We invite local residents to our site, where we report on the operation of the factory to them and exchange opinions with them once every two months.

Regular education is provided to all employees so that we can meet the requirements for biosafety and safety regulations. Currently, we operate our business at biosafety level 1 (S1) in accordance with German laws. In addition, we have enhanced standard operating procedures and quality assurance systems for GMP (good manufacturing practice) manufacturing in accordance with German and international requirements. Furthermore, on March 27 and 28, 2018, outside experts were invited to hold company-wide trainings focused on the development and production of clinical samples.

Centered on the manufacturing department, we conducted workplace safety education to prevent occupational accidents and practical training on emergency measures in the event of an industrial accident.

We are promoting improvement activities from the bottom up using proposals and a hiyari-hatto prevention system. Submitted proposals and hiyari-hatto reports are commended in front of everyone at a general meeting to raise employees’ motivation. We also strive to create an open workplace where it is easy to talk through New Year's parties and company trips.

In order to be able to support the initial fire extinguishing in the event of a fire at the workplace, an initial firefighting drill was conducted with all departments participating. The drill provided the awareness to not let disasters spread by promptly responding at the time of the discovery of a fire.

We are developing safety education and activities so that a safety culture takes root in our company through various activities such as reciting three safety slogans in a call-and-response format at morning meetings, radio exercises, safety education, safety patrols by supervisors/managers, risk assessment, and evacuation and fire drills.

An Ekiden-style system is being implemented as a campaign to maintain zero accidents. In order to maintain a sense of responsibility for continuing zero-accident operations, a sash is handed off from the person in charge for the previous week to another person for the following week.

Joint emergency drills with PCS (Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore Pte. Ltd.) were conducted four times in total (Jun. 14, Nov. 8, Nov. 23, and Dec. 21 in 2017).

A fire drill under the guidance of a Vietnamese fire department is conducted every year.

Communication and safety: All employees get together to hold a social gathering every year (in November).

Opened stalls at a summer festival organized by the industrial park. It was a good opportunity to interact with local residents

We are deepening technical exchanges with academic societies and other industries through the local state government's biochemical network aiming to share information on our unique and potential technologies. Additionally, in July 2017, we redesigned our website, and we are making efforts to make its contents understandable for the general population.

In order to create safe and secure workplaces, we have worked to promote safe behavior through such activities as a safety quiz contest (April 2021) .

We made donations to local volunteer groups to provide relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
*Face masks were removed for the photographs only

Omi Plant holds a disaster prevention drill each year to prepare for possible plant emergencies. The event over the last two years has been held on a smaller scale and over a shorter period to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The event this year focused on prompt and accurate reporting and relaying of information, firefighting and drills for the monitoring of plant equipment and the surrounding facilities together with the Itoigawa Fire Department. In preparation for possible future disasters, we will continue training throughout the year to maintain safety and establish systems to ensure a prompt response in the event of an emergency.

Volunteer cleanup activities have been held twice a year as part of CSR activities, but were postponed due to the prolonged spread of COVID-19. Despite the ongoing nature of COVID-19, we have come to understand the importance of social activities, and for the first time in three years, the cleanup volunteers have resumed their activities. Plant volunteers worked on the day to collect empty cans, plastic bottles and waste paper near local residences and along the roadsides in the area adjacent the plant.
With this resumption, we will continue to strive to work as one with the community.

On July 24, the Chiba Plant participated in the 5th "Sunday School" Learning about the industry and environment of Ichihara! The Sunday School, sponsored by the City of Ichihara, was established in October 2021 at the Welcia Communication Center Ichihara for elementary school students in grades 4 to 6 living in the city, and has been held as a series of 6 classes led by civic groups and businesses from around Ichihara. In order to foster a “zest for life” among children and interaction with friends outside school, students can learn more about their city and have fun doing it through lectures, workshops and various other experiences. Under the theme of "Ichihara-a unique city", past events have included "Ichihara Sightseeing and Kominato Railway", "Ichihara Local Cuisine", "History of Ichihara", and "Ichihara and Golf". On July 24, under the theme of "Industry and the Environment of Ichihara", the Chiba Plant gave an overview of the petrochemical complex in the coastal area of Ichihara City, and Chiba Plant, environmental initiatives, chemical recycling, and other topics, to foster a further understanding of the coastal area around the plant. Participants then had the opportunity to make their own plastic bottles. Following a change of instructors, participants then enjoyed learning the meaning of the 3Rs through a variety of games.

On August 21, we participated in the “Monozukuri Festa” Ichihara, Future City of SDGs organized by the city of Ichihara. The Monozukuri Festa was held at the Welcia Communication Center Ichihara as a festival for elementary school students in Ichihara to learn about the industries of the city and to experience manufacturing firsthand. The festival was divided into four booths, and the Chiba Plant participated in an event where students in grades 1-6 could make their own plastic bottles, drawing and coloring on film to create their own unique plastic bottle. The children had a great time covering their bottles with film adorned with their own artwork and soaking it in boiling water. The film was also introduced as an SDG and a means to promote the recycling of PET bottles.

On July 22, a ceremony was held in the power plant area to celebrate the completion of work to reinforce the Chiba utility supply system and was attended by approximately 25 people from Chiba Plant and representatives from construction companies. At the completion ceremony, after a Shinto prayer given by the high priest Tokita of the local Omiya Shrine, a representative from each of the attendants offered tamagushi to express their gratitude for the completion of construction without accident or disaster and prayed for safe and stable operations in the future. With the completion of this work, a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency, large-sized gas turbine was introduced to strengthen the power and steam supply system, strengthen safety measures, innovate processes throughout the utility plant, save energy and reduce costs, and further strengthen the foundation of the Chiba Plant.

On November 22, administrative officials from 15 companies with factories in the Goi and Chigusa areas, including our plant, attended the annual Labor Thanksgiving Ceremony held by businesses associated with the Ichihara City Waterfront Complex at the Omiya Shrine in the local Goi district. The Labor Thanksgiving Ceremony was held in conjunction with the Niiname Festival, a ceremony held at the Imperial Court to express gratitude for the harvest, in which each company offered its products to the gods, and after a congratulatory prayer by the high priest Tokita, the general affairs officers of each company offered tamagushi to express their gratitude for safe and stable operations and prayed for the incident/accident free expansion of operations in the future. To conclude the ceremony, high priest Tokita expressed his gratitude for the harvest and his wish that the livelihood of each company would be as bountiful as the autumn harvest and spread widely as a source of vitality for the nation and its people.

On November 29, a total of 10 members of the SDGs Subcommittee, including the chairperson of the Ichihara City and Town Chairmen's Association and Director of the SDGs Subcommittee, and five people from the relevant departments of Ichihara City were invited to take a tour of the plant. The purpose of this tour was to provide an understanding of the chemical recycling plant for used polystyrene resin being developed by Chiba Plant and Toyo Styrene. After a welcome speech by the Plant Manager and an overview of the plant by the General Affairs Section, the participants toured the plant in the following order: styrene monomer ⇒ polystyrene ⇒ BOPS ⇒ DENKA POLYMER Goi Plant ⇒ chemical recycling plant construction site, giving them an image of the recycling process. After the tour, the Plant Manager, General Manager of the Production Department 2, and General Manager of the Polymer Research Department explained various plastic containers, and during the Q&A session, we fielded a large number of questions and opinions from the heads of the various town councils, which made it possible to take the first step toward social implementation of chemical recycling in the future.

On November 30, two second-grade students from Ichihara Municipal Kokubunjidai West Junior High School were invited to participate in a plant tour. Under normal circumstances, the students would have been invited for two days, however this was reduced to half a day due to COVID-19. The tour started with self introductions, followed by an introduction of the company and plant from personnel from the General Affairs Section, explaining events held at the plant, local community activities, safety rules and manners, and the importance of work. This was followed by a tour around the plant which gave the students a first hand view of the work we do here after which the students commented that seeing the facility first hand made them more interested in the manufacturing industry and gave them a further understanding of the plant and what we do here. After a tour of the plant, the students had the opportunity to make their own plastic bottles which was followed by interviews given by the students. Days later we received a polite thank-you note from the students, encouraging us to continue to engage in educational CSR activities.

On December 2, a plant tour of Maruzen Petrochemical, Showa Denko Materials (now Resonac), and the Chiba Plant was conducted as part of an annual event of the Miki Kai (a liaison association between 10 coastal companies in the Goi area and six town councils). Participants gathered at the plant and were briefed on the structure of the petrochemical complex and the products manufactured at the plant in Conference Room A, followed by an explanation of chemical recycling being promoted by Denka and Toyo Styrene. This was followed by a tour of the three company plants in a large bus, finally returning to Chiba Plant for a Q&A session, where many questions were asked about safety and security, our SDGs and other topics.

On January 30, a comprehensive disaster drill was conducted at the Chiba Plant. Partly due to the impact of COVID-19, this was the first comprehensive on-site disaster drill held in approximately four years since October 2018. This year's event was held jointly with Goi Joint Disaster Prevention, with 17 companies and three organizations from the neighborhood in attendance to observe the drill. The drill was held at the CM-4 plant. The drill was conducted on the assumption that an earthquake would trigger a leak of hazardous materials (ethylbenzene) and cause a fire resulting in injuries. It was the first training session in a long time, but the local command post, workplace defense unit, defense headquarters, and members of each defense team worked on their training to fulfill their respective roles. The participants and the city fire department identified issues such as (1) responding to a major disaster and using pictorial training, (2) developing methods for timely and appropriate information collection and sharing, and (3) building an organizational structure to properly conduct firefighting activities. Priority issues identified through this drill will be analyzed and responses made, and repeated training will enhance individual skills and team collaboration to improve the level of plant disaster prevention.