Kumho Petrochemical Group accelerates safety and environmental management upgrades

Kumho Petrochemical Group is stepping up efforts to refine its safety and environmental management systems, treating both as core values underpinning sustainable growth. The group is working to identify potential hazards at its worksites before they materialize, while also reducing its environmental footprint through process improvements and resource recycling.

Key affiliates — including Kumho Petrochemical, Kumho P&B Chemicals, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals, Kumho Polychem and Kumho Resort — are strengthening workplace safety management systems and working to minimize environmental impact, the group said Friday. The four petrochemical units jointly operate a Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) system, through which each affiliate pursues safety and environmental initiatives tailored to its specific business operations.

Kumho Petrochemical is focused on identifying and addressing workplace hazards before incidents occur. The company conducts risk assessments to detect potential accidents and near-misses across its production processes and work procedures, and last year revised its assessment process to sharpen its documentation and monitoring framework. It has also introduced intelligent CCTV, smart airbags, smart safety helmets and virtual reality safety training equipment to strengthen on-site safety management. Standards and training systems for toolbox meetings — pre-work checks to identify hazards — have also been overhauled.

Kumho P&B Chemicals is concentrating on hazardous chemical management and emergency response capabilities. The company has appointed additional hazardous chemical managers at each worksite and conducts regular training for both managers and handlers. It also runs monthly in-house drills to prepare for chemical accidents. On-site safety infrastructure is being continuously upgraded, including the provision of protective equipment to workers handling hazardous chemicals and the installation of additional detectors for newly designated hazardous substances.

Kumho Resort is building a safety management framework suited to the hospitality sector. Each worksite sets its own hazard-identification targets and conducts regular risk assessments, while a near-miss reporting system allows potential hazards to be flagged and addressed before they lead to accidents. Last year, the Asiana Country Club and the Jeju worksite obtained ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management system certification, and the certification scope was subsequently expanded to the Hwasun and Asan worksites.

Kumho Mitsui Chemicals operates an early-detection system for pollutants at the final discharge points of its wastewater outlets and has set internal targets for air pollutant management to reduce the environmental impact of its overall production processes. The company also cuts wastewater discharge and water consumption through electrolysis technology that recycles high-salinity wastewater into raw materials such as chlorine and caustic soda, and through the reuse of steam condensate and cooling water. It pursues carbon emission management across all MDI products through life-cycle assessments and ISCC PLUS certification. On the safety front, the company is reinforcing its emergency response systems for fires and gas leaks, and expanding on-site inspections and hazard-identification activities.

Kumho Polychem manages waste generated at its worksites systematically and is expanding recycling. Waste is sorted by type and stored separately, and recyclability is the primary criterion when selecting contractors for waste disposal. The company monitors the entire waste lifecycle — from generation to final disposal — through regular site visits to verify legal compliance. In addition, a "zero safety accidents" target has been incorporated into the performance evaluation metrics for all employees, and occupational health and safety training has been extended to include headquarters office staff. A joint safety and health consultative body with partner companies also meets on a regular basis.