Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery Becomes First Facility in Japan to Obtain Special Accredited Advanced Safety Inspector Certification (A-Certification)
August 20, 2024
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (hereafter, “Cosmo Oil”) announced today that its Sakai Refinery was certified as Japan’s first Special Accredited Advanced Safety Inspector (commonly known as "A Certification") on August 19, 2024, under the High Pressure Gas Safety Act’s New Nintei Jigyosha System1, a new system established by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
The New Nintei Jigyosha System certifies those facilities that utilize technology to meet requirements, such as a commitment by senior management, an advanced risk management structure, and implementation of cyber security countermeasures, and that have been recognized as having advanced safety capabilities as Special Accredited Advanced Safety Inspectors. The Sakai Refinery is the first facility in Japan to be certified under the new system. At the same time, the refinery was also certified to implement Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), which allows operators to determine when inspections are necessary based on the condition of equipment.
Cosmo Oil’s Chiba Refinery and Yokkaichi Refinery were designated as Super Nintei Jigyosha2 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. With the certification of the Sakai Refinery, more risk-based flexible and efficient business operations will now be possible, for example, all three refineries will be able to set periods of continuous operation and inspection methods according to risk, thereby leading to greater competitiveness.
Going forward, Cosmo Oil will continue to contribute to enriching the lives of consumers and users around the world through safe operations and a stable energy supply in line with Chapter 1 of the Cosmo Energy Group Code of Conduct: “We are determined to be a safe, accident-free corporate group.”
<Comment by Hirokatsu Harui, General Manager, Sakai Refinery>
We are delighted to have been certified as a Special Accredited Advanced Safety Inspector and CBM Implementor. The Cosmo Energy Group states in Chapter 1 of our Corporate Code of Conduct: “We are determined to be a safe, accident-free corporate group.” Based on this Code of Conduct, the Sakai Refinery has defined “safe operations and stable supply” as our vision, positioning our own idea of “advanced safety” as an indispensable foundation for realizing this end. To strengthen that foundation, we have been working to enhance human resource development, strengthen risk management, provide more practical disaster prevention training, and introduce advanced technologies that meet the needs of the field, focusing on safety management activities that are mutually educational as a result of teamwork by sound organizations. In addition, we will advance our safety management in light of new risks, including reinforcing cyber security countermeasures.
Through these efforts, Cosmo Oil remains committed to providing a stable supply of petroleum products—our mission as an oil refiner—while ensuring safe operations and a stable energy supply and earning the trust of local communities.
Photo of certificate presentation ceremony
(Left: Satoshi Iwase, Director & Executive Officer, Cosmo Oil,
Right: Toru Muta, Director, High Pressure Gas Safety Office,
Industrial and Product Safety Policy Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
1. New Nintei Jigyosha System (available in Japanese only)
2. Nintei Jigyosha System (available in Japanese only)
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