Safety Activities in Oita Complex, Showa Denko K.K

In recent years, there were serious accidents in the chemical industry. We at Oita Complex of Showa Denko K.K. also experienced a serious incident in 2012. In addition, we experienced many near accidents and operational troubles.

Therefore, we have taken seven items (work-related accidents, equipment-related accidents, violation of compliance, environmental troubles, claims on quality, serious malfunctions, and operational troubles) as indicators of safe, stable and secure operation of our plant. Aiming to dwindle these seven indicators to zeros, we intensively promote the three activities mentioned below, and has been successfully keeping the status of zero-accident since the start of these activities. In addition, these activities contribute to improvement in our performance. Here are the contents of our activities.

1. Identification of potential risks and execution of thoroughgoing countermeasures to prevent serious accidents

In these past several years, serious accidents in chemical plants started from exceptional operations of equipment in which extremely-high-risk materials were handled. Therefore, with regard to existing processes, we identified risks originated from materials. We also conducted assessment of risks incurred by exceptional operations, identified potential risks, and executed countermeasures against them. We gather information about accidents in other companies, establish an internal system to analyze that information and take preventive actions, aiming to prevent similar accidents.

1. Improvement on education system to cope with changes in generations

More than 60% of our plant operator has career in Showa Denko for less than 10 year, and it has become an urgent business for us to pass on technical skills to the next generation. Therefore, we drew a skill Matrix for each position, visualized required skills and their levels, and established human resource training system to be carried out under superior’s guidance, which is linked to personnel system. Especially, we execute a program in which a pair of young and veteran members patrols fields, and let veterans hand skills down to the next generation.

1. Promotion of safety culture

To achieve “seven zeros,” we also have to give root to safety culture. Aiming to promote safety culture, we continue executing “Do ordinary things in the ordinary way” activities and propagating “Oita Working Mind.” The latter is a set of action principles aiming to self-reform business conducts, including gathering, dispatching and sharing information, changing prior condition of thinking, proposing and carrying out reform measures.

Keywords: potential risks, human resource training,safety culture