Occupational Safety and Health
Occupational Injuries
At FENC, the end game for occupational safety and health is “zero occupational disasters”. The Company values the safety and health of each and every employee and protects them by raising their awareness and understanding through conducting risk assessment and identification; preparing promotional campaigns and public notice; holding pre-work and toolbox meetings; designating safety and health month with programs and activities. In the unfortunate event of occupational disasters, immediate actions are taken to address the emergency. The following procedures are applicable to all production sites:
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All improvements must be completed within 2 months. Facility improvements that require construction contracts shall be completed within 3 to 6 months.
Based on the statistics, a total of 44 cases of occupational injuries among employees occurred at FENC production sites in 2023, which is down significantly by 43% from 2022. Among the cases are two high-consequence work-related injuries, which are defined as injuries from which the worker cannot, does not or is not expected to recover fully to pre-injury health status within six months. At FIGP, one worker was injured during machine operation. The worker accidentally extended his hand into the chain guard and his fingers got caught. After receiving medical treatment, the worker returned home for recovery. As of December 2023, he had been awaiting evaluation by the labor unit under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan to determine whether he could return to work. The chain guard has been reinforced, making it unmovable to prevent similar incidents. One worker at APG Polytech was injured during a fire caused by combustible dust. The injured worker has recovered. The plant has investigated the incident and will modify the operating procedures or update the equipment based on the result.
Among the occupational injuries are 12 cases of “caught-in/between,” which account for the highest percentage at 27%, and the major cause is a lack of hazard awareness among workers. In response, FENC has proposed the following measures to prevent occupational disasters:
- Request executive managers’ participation in safety and health inspections from time to time and promote pre-work hazard recognition.
- Implement the 5S methodology to ensure workplace safety and health and eliminate risk factors.
- Remind operators of possible danger zones or proper operation by adding warning labels at the job site.
- Encourage employees to engage in safety campaigns and provide recommendations for improvement to raise safety awareness.
- Increase safety training to highlight potential danger and operational safety to enhance employees’ safety awareness.
The investigation of and correction measures for occupational accidents at all FENC sites have been completed following the steps referenced above.
Statistics on Occupational Injury in 2023
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Calculation formulas and definitions of indicators related to occupational injury statistics
Indicator | Formulas and Definitions | Explanation |
Occupational Injuries | Including premature fatalities, permanent total and partial disabilities, temporary total disabilities and that result in no more than one lost day.Minor injuries and traffic accidents that occur during employees’ commute to and from work are excluded. | The classification corresponds to Process Safety Incidents Count (PSIC) in the SASB standards for the chemical industry. |
Severe Occupational Injuries | Defined as an inability or difficulty to restore to pre-injury health condition within 6 months. | It corresponds to Process Safety Incident Severity Rate (PSISR) as per the SASB standards for the chemical industry. |
Injury Rate (IR) | Total number of occupational injuries × 200,000 | IR indicates the percentage of every 100 workers with 40 work hours a week, 50 weeks a year. It corresponds to Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and Process Safety Total Incident Rate (PSTIR) in the SASB standards for the chemical industry. |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) | Total number of occupational injuries ÷ total work hours × 1000,000 | LTIFR indicates the number of lost time injuries occurring in a workplace per 1 million hours worked. |
Absentee Rate (AR) (%) | Days of absence ÷ total work days × 100% | - |
Lost Day Rate (LDR) | Lost days ÷ total work hours × 200,000. Lost days do not include the day of injury and the day of work resumption. | LDR indicates the percentage of every 100 workers with 40 work hours a week, 50 weeks a year. It corresponds to Lost Workday Rate (LWR) in Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). |
Rate of Work-Related Fatalities | Number of work-related fatalities ÷ total work hours × 200,000 | Rate of Work-Related Fatalities indicates the percentage of every 100 workers with 40 work hours a week, 50 weeks a year. It corresponds to fatality rate in the SASB standards for the chemical industry. |
Statistics on Occupational Injury
Bussiness | Petrochemical | Polyester | |||||||
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| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Occupational Injury Cases | Male | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 37 | 22 | 11 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | |
Total | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 47 | 24 | 13 | |
Injury Rate (IR) | Male | 0.71 | 0.34 | 0.00 | 0.22 | 0.61 | 0.60 | 0.36 | 0.19 |
Female | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.12 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 0.03 | |
Total | 0.71 | 0.34 | 0.00 | 0.22 | 0.74 | 0.76 | 0.39 | 0.22 | |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate （LTIFR） | Male | 3.56 | 1.69 | 0.00 | 1.12 | 3.07 | 3.01 | 1.78 | 0.94 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.61 | 0.81 | 0.16 | 0.17 | |
Total | 3.56 | 1.69 | 0.00 | 1.12 | 3.68 | 3.82 | 1.94 | 1.11 | |
Absentee Rate (AR) (%) | Male | 0.33 | 0.37 | 0.90 | 0.14 | 0.11 | 0.16 | 0.20 | 0.32 |
Female | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.11 | 0.08 | 0.17 | |
Total | 0.37 | 0.42 | 0.94 | 0.17 | 0.14 | 0.27 | 0.28 | 0.49 | |
Lost Day Rate (LDR) | Male | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.24 | 16.05 | 5.02 | 4.87 | 7.54 |
Female | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.02 | 0.83 | 0.92 | 1.44 | |
Total | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.24 | 18.07 | 5.85 | 5.79 | 8.98 | |
Number of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Rate of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Bussiness | Textile | Total | ||||||
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| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Occupational Injury Cases | Male | 37 | 29 | 38 | 20 | 76 | 68 | 60 | 32 |
Female | 35 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 42 | 30 | 17 | 12 | |
Total | 72 | 49 | 53 | 30 | 118 | 98 | 77 | 44 | |
Injury Rate (IR) | Male | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.21 | 0.14 | 0.34 | 0.32 | 0.24 | 0.15 |
Female | 0.21 | 0.14 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.19 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.06 | |
Total | 0.44 | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.21 | 0.52 | 0.45 | 0.31 | 0.21 | |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate （LTIFR） | Male | 1.13 | 0.98 | 1.03 | 0.68 | 1.68 | 1.58 | 1.19 | 0.76 |
Female | 1.07 | 0.68 | 0.41 | 0.34 | 0.93 | 0.70 | 0.34 | 0.29 | |
Total | 2.20 | 1.66 | 1.44 | 1.02 | 2.61 | 2.27 | 1.53 | 1.05 | |
Absentee Rate (AR) (%) | Male | 0.23 | 0.37 | 0.12 | 0.38 | 0.20 | 0.31 | 0.15 | 0.36 |
Female | 0.44 | 0.28 | 0.33 | 0.37 | 0.32 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.31 | |
Total | 0.67 | 0.65 | 0.44 | 0.75 | 0.53 | 0.54 | 0.41 | 0.67 | |
Lost Day Rate (LDR) | Male | 4.36 | 2.88 | 2.77 | 0.89 | 7.2 | 3.42 | 3.23 | 2.73 |
Female | 4.67 | 1.72 | 1.49 | 1.82 | 3.89 | 1.42 | 1.32 | 1.68 | |
Total | 9.03 | 4.60 | 4.26 | 2.72 | 11.09 | 4.83 | 4.55 | 4.41 | |
Number of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Rate of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.004 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.004 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Notes: 1. Statistics cover 100% production sites in 2023 Sustainability Report. Statistics above include permanent employees and temporary employees. The term, “permanent employee” in this report is identical to the terms, “permanent employee” and “full-time employee” referenced in the GRI standards. The term, “temporary employee” in this report refers to migrant workers in Taiwan; contract or outsourced workers in mainland China; employees under the probation period in Vietnam; outsourced workers in Japan; temporary workers in the U.S.; temporary employees as referenced in the GRI standards. 2. Total work hours of employees are 41,902,895 hours in 2023. 3. Between 2020 and 2022, there were no severe occupational injuries. However, there were 2 severe occupational injuries related to being caught-in/between and dust combustion in 2023. These incidents correspond to a 0.01% Process Safety Incident Severity Rate (PSISR) as per the SASB standards for the chemical industry. 4. There were no occupational illnesses between 2020 and 2023. |
The 2023 statistics on occupational injury from FENC production sites are compared against the 2022 statistics from Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor of Taiwan, as shown in the following table. The disabling injury frequency rate and severity rate at the Polyester Business are higher than those from the industry overall, which is the result of higher lost time caused by two high-consequence work-related injuries during the reporting year. The Polyester Business has ensured that all necessary mitigation measures are implemented.
Comparison Between FENC and Nationwide Statistics on Occupational Injuries
Petrochemical Industry | Petrochemical Industry | Polyester Industry FR | Polyester Industry | Textile Industry FR | Textile Industry | |
Statistics from Taiwan OSHA | 1.06 | 1253 | 0.70 | 8 | 1.86 | 155 |
Statistics from FENC | 1.12 | 11 | 1.11 | 28 | 1.02 | 14 |
| Note: 1. Disability injury frequency rate (FR) = total number of disabling injuries ×1,000,000 ÷ total manhours worked. 2. Disability injury severity rate (SR) = number of injured days off work × 1,000,000 ÷ total manhours worked. 3. FENC data is compared against the 2022 statistics for the petrochemical, chemical material manufacturing and textile industries from Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor. |
A total of nine occupational injuries among contractors at FENC production sites were recorded in 2023. One is a high-consequence work-related injury, which is defined as injuries from which the worker cannot, does not or is not expected to recover fully to pre-injury health status within six months. Among the remaining eight cases are one “fall,” one “collision,” one “cut” and one “thermal exposure.” Four cases fall under the “others” category. The high-consequence injury involved “caught-in/between,” which occurred at FIGP. During machine operation, the rotating shaft was jammed while the contractor was still holding the rope connecting to the shaft. Unable to free himself from the rope in time, his fingers were caught in the machine. The worker has received proper treatment. As of December 2023, he had been home for convalescence. To prevent future occurrences, fences and sensors have been installed to keep workers at a safety distance from the rotating operation and shut off the machine automatically when workers are too close.
Contractor’s Occupational Injury at Production Sites
Bussiness | Petrochemical | Polyester | |||||||
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| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Occupational Injury Cases | Male | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | |
Injury Rate (IR) | Male | 0.00 | 0.32 | 0.41 | 1.04 | 0.06 | 0.30 | 0.58 | 0.41 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.32 | 0.41 | 1.04 | 0.06 | 0.30 | 0.67 | 0.41 | |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate （LTIFR） | Male | 0.00 | 1.60 | 2.04 | 5.19 | 0.28 | 1.49 | 2.88 | 2.03 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.48 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 1.60 | 2.04 | 5.19 | 0.28 | 1.49 | 3.36 | 2.03 | |
Number of Work-Related | Male | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Rate of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Bussiness | Textile | Total | |||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
Occupational Injury Cases | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.28 | 0.00 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 1.30 | 2.50 | 2.46 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Injury Rate (IR) | Male | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate （LTIFR） | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.28 | 0.00 | |
Number of Work-Related | Male | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 1.30 | 2.50 | 2.46 |
Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Rate of Work-Related Fatalities | Male | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Female | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
Total | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Notes: 1. Statistics cover 100% production sites in 2023 Sustainability Report. 2. Total work hours of contractors are 3,658,778 hours in 2023, including contractors of engineering and labor services. 3. Between 2020 and 2022, there were no high-consequence work-related injuries. However, there was 1 severe occupational injury related to being caught-in/between in 2023. This incident corresponds to a 0.05% Process Safety Incident Severity Rate (PSISR) as per the SASB standards for the chemical industry. 4. There were no occupational illnesses between 2020 and 2023. |
FENC is committed to the management of safety and health. We grieve the loss of lives due to workplace disasters. Therefore, we establish SOPs for all operations and require staff compliance. This is a priority for safety and health management to prevent such tragedy from ever happening again.
Promoting Occupational Safety and Health with Stakeholders
1. Non-Profit Safety and Health Promotion – Kuansin E Family
In 2017, Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant joined the Labor Safety and Health Family Registry, a coaching program launched by the Office of Labor Inspection of Taoyuan City Government. It was then the plant established Kuansin E Family and served as the core leader of the program. To scale the program operation and demonstrate its commitment to safety and health management, Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant established another safety and health family, “Wei Nin Ping An,” in 2023 as a core leader in the Labor Safety and Health Registry, providing coaching and mentorship for smaller plants to develop workplace safety and health awareness and culture.
Kuansin E Family has been assisting the government with the implementation of occupational safety and health management since its founding. Implementation efforts in 2023 include the following:
- A total of three training and promotional events were conducted. The events consisted of occupational safety and health promotion, lectures on workplace violence, relief of mental and emotional stress, factory fire prevention and emergency response. The participants included safety and health management personnel, junior staff and representatives overseeing the plants coached by Kuansin E Family. A total of 61 participants attended the sessions.
- Kuansin E Family demonstrated support for the Office of Labor Inspection of Taoyuan City Government by participating in and co-organizing external occupational safety and health programs.
- From October to December, 2023, Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant assisted the Office of Labor Inspection of Taoyuan City Government and co-hosted a campus occupational safety program for students from Ping Nan Junior High School, Long Gang Junior High School and Shih Men Junior High School in Taoyuan City. During these events, the plant provided immersive learning opportunities through VR and guided the students to identify hazards and preventive measures when working at height. By experiencing falls through the VR simulation, student realized the severity of such hazards and the importance of using personal protective equipment, heightening safety and health awareness in their young minds. After the event, the Taoyuan City Government presented the certificate of appreciation as a token of gratitude for Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant.
- On December 18, 2023, the Safety and Health Technology Center and the Office of Labor Inspection of Taoyuan City Government invited Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant to the 2023 Workplace Safety and Intelligent Disaster Prevention Seminar to discuss “Innovative Management of Confined Space Operations,” including pre-work hazard identification, monitoring during operation, and post-work inspection.
- Kuansin E Family provided strong member support, helping them diagnose occupational safety and health issues and proposing improvement measures. Of the 26 measures recommended in 2023, 25 have been completed, representing a 96.2% improvement rate. Compared to 2022, the number of improvement measures recommended dropped by 33, a sign that the coaching provided through Kuansin E Family has heightened members’ awareness of self-management regarding safety and health. By reducing health and safety deficiencies through construction or administrative improvement, Kuansin E Family and its members are building workplace safety and a safety culture.
- Kuanyin Chemical Fiber Plant’s continuous efforts in the promotion of the Labor Safety and Health Family Registry have borne fruit, and such efforts were recognized by the Taoyuan City Government with an award during the Safety and Health Family Assembly and 2023 Press Conference on Friendly Workplace, Safety and Health Promotion.
Performance of Safety and Health Family Program
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