The State Council has issued a notice regarding the “October 15” explosion incident in Yulin and will conduct a comprehensive screening of enterprises that may be involved in chemical projects.

Release Date:

2019-10-22

Recently, the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee issued a notice regarding the major explosion accident that occurred on October 15 at Guangxi Yulin Lankexin New Materials Technology Co., Ltd.

To the Work Safety Committees of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as to relevant central enterprises:

At approximately 11:10 a.m. on October 15, 2019, an explosion occurred at Guangxi Lankexin New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., located in the Northern Industrial Concentration Zone of Lucuan County, Yulin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (hereinafter referred to as the “October 15” accident in Yulin, Guangxi), resulting in four fatalities and eight injuries. Preliminary investigations indicate that the company, a manufacturer of casting machinery, had illegally and unauthorizedly constructed a chemical project and proceeded with trial production without proper planning. During this trial phase, a 10-cubic-meter atmospheric-pressure reactor in its resin workshop—producing phenolic resin using phenol and polyformaldehyde as primary raw materials—suddenly exploded. The detailed cause of the accident is currently under further investigation.

In addition, on October 11, a poisoning and asphyxiation accident occurred at the wastewater treatment plant of Hengxiang Biochemical Co., Ltd. in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, resulting in six fatalities; on October 15, Jinyao Chemical Products Co., Ltd. in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, experienced a hydrogen sulfide gas poisoning incident during emergency equipment repairs, claiming three lives. Since National Day, three major accidents involving hazardous chemicals have occurred in succession, once again underscoring the extremely grave and complex situation facing chemical and hazardous‑chemical safety nationwide this year. Despite the State Council’s Work Safety Commission Office continuously organizing chemical‑safety enforcement inspections, conducting both open and undercover investigations, and launching a special campaign to identify and eliminate risks associated with hazardous chemicals—particularly through repeated urging and reminders to all regions and relevant enterprises to ensure safe resumption of production and work after the holiday—these incidents have nonetheless taken place, with particularly severe consequences. In particular, the “10·15” accident in Yulin, Guangxi, has brought to light the following pressing issues: First, the company involved in the accident demonstrated a profound disregard for the rule of law, devising spurious pretexts to evade regulatory oversight. Without completing the required declaration and filing procedures, it unilaterally initiated construction of a chemical production project and commenced trial operations, resulting in an accident due to inadequate safety measures and uncontrolled risks. Second, local safety‑regulation mechanisms contained significant gaps and blind spots. The company was not located within a designated chemical industrial park, and according to its business registration records, it did not qualify as a chemical enterprise; yet, in reality, it had illegally installed chemical processing units and used hazardous chemicals. Local authorities failed to conduct a comprehensive and thorough assessment of hazardous‑chemical safety risks, lacked clarity in assigning responsibility for oversight, and thus overlooked the company’s efforts to circumvent regulation and engage in unauthorized construction and production. Third, the local commitment to sound safety‑management principles remained weak and unimplemented. Investment‑attraction policies were inadequately scrutinized, and the company’s phenolic resin production project originated in Dongguan, Guangdong, but was relocated to Guangxi under pressure from environmental regulations. This hasty acceptance of such projects by local authorities sowed latent safety hazards. In order to draw profound lessons from recent accidents, apply these lessons more broadly, close regulatory loopholes, strengthen the implementation of supervisory responsibilities, and enhance the identification and remediation of safety risks and hazards—thereby resolutely curbing the trend of frequent accidents—the following work requirements are hereby put forward:

I. Immediately organize a comprehensive risk assessment of all enterprises potentially involved in chemical projects, and ensure that regulatory responsibilities are assigned to each entity on a case-by-case basis.

All regions are required to immediately organize a comprehensive and thorough baseline survey of all enterprises within their jurisdictions that may be involved in chemical projects. Focus on inspecting enterprises whose names include terms such as “Biology,” “New Materials,” or “Technology,” and verify whether their business scope encompasses chemical production. It is essential to verify whether actual production and business activities are consistent with the filed records and whether any unauthorized construction of chemical facilities has taken place. Particular attention should be paid to illegal practices such as leasing premises or equipment for contract manufacturing, which are used to shift safety risks. Strengthen organizational leadership, intensify publicity and reward mechanisms for reporting, improve and refine relevant systems, and enhance the effectiveness of identifying and cracking down on illegal and non‑compliant production activities. For enterprises found to have issues, carefully assess their industry classification and associated risks, clearly assign and enforce regulatory responsibilities on a case-by-case basis, and prevent regulatory blind spots. With respect to problems identified during inspections, if discrepancies are found between the enterprise’s operations and its registered scope, impose penalties in accordance with laws and regulations, order immediate corrective action, and eliminate potential safety hazards. In cases of serious violations or when significant safety risks are present, take lawful and regulatory measures, including suspension of production for rectification, revocation of licenses and permits, and closure or prohibition of operations.

II. Diligently strengthen safety management for the resumption of production and work following the National Day holiday, as well as winter safety production efforts, to firmly prevent a resurgence of accidents.

Following the National Day holiday, many enterprises have resumed production and work. Coupled with the fact that the fourth quarter is traditionally one of the peak periods for accidents involving hazardous chemicals in the chemical industry, even a slight lapse in vigilance or relaxation of safety requirements can easily lead to incidents. All localities must maintain a high level of alertness and stringent oversight, intensify inspections and supervision, and urge enterprise leaders to meticulously develop resumption plans, establish robust command structures, strengthen assessment and training, and ensure accountability for safety. Each piece of equipment and safety facility must be inspected and verified item by item; comprehensive risk assessments should be conducted throughout the resumption process, with tailored emergency response plans put in place. The leadership on‑duty system must be strictly enforced, on‑site patrols strengthened, and timely identification and resolution of issues ensured. Rushing schedules, chasing output, or operating beyond capacity are strictly prohibited to prevent a resurgence of accidents during this period. Early preparations must be made to ensure safe production in winter, guiding and urging enterprises to enhance the identification and remediation of safety risks and hazards. In light of adverse winter conditions—low temperatures, rain, snow, and freezing—comprehensive “winter prevention” plans should be formulated, major hazard sources rigorously controlled, and measures implemented to guard against freezing, condensation, slipping, fire, explosion, static electricity, and leaks. Regular inspections must be stepped up to ensure that all protective measures are fully in place, thereby guaranteeing safety.

III. Deepen comprehensive safety governance of hazardous chemicals and identify and address gaps to effectively manage risks.

All regions must further intensify comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety of hazardous chemicals. In accordance with the 40 tasks across 10 areas outlined in the plan, they should conduct a thorough assessment of their local progress; for any outstanding items, measures must be strengthened and implementation accelerated. Particular attention should be paid to source‑level access controls and risk identification, with heightened vigilance regarding the risks associated with the relocation of outdated production capacity. When attracting investment, safety must remain the top priority, with rigorous scientific analysis and prudent decision‑making to resolutely prevent projects lacking adequate safety conditions from being approved. Furthermore, all regions are urged to carefully align with the “Catalogue of Industries and Products Involving Hazardous Chemical Safety Risks” issued by the State Council’s Work Safety Committee, conducting more in‑depth surveys of safety risks in various sectors—especially at the use stage—and dynamically updating the “single map and single table” system to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current risk landscape and to refine and strengthen targeted control measures. All relevant departments must be encouraged to strictly enforce the principle that “safety oversight is integral to managing an industry, business operations, and production and business activities,” continuously reinforcing safety regulation across all stages—production, storage, use, trade, transportation, and disposal—while urging enterprises to enhance their own hazardous chemical safety management. Efforts to prevent and mitigate major safety risks must be carried out in a solid and systematic manner, effectively averting serious and extremely serious accidents and ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property as well as social stability.

Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee

October 18, 2019

Source: Ministry of Emergency Management

Tags:

The pesticide industry is poised to face five major trends in the future!

The state will subject these 20 categories of chemicals to special regulatory control.

More information

The National Agricultural Technology Center has issued guidelines on “one spray, three protections” for wheat to address the heightened risk of recurrent outbreaks of Fusarium head blight, stripe rust, and aphids.

2026-04-10

The petrochemical and chemical industries comprise more than 27,000 large-scale production enterprises—efforts to upgrade and retrofit aging facilities are being further intensified.

2026-04-06

In 2026, corn borer, cotton bollworm, and ear rot—among other corn pests and diseases—are expected to occur at a relatively severe level. The National Agricultural Technology Center has issued a control plan!