Severe and extremely serious accidents involving hazardous chemicals are on the rise, and the situation is very grave.

Release Date:

2019-09-20

Recently, the State Council Information Office held a press conference, at which Vice Ministers Sun Huashan and Zheng Guoguang of the Ministry of Emergency Management presented an overview of the reform and development of emergency management in the new era.

Sun Huashan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management, stated that no major accidents involving hazardous chemicals occurred in 2016; in 2017, there were two major accidents resulting in 20 fatalities; and in 2018, two major accidents claimed 43 lives. Judging from this set of data, From 2017 and 2018 through this year, major and particularly serious accidents involving hazardous chemicals have been on the rise, and the situation remains extremely grave.

Sun Huashan pointed out that this reflects the weak safety foundation and low intrinsic safety levels in China’s hazardous chemicals sector. Among the 210,000 enterprises in the industry, small and medium-sized enterprises account for 80 percent; these firms generally operate with relatively outdated production equipment and face insufficient safety regulatory capacity, making these issues particularly pronounced. Furthermore, hazardous chemicals span six critical stages—production, operation, transportation, storage, use, and waste disposal—and differ most significantly from other sectors in their high degree of risk spillover: once an accident occurs, it often endangers public safety and results in far greater impacts and losses.

Sun Huashan stated that we are currently drafting the “Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Work on Safe Production of Hazardous Chemicals,” which will reinforce governance and rectification across multiple fronts, primarily as follows: First, with a focus on enhancing intrinsic safety in the hazardous chemicals sector, we will guide and encourage local authorities and enterprises to proactively prevent and mitigate major safety risks. Second, we will launch a new round of expert advisory services to help companies address management and technical challenges. Third, we will continue to strengthen targeted enforcement actions on hazardous chemical safety, rigorously cracking down on all illegal and non-compliant activities and ensuring follow-up remediation of significant hazards. Fourth, we will refine the regulatory framework for hazardous chemical safety, further bolstering our capacity for specialized oversight.

It also stated that effectively preventing and defusing major risks encompasses many aspects, with workplace safety being a key component. Workplace safety is vital to the safety of people’s lives and property, and it serves as an essential foundation and safeguard for fully building a moderately prosperous society. The Ministry of Emergency Management has consistently regarded workplace safety as the cornerstone of its overall work, maintaining unwavering vigilance and continuously advancing related efforts, resulting in an overall stable and improving national workplace safety situation.

In 2018, the total number of accidents, as well as the numbers of major and particularly serious accidents, continued to decline. In the first eight months of this year, further substantial reductions were recorded: three particularly serious accidents resulted in 103 fatalities, with the number of accidents and the death toll down 19.8% and 19.4%, respectively, year on year. Meanwhile, major accidents fell by 17.7%, and particularly serious accidents by 30.8%. Compared over time, significant progress has been made in workplace safety; however, there remains a considerable gap between current achievements and the public’s expectations. Although the overall accident rate has dropped markedly, the death toll remains high—18,000 people nationwide lost their lives in various production‑related accidents during the first eight months. Particularly serious accidents continue to occur from time to time. At present, China is still in a phase characterized by frequent and recurrent accidents, navigating a period of steep challenges and critical thresholds. In particular, the development of emerging industries and new sectors has given rise to novel hazards and risks, posing fresh demands on safety oversight and regulation.

It should be noted that the situation remains complex and severe, and the foundation of workplace safety is still not sufficiently robust. Specifically, there are three key issues:

First, at the enterprise level, the implementation of corporate principal responsibility remains inadequate. Often, in the pursuit of short-term economic gains—seeking to cut investment and reduce costs—companies skimp on safety-related expenditures and investments, leading to outdated production processes and equipment and weak safety‑guarantee capabilities. Second, workers generally lack a strong safety awareness and sufficient safety knowledge. This is particularly true in high‑risk industries, where employee turnover is high and safety training is often insufficient, resulting in relatively low safety competence among staff. As a result, 80 to 90 percent of workplace accidents are attributable to violations of operating procedures and safety regulations, making the enhancement of workers’ safety literacy a significant challenge. Third, the scientific rigor, seriousness, and standardization of government oversight still require further improvement, with the shortage of specialized regulatory personnel remaining a particularly pressing issue.

Source: Daily Economic News, China.org.cn Live Stream

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