighting drill that involved putting out a fire in one of our large-scale tanks using a high-capacity foam extinguishing system, under the supervision of the Osaka and Wakayama Joint Disaster Prevention Association.
We also conduct drills in the event of a large-scale earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area, so that we can coordinate efforts between our head office in Tokyo and Osaka Works to confirm the safety of our employees and ascertain the level of damage to our works. Other activities include training employees on how to report incidents between our head office and works via satellite phone.
A joint disaster prevention drill at the Osaka Works (high-capacity foam extinguishing system)
A disaster prevention drill at one of our overseas affiliates
Process safety and disaster prevention training
We are also committed to process safety and disaster prevention training as a means of preventing accidents and disasters, and organize training based on curricula tailored to the individual needs of operators, production engineers and researchers.
In particular, we organize regular hands-on training courses at our Technical Training Center, which we established in 2006 with the aim of equipping operators with a high level of safety awareness. In fiscal 2011, the center organized nine training courses for domestic operators, providing training for a total of 180 employees. Hands-on training teaches employees just how frightening explosions and fires can be and how to prevent them, through first-hand experiences such as igniting flammable gas via static electricity and causing dust explosions.
In fiscal 2011, we also began hands-on safety training for operators and members of technical staff responsible for small- and medium-scale testing.
We provide process safety and disaster prevention training for operators at our affiliates as well, both in Japan and overseas, and will continue to systematically organize such training throughout the group in the future.
A fluid exposure drill
Curricula for process safety and disaster prevention training
| Participants | Year 1 | Years 2-7 |
|---|---|---|
| Operators | Upon recruitment, after six months: - General safety training (hands-on training in dealing with fires and explosions) - Basic training in occupational accidents and fire prevention - Refresher training in preventive technologies and procedures |
- Upon promotion: Group discussions, hands-on training, etc. - Five-stage safety training via off-the-job training at plants (Stages 4-5 for operators with eight years of experience or more) |
| Production engineers | Upon recruitment: - General safety and environmental protection training - Safety training (people entering a certain site, KYT) |
- Safety assessments (DOW, HAZOP) - Material safety assessments (risk assessments, etc.) - Process safety and disaster prevention technologies (safety engineering, case studies) |
| Researchers | Upon recruitment: - General safety and environmental protection training - Safety training (KYT) |
- Risks associated with materials, reactions and mixing - Risk assessment methods - Safety engineering, process safety and disaster prevention training based on case studies |
Investments in health, safety and disaster prevention
We increased investments in health, safety and disaster prevention considerably in fiscal 2011, taking the total from approximately ¥2.6 billion in fiscal 2010 to ¥6.1 billion.
These investments will enable us to prevent occupational accidents and injuries through measures such as preventing leaks and other accidents, carrying out improvements to aging facilities and installing handrails to prevent slips and falls
Breakdown of investment in health, safety and disaster prevention
(Unit: Million yen)
| Description | FY2010 | FY2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Measures to prevent explosions, fires and leaks | 1,032 | 1,860 |
| 2 | Improvements to aging facilities | 702 | 1,672 |
| 3 | Improvements to occupational safety and working environments | 790 | 2,260 |
| 4 | Measures in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster | 18 | 13 |
| 5 | Other measures | 80 | 286 |
| Total | 2,622 | 6,091 | |
