An official from the Hazardous Chemicals Supervision Department of the Ministry of Emergency Management provides an interpretation of two related documents on the governance of chemical industrial parks and the management of hazardous chemicals.

In accordance with the key work plan of the State Council’s Work Safety Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Management recently organized the formulation and issuance of the “Guidelines for Identifying and Addressing Safety Risks in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)” and the “Guidelines for Identifying and Addressing Safety Risks and Hidden Dangers in Enterprises Handling Hazardous Chemicals” (hereinafter referred to as the two guidelines). A reporter interviewed the head of the Department of Hazardous Chemicals Supervision at the Ministry of Emergency Management regarding these two guidelines.

I. Question: What is the background behind the formulation and promulgation of the two guidelines?

Answer: In recent years, China’s chemical industry has experienced rapid growth. In 2018, the nation’s total chemical output accounted for approximately 40% of the global total, ranking first worldwide. Chemical production has increased substantially and is widely used across all sectors of the national economy, closely linked to people’s aspirations for a better life. At the same time, however, the situation regarding workplace safety in the chemical sector and with hazardous chemicals remains grave. Notably, since the beginning of this year, three major and extremely serious chemical‑related accidents have occurred—on March 21 in Xiangshui, Jiangsu; on April 15 in Jinan, Shandong; and on July 19 in Sanmenxia, Henan—resulting in significant losses of life and property. These incidents have highlighted critical shortcomings, including incomplete risk assessments in chemical industrial parks and inadequate, superficial identification and remediation of risks and hazards at enterprises. To earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on workplace safety involving hazardous chemicals, draw profound lessons from these accidents, and guide local authorities and relevant enterprises in conducting thorough and comprehensive risk assessments of chemical industrial parks and hazardous chemical facilities, thereby enhancing safety management in these areas, the Ministry of Emergency Management has specifically initiated the development of two sets of guidelines. The Department of Hazardous Chemicals Supervision convened relevant agencies and experts to conduct in-depth analysis and research, producing draft versions of the guidelines. Following extensive consultations with regional governments, pertinent departments, and enterprises, the guidelines were further revised and refined, resulting in their final form.

II. Question: What salient issues are the two guidelines intended to address?

Answer: In recent years, regions including Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and Sichuan have experienced a series of severe and particularly serious chemical safety accidents, resulting in significant casualties and property losses. Investigations have revealed that some chemical industrial parks and hazardous‑chemical enterprises suffer from inadequate safety risk management and control, as well as insufficient identification and remediation of hidden dangers. The spillover of hazardous‑chemical safety risks has been a major factor contributing to the occurrence and escalation of these accidents, posing an urgent and pressing issue that demands immediate attention. First, this guidance fills a critical gap in China’s regulatory framework for identifying and managing safety risks in chemical industrial parks. According to statistics, there are currently more than 800 chemical industrial parks nationwide; however, systematic normative guidance on risk assessment and mitigation remains lacking. Many parks lack sound planning and rational spatial layout, project access controls are lax, enterprise management within the parks varies widely, and the cumulative effect of regional risks is pronounced, creating an objective risk of domino‑like cascading incidents. Second, it promotes the safe and high‑quality development of chemical industrial parks. Some localities have prioritized economic growth at the expense of safety, establishing chemical parks without adequate safety management capabilities or conditions, and attracting outdated, unsafe chemical production capacity—thereby sowing latent hazards for regional safety. The guidelines set forth specific requirements for continuously enhancing safety performance in chemical industrial parks. Third, they provide guidance and support to hazardous‑chemical enterprises, helping them accurately identify and scientifically manage safety risks while systematically detecting and addressing hidden dangers. Hazardous‑chemical production involves numerous specialized disciplines, complex and diverse processes, and stringent operating conditions; the materials involved are often flammable, explosive, or toxic and harmful. In particular, storage facilities that constitute major hazard sources concentrate substantial energy, and if an accident occurs or response measures are inadequate, severe consequences can easily ensue. At present, many enterprises exhibit weak risk awareness and severely insufficient professional safety‑management capabilities, leaving them unable to comprehensively identify and control risks or thoroughly detect and remedy hidden dangers. The issuance of these guidelines aims to strengthen enterprises’ capacities in risk identification, risk management, and hazard remediation, thereby elevating their overall level of workplace safety.

III. Question: What are the main contents of the two guidelines?

Answer: The “Guidelines for the Identification and Remediation of Safety Risks in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)” cover eight key areas: general provisions, establishment, site selection and planning, internal layout, access and exit criteria, supporting infrastructure, integrated safety management and emergency response, and special provisions. To guide localities in conducting safety risk assessments and remediation, these eight areas have been further broken down and refined, resulting in the development of a “Safety Risk Assessment Checklist for Chemical Industrial Parks.” Each category—establishment, site selection and planning, layout, access and exit, supporting facilities, integrated safety management, and emergency response—is assigned a specific score, with 33 detailed checklist items enumerated. Following evaluation against this checklist, chemical industrial parks are classified into four safety‑risk levels—A, B, C, and D—based on their total scores: Level A denotes high risk, Level B moderate to high risk, Level C moderate risk, and Level D low risk. Differentiated management measures are applied to each risk level to achieve tiered, categorized, and targeted oversight, thereby continuously enhancing workplace safety in chemical industrial parks.

The “Guidelines for the Identification and Remediation of Safety Risks and Hidden Dangers in Enterprises Handling Hazardous Chemicals” were developed by thoroughly drawing on lessons learned from major and particularly serious chemical‑industry accidents in recent years, addressing the issues exposed by those incidents, and incorporating scientifically sound, proven process safety management practices from the international chemical industry. The guidelines cover six key areas: general provisions, basic requirements, methods and frequency of inspections, inspection content, closed-loop management, and special provisions. They emphasize a balanced approach that combines comprehensive assessments with targeted prioritization, helping enterprises strengthen foundational safety management, conduct systematic and effective risk identification and hazard remediation, and enhance the overall systematic nature of these efforts. To facilitate practical application, the six core areas have been further broken down into 14 management elements, including safety leadership, the safety production responsibility system, job‑specific safety education and operational skills training, design management, pre‑commissioning management, plant‑operation safety management, work‑permit management, and change management. Additionally, to support enterprise implementation, a corresponding “Safety Risk and Hidden Danger Checklist for Enterprises Handling Hazardous Chemicals” has been specially developed, tailored to specific professional disciplines.

IV. Question: Both guidelines include special provisions. What is the primary purpose of these special provisions?

Answer: The special provisions of the “Guidelines for Identifying and Addressing Safety Risks in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)” primarily enumerate seven scenarios that constitute significant safety risks, such as a chemical industrial park whose planning does not comply with local master‑plan requirements, failure to clearly define its boundaries, or lack of legal recognition. If any of these conditions apply, the park is classified as high‑risk, representing an unacceptable level of risk. For such parks, authorities shall order corrective measures within a specified timeframe; until compliance is achieved, project approvals will be restricted, and, in principle, no new, modified, or expanded hazardous‑chemical projects will be permitted, thereby effectively reducing safety risks.

The special provisions of the “Guidelines for Identifying, Addressing, and Managing Safety Risks and Hidden Dangers in Enterprises Handling Hazardous Chemicals” comprise two key aspects: First, in accordance with the “Provisional Standards for Determining Major Safety Hazards in Chemical and Hazardous Chemical Production and Operation Units” (Anjian Zongting Guan San [2017] No. 121), if an enterprise is found to have a major safety hazard, it must be eliminated immediately; where safety cannot be ensured prior to or during the elimination process, the local emergency management authority shall, in accordance with the law, order a temporary suspension of production or business operations, or the cessation of use of the relevant facilities and equipment. Second, if an enterprise exhibits any of six circumstances—namely, its principal person in charge, the person in charge of safety, or the safety production management personnel have not obtained the legally required safety qualification certificates; in-service chemical installations have been designed by entities without the requisite qualifications and have not undergone a safety‑design review; external safety protection distances fail to meet national standards; or there exists a significant risk of external leakage—the local emergency management authority shall, in accordance with the law, temporarily suspend or revoke its safety production license.

Each provision of the special clauses is drawn from hard‑won lessons learned in past accidents; in a sense, these clauses serve as “life‑saving safeguards.” Their purpose is to delineate the red lines for safe production of hazardous chemicals—lines that must never be crossed. Any violation will be met with severe penalties, thereby compelling relevant local government departments and chemical enterprises to strengthen source‑level control, reinforce their awareness of bottom lines and red lines, and effectively prevent and curb workplace safety incidents, thus safeguarding the lives and property of the people.

V. Question: Following the issuance of the two guidelines, how can we ensure their effective implementation?

Answer: At present, the national situation regarding workplace safety in the chemical industry and with hazardous chemicals remains severe and complex. Emergency management departments at all levels should closely integrate their work with the thematic education campaign on “Staying True to Our Original Aspiration and Keeping Our Mission Firmly in Mind,” further strengthening their sense of responsibility, urgency, and mission in ensuring safe production in these sectors. In accordance with the requirements of the special video conference, they should conscientiously carry out the publicity and implementation of the two guidelines, thereby creating a favorable environment for workplace safety in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. First, conduct comprehensive publicity, education, and training to guide chemical industrial parks and hazardous‑chemical enterprises in thoroughly mastering the relevant requirements; carry out in‑depth inspections and assessments of safety risks and potential hazards associated with hazardous chemicals, promptly rectifying those that can be addressed immediately and, for those requiring more time, promptly establishing temporary control measures. Furthermore, ensure that risk mitigation efforts are underpinned by clear accountability, well‑defined measures, adequate funding, specified deadlines, and comprehensive contingency plans, so as to keep safety risks under control and achieve closed‑loop management of identified hazards. Second, actively encourage chemical industrial parks and hazardous‑chemical enterprises to align with the requirements of the two guidelines, refine their systems for identifying and addressing safety risks and hazards, enforce the principal responsibility for such activities, and establish long‑term mechanisms for ongoing risk assessment and remediation. By continuously enhancing their capacity and level of safety assurance, they must resolutely prevent serious and extremely serious accidents. Third, based on the status of safety risk identification and remediation in chemical industrial parks and hazardous‑chemical enterprises, and in line with the principles of “one plan per park” and “one plan per enterprise,” adopt targeted measures to firmly manage major safety risks, promptly identify and address safety hazards, and promote a sustained, stable improvement in the national landscape of safe production in the chemical and hazardous‑chemical sectors, thus fostering a secure and stable environment in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Source: Red Net Comprehensive