Policy

As part of its Group Philosophy, the Group Mission of the Asahi Kasei Group is to contribute to life and living for people around the world.
Based on this Group Mission, the Asahi Kasei Group ESH & QA and Health & Productivity Management Policy, revised on July 11, 2022, states, "the Asahi Kasei Group gives the utmost consideration to health maintenance, operational safety, occupational health and safety, quality assurance, and environmental protection throughout the product lifecycle from R&D to disposal as preeminent management tasks in all operations." Furthermore, as a specific matter regarding ESH, the policy states "we strive for stable and safe operation while preventing workplace accidents and securing the safety of personnel and members of the community."

Safety management for high pressure gas

At the Mizushima Works and Kawasaki Works, we have received certification for self-inspection for high-pressure gas safety from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Accordingly, we perform our own "certified safety" and "conformity inspections" for equipment as part of the ongoing effort to maintain stable and safe operation, and we ensure the safety of the applicable facilities.
Concrete activities are based on the High Pressure Gas Safety Act and are specified in the High Pressure Gas Certification Safety and Completion Test Regulations approved by the President of Asahi Kasei.

High Pressure Gas Safety Controller	Asahi Kasei Corp. President
High Pressure Gas Process Safety Division General Manager	Asahi Kasei Corp. Director
High Pressure Gas Process Safety Management Department General Manager	Asahi Kasei Corp. Senior General Manager of Corporate ESH

We held the High Pressure Gas Process Safety Measures Promotion Conference (chaired by the Asahi Kasei Corp. Senior General Manager of Corporate ESH who is head of the High Pressure Gas Process Safety Management Department) four times (July and October 2023, January and May 2024) with the relevant parties from head office, the Mizushima Works, and the Kawasaki Works in order to exchange information in a timely manner and implement the PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle. Next, the High Pressure Gas Process Safety Measures Meeting, chaired by the High Pressure Gas Process Safety Division General Manager (Asahi Kasei Corp. Director commissioned by the President), was held once (July 2024) to check on the status of process safety at the Mizushima Works and Kawasaki Works. In addition, the on-site patrol by the High Pressure Gas Process Safety Division General Manager was conducted in December 2023 at the Kawasaki Works. Furthermore, we conducted a head office audit of both Works' offices and inspection management organizations in May and June 2024, and confirmed that safety inspections and final inspections for fiscal 2023 were conducted in accordance with the applicable bylaws. Based on the above, we decided to continue with the “Basic Safety Management Policy” at the ESH & QA Committee held in July 2024 (chaired by the President of Asahi Kasei Corp.).
The Mizushima Works was awarded super certification (Specified Certified Operator) in September 2021, which necessitates an enhanced level of high-pressure gas safety management, and have begun considering a longer open inspection cycle from fiscal 2023. The Kawasaki Works has also been updating the regular certification system since August 2022. Along with other sites that have not yet acquired the certification for self-inspection, we will strive for more advanced high-pressure gas safety management.

Process Safety and Disaster Prevention Performance and Accident Prevention Initiatives.

Process Safety and Disaster Prevention Performance in FY2023

In fiscal 2022, there were no serious process safety accidents, but there were two process safety accidents. In fiscal 2023, there were no serious process safety accidents or process safety accidents. In addition, there were 21 minor process safety accidents involving fires, smoldering, and the leakage of small amounts of hazardous materials and other substances on the premises (including domestic and overseas affiliates). However, precise first-response measures were taken on site to prevent the damage from spreading. We will continue to strengthen our efforts to reduce the severity and number of process safety accidents going forward.

[Number of process safety accidents in fiscal 2023]

• Number of serious process safety accidents: 0 (accident intensity of 18 points or more, or accident resulting in death)
• Number of process safety accidents: 0 (accident intensity of 3 points or more but less than 18 points)
• Number of minor process safety accidents: 21 (accident intensity of less than 3 points)

Note: Classification by accident intensity is based on the standards of the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (CCPS).

Sharing and utilizing information on safety accidents

Information on process safety accidents (serious process safety accidents, process safety accidents, and minor process safety incidents), as well as less serious process safety issues, is published the Corporate ESH monthly report. Furthermore, we created an Accidents and Issues Information Dashboard so that employees can access information on past accidents and safety issues on the Corporate ESH website starting in April 2024. The dashboard is designed to be easy to use for on-site employees involved in accident analysis and hazards prediction, with tools for speedy reference and lookup of previous cases, and user-friendly trend analysis of events and causes.

Preventing recurrence of accidents 1: Strengthening fire prevention and extinguishing measures for inside plant

The semiconductor plant fire in fiscal 2020 (serious process safety accident) and the fiber plant fire in fiscal 2022 (process safety accident) revealed that it is difficult to extinguish fires that ignite flammable plastics or cardboard inside plants.
Therefore, we decided to obtain advanced knowledge about fire prevention equipment from external fire prevention experts. In this process, we identified examples where (1) a system that enables early detection of fires, including cleanrooms where smoke is purified from the air, is already in practical use, and we have confirmed examples of using this system in the company to quickly extinguish fires. We also (2) confirmed examples where equipment was installed in the company to prevent the spread of fire after it had broken out. Therefore, we are working to disseminate our “Internal Standards for Fire Extinguishing Equipment in Indoor High Fire Risk Areas”, which were established in March 2023, throughout the company.
In fiscal 2023, we studied the installation of (1), which assumed that a fire would mainly originate from electrical equipment, and additional operation at some plants is scheduled to begin in fiscal 2024. In addition, we are also studying the efficient placement of remote fire extinguishing equipment in “high fire risk areas,” (3) such as the accumulation of cardboard boxes for shipping products. Furthermore, (4) with the cooperation of government agencies, we have begun expanding disaster prevention drills and revising the firefighting plan to be submitted to the fire department. We will continue to deploy the above methods and others to prevent fires from occurring and spreading.

Preventing recurrence of accidents 2: Activities to hand down process safety technology

In chemical plants process safety management, it is important to avoid deviations from normal operating conditions and to ensure safe and stable operation. The Asahi Kasei Group carries out process safety risk assessments during plant construction and puts in place controls to prevent fires and explosions after the start of operation. We periodically inspect safety valves and interlock functions, properly maintain aging parts, and repeatedly review facilities and processes based on case studies of accidents both inside and outside the company.
In particular, in response to the so-called three major accidents that occurred outside the company in 2011, we began activities to hand down process safety technology in 2013. These activities involved identifying hazards in chemical plants, confirming preventive measures that may manifest as risks, handing down the details, and conducting training on them.
The activities consist of the following four steps:

• Step 1: Identification of hazard sources and assessment of hazard risks
• Step 2: Creation of technology transfer materials and succession of executive changes using summary materials
• Step 3: Training operators to use troubleshooting manuals, factor analysis, etc.
• Step 4: Training of operators with ability to apply knowledge to work through troubleshooting drills

First, in Step 1, we rank the hazard sources event by event in a brainstorming exercise by accidents that occurred in the past. In a system where a runaway reaction occurs due to some deviation, if safety devices such as interlocks and safety valves do not function, or if the container exceeds the design pressure and there is a possibility of rupture, it is defined as Hazard Rank A. Naturally, we maintain a low risk rank by implementing multiple operational controls that do not cause deviations and by maintaining and managing safety devices. In addition to these abnormal reactions, we will also consider abnormalities, such as suspension of service, contamination, and expiration of polymerization inhibitor, and how to deal with them.
In addition, Step 4 involves training to ensure that operators working in shifts can correctly respond to expected abnormalities (training to determine the cause of abnormalities, respond, and prevent them from spreading). The individual skills of the trainees are then assessed to ensure that they are acting in the correct manner, and retraining is conducted until their skills reach the level required for their role.

In fiscal 2023, it’s noteworthy that in addition to chemical plants, which have been implementing these activities for some time, these activities are being expanded to construction materials and fibers plants, where chemicals are not the product. As these plants handle organic solvents and their vapors as part of the production process, abnormal conditions can lead to fire or an explosion in the worst case scenario. Although we have established technologies to prevent such accidents and ensure safe production, we have re-examined the key technical points and prepared materials to ensure that the technologies are accurately handed down to the next generation of managers and operators. At the Mizushima Works, the Process Safety Technology Department, which was established within the Works, periodically visits the production departments to ensure that accident prevention technologies are handed down to the next generation of managers and operators. Inspections of each plant by the Process Safety Technology Department at the Kawasaki Works is also progressing.

Initiatives to Prevent Process Safety Accidents

Pre-screening when investing in equipment

Measures for safe and stable production at plants

Given our diverse range of operations that include the Material, Homes, and Health Care business sectors, the Asahi Kasei Group has plants with a wide variety of different characteristics. A tailored approach is needed to ensure safety at all of these plants.
We employ a systematic process to tailor the safety effort to each plant's specific requirements, including the use of the PDCA cycle. We have formulated separate maintenance standards for each plant of equipment to ensure the appropriateness of the method and period of maintenance as a feature of the planned maintenance system.
In addition, measures that span across the Asahi Kasei Group include a Maintenance Personnel Committee and group-wide plant engineering council with 4 specialist panels: Formulation of optimum systematic maintenance programs, establishment of standards and criteria, formulation of training systems for maintenance engineers, and sharing engineering information. We will ensure safe and stable production at our plants through these maintenance activities.

Training for maintenance

We believe that maintenance means creating the condition of equipment necessary to accomplish production objectives. Although we use a PDCA cycle for the planned maintenance system, people are the most fundamental element. It is vital for each individual to gain the essential technical knowledge and contribute to the strength of the team.
The Asahi Kasei Group’s maintenance technicians should have the ability to carry out planned maintenance, to predict hazards, and to make improvements rather being purely repair personnel who fix malfunctioning machinery and return it to its original state. To develop such maintenance technicians, we clarified the training principles for maintenance technicians, formulated a training curriculum for each individual based on these principles from fiscal 2009, and applied the PDCA cycle for education and training based on the curriculum for all maintenance technicians.

Training for process safety

At our petrochemical sites in Mizushima and Kawasaki, the Asahi Operation Academy (AOA) serves as the training center to cultivate the skills necessary to conduct production activities at petrochemical plants. AOA teaches the principles and structures of equipment, heightening the ability to identify the cause of equipment failure and to respond appropriately. Miniature plants and simulators are used at AOA to provide hands-on experience with controls and instrumentation. Operators thereby gain the technical skills and practical understanding of chemical engineering necessary for safe and reliable plant operation, with the ability to respond appropriately in the event of any abnormality.
In conjunction, we provide education on human behavioral characteristics and accident case studies in order to instill greater sensitivity for safety among employees and obtain strict compliance to safety rules to avoid dangers. We carry out safety training exercises in which employees are given simulated experience of workplace dangers including being caught in/between machinery, contacting hazardous liquids, tripping and falling on the same level, suffering a burn, falling from height, etc.
From fiscal 2019, we began incorporating VR experiences into our basic engineering education and safety training curriculum, and we are working to enhance training to improve risk sensitivity in equipment handling and operation.

Emergency response

Disaster Prevention Drills

A comprehensive set of internal regulations guides the proper response to any process safety accidents or natural disasters which may occur. The smooth operation of the emergency response system ensures that personal safety is secured, that effects of the situation are prevented from spreading to surrounding areas, and that damage is held to a minimum, through close communication between the plants, regional management, and the head office. To this end, the plants have prepared an annual schedule and conduct regular disaster drills, and other activities.
Fire drills are also important as part of overall disaster prevention. In Shiga, the Shiga Prefecture Konan Fire Prevention and Safety Association hosted the 47th Local Security Firefighting Training Competition, in which 17 teams from local companies participated. Moriyama Works also participated, and the Works’ firefighting team won the grand prize in the outdoor fire hydrant category. We will continue to discuss with each area about building effective disaster prevention measures, and reinforcing them in the future.

Media training

In the unlikely event of an accident that may adversely affect the community, accurate information must be provided promptly. To this end, we conduct a “media training” drill, in which we assign mock reporters to conduct a post-accident press conference. We will continue to implement this program in production areas.

Transportation and Distribution Safety

To prevent transportation and distribution accidents related to dangerous goods, such as hazardous materials, poisonous substances, and high-pressure gases, and to further improve the quality of our logistics, the Asahi Kasei Group is engaged in various safety activities such as logistics safety quality conference, safety meetings, safety inspections, and product handling training together with logistics providers contracted for the storage, handling, and transportation of products.
In addition to a logistics safety quality conference, in which logistics companies were brought together both online and face-to-face, together with senior management from Asahi Kasei to raise awareness around safety, a safety conference was held in fiscal 2023 attended by many people involved with different products.

Main activities in fiscal 2023

• Logistics safety quality conference: 50 companies
• Safety meeting for hazardous goods: 32 companies
• Safety meeting for resin products: 11 companies
• Logistics safety inspection: 33 companies
• Product handling training: 10 items, cumulative 38 companies

In addition, we have introduced HAZMATers (Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Service), provided by the Maritime Disaster Prevention Center, to further strengthen our ability to respond to emergencies. The engagement of HAZMATers makes a highly specialized emergency response available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring swift action by specialized personnel to prevent the spread of damage if an accident occurs.