Safety / Quality

Occupational Safety and Health

• Occupational Safety and Health Initiatives
• Enhancing Our Occupational Safety and Health Management System
• Prevention of Machine Accidents
• Feeling Danger Physically: Experiential Learning
• Safety Awards

Occupational Safety and Health Initiatives

Safety is a top management priority for the Kaneka Group, and it is our social mission to improve safety. To ensure safe and secure operations, we believe it is important to create a workplace environment where employees can work in good physical and mental health.
While being committed to continuing to protect safety, we have established the Zero Accident Principles, based on which all employees, including members of top management, make a point of following the rules. We also conduct ESG safety and quality inspections to check the safety management status of plants on-site. We assess the evidence of the status and share items that need improvement between the Head Office and the relevant plant. Based on a one-year-term improvement plan, we implement the PDCA cycle throughout the year.
Severity rate and frequency rate are indicators for occupational accidents.
Occupational accidents in 2021 were caused by sudden unsafe actions and carelessness. The frequency rate was 0.23, 0.05 points worse than the previous year. We will continue to improve the safety awareness of each employee and prevent occupational accidents by pursuing safety activities that adhere to the Zero Accident Principles, such as raising awareness of ways to make facilities safer and predict danger.

Accident Frequency Rate

Accident Frequency Rate: An indicator that shows the frequency of occupational accidents that caused death and/or injury by indicating the number of casualties per total 1 million actual working hours. Accident frequency rate is calculated targeting employees at Kaneka and Group companies.

Accident Severity Rate

Accident Severity Rate: An indicator that shows the level of severity of occupational accidents by indicating the number of lost work days per total 1,000 working hours. Accident severity rate is calculated targeting employees at Kaneka and Group companies.

Accidents Resulting/Not Resulting in Lost Time

Note: The number of occupational accidents includes those among employees at Kaneka and partner companies working in the Kaneka Group.

Enhancing Our Occupational Safety and Health Management System

Our all parent manufacturing sites acquired Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) certification from the Japan Industrial Safety & Health Association (JISHA) in fiscal 2007, and have continued our efforts to enhance these systems.

OSHMS Certifications

Prevention of Machine Accidents

To prevent machine accidents such as being caught in machinery and to raise the level of equipment safety assessment, we are fostering experts based on guidelines for comprehensive safety standards for machinery. As of fiscal 2021, we had registered a total of 62 comprehensive machine safety assessors certified as safety sub-assessors (*) under our internal certification system.

*Safety sub-assessor: A certification for machine designers with the basic knowledge and ability needed to confirm safety validity.

Feeling Danger Physically: Experiential Learning

The Kaneka Group is pursuing hands-on learning to enhance sensitivity to risks. In addition to conventional hands-on safety experience equipment, we newly introduced virtual reality-based learning equipment that allows participants to experience 16 simulation scenarios, including crashes, electric shocks, and explosions. All of the equipment is portable, allowing us to offer opportunities for hands-on learning to numerous employees and work to increase safety awareness.

Real learning experience of being caught
in machinery

Virtual reality-based experiential learning

Safety Awards

In May 2021, our Shiga Manufacturing Site received the Safety Excellence Award in an award scheme operated by the Japan Chemical Industry Association to recognize business sites that conduct exemplary safety activities. Across the Kaneka Group as a whole, four companies received designation as a ’certified safe business site.’
We present the President’s Safety Award to all business sites that have achieved no accidents (no process accidents) and no disasters (no accidents resulting / not resulting in lost time) based on the internal standards.
Going forward, we will continue raising safety awareness toward our goal of zero accidents.

Certification as a Safety-conscious Company by the Japan Chemical Industry Association

President’s Safety Award for No Accidents and No Disasters based on the Internal Standards (Fiscal 2021)