Toward Sustainable Growth
Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
The Tosoh Group extends its sympathies to the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic and to their families, friends, and associates. At the same time, the Tosoh Group expresses its deepest gratitude to the medical professionals on the front lines of health care and this pandemic specifically and to the many other essential workers who daily maintain our social infrastructure.
Basic Approach
The Tosoh Group’s approach to preventing the spread of COVID-19 falls under its CSR policy of ensuring the safety and health of every person involved in its business activities. To help overcome this global health crisis, we are working with customers, business partners, and local communities to sustain business activities and provide a stable supply of the products essential to society and especially physical well-being.
Infection and Plant Operation Status
As of the end of September 2020, the Tosoh Group had recorded three confirmed cases of COVID-19 at its companies in Japan and 22 cases at its companies overseas.
Earlier, in August, a Tosoh Group company in China that produces urethane resumed operations after being forced to shut down months before amid the surge in infections in that country. The Tosoh Group is thankful that none of its other members so far, in Japan and abroad, were seriously affected as a result of this pandemic.
Measures to Prevent the Spread of Infection
Group-wide Response
In accordance with its disaster countermeasure regulations, the Tosoh Group has established headquarters at each workplace and tasked those headquarters with putting into action the means to combat COVID-19. Implementing the countermeasures is based on a phased management approach in response to the spread of infection. Tosoh Group members overseas, moreover, are introducing measures to prevent the spread of infection in line with the guidance of national, regional, and local governments and authorities. Collectively, all Tosoh Group members are working to ensure the health and safety of employees and their families.
Infection Prevention Measures
- Use of web (video) conferencing and teleconferencing systems
- Suspension of overseas business travel
- Restrictions on nonessential domestic business trips and meetings
- Restrictions on participation in training and group dining
- Implementation of temperature checks for visitors and placing of disinfectant solution at each facility entrance and exit
- Encouragement of staggered work hours and telecommuting; up to 80% of employees at headquarters, branches, and some laboratories are homebound
- Strengthening of health observation (temperature checks)
- Recommendation for the use of Contact-Confirmation Application (COCOA)
- Installation of splash-proof partitions in offices, distribution of masks
Response at Complexes
Many more people than just employees enter and exit Tosoh Group facilities daily in support of operations. This is as true for our plants as for our offices.
And that is what compelled us in spring 2020 to emphasize countermeasures to protect against COVID-19 at our Nanyo and Yokkaichi Complexes in Japan. Both facilities were scheduled for large-scale maintenance work, which meant the introduction there of numerous outside workers alongside regular employees. Gratefully, our efforts resulted in no outbreaks of infection during the maintenance periods at either complex.
Infection Prevention Measures
- Introduction of temperature checks by thermal camera at the time of entry
- Disinfection of contact areas at each shift
- Mandatory wearing of masks
- Enforcement of social distancing with visitors
- Maintenance of records of entry and exit to all aspects of a facility
Business Activity and Product Contributions
The Tosoh Group contributes to society in a wide range of fields, including the supply of products designed to combat infectious diseases. These products include infection-blocking vinyl sheets, rubber and polyethylene gloves, and chlorine disinfectants.
COVID-19 Test Kit Development
Tosoh has also developed and launched a reagent to detect the novel coronavirus using the TRC reaction method, which amplifies and detects ribonucleic acid (RNA). Using that detection reagent with our TRCReady-80 automated molecular analyzer, it is possible to detect the novel coronavirus easily and accurately and in only about 40 minutes. For more information, please go here.
Sodium Hypochlorite Supply
Sodium hypochlorite is widely used to disinfect water, sewage and food. Households employ it to sterilize, disinfect and bleach. And now it is proving highly effective in novel coronavirus sterilization and disinfection. As a manufacturer of sodium hypochlorite, the Tosoh Group is helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 infection by providing a stable supply of this useful product.