Hebei Province will assess the safety risks of chemical industrial parks and publish the list of designated parks by the end of October.

Recently, Hebei Province issued the “Three-Year Action Plan for Special Rectification of Hazardous Chemicals and for Safety in Industrial Parks and Other Functional Zones” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). The Plan states that this year, Hebei will establish an inter-departmental joint working mechanism to conduct safety risk assessments and inspections of chemical parks (including concentrated chemical zones), and specifies that the Hebei Provincial Government, together with relevant departments, will carry out the designation of chemical parks and publish a list of such parks by the end of October this year.

According to the Plan, from May this year through the end of the year will be the inspection and remediation phase. By the end of 2022, the completion rates for park‑level safety risk assessments, the establishment of an integrated, visualized information‑sharing platform for safety supervision, the development of a park‑wide information system for work‑safety management, and the monitoring of major hazard sources under the province‑wide hazardous‑chemicals safety monitoring and early‑warning system are all required to reach 100%. For industrial parks involving chemical and hazardous‑chemical production enterprises, at least 75% of enforcement personnel must hold relevant professional qualifications and practical experience in chemical safety production, thereby further improving the park’s regulatory framework, standardizing park development planning and ensuring rational enterprise placement, establishing a comprehensive accident‑prevention system for managing safety risks and addressing potential hazards, effectively preventing and curbing serious and extremely serious accidents, and actively promoting the safe, high‑quality development of these parks.

Meanwhile, a cross-departmental joint working mechanism will be established to conduct follow-up reviews of safety risk assessments and remediation efforts in chemical industrial parks (including concentrated chemical zones), in accordance with the “Guidelines for Safety Risk Identification and Remediation in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial).” These reviews will further refine the determination of risk levels. For chemical industrial parks rated as Level A, approval of new, renovated, or expanded hazardous chemical projects shall, in principle, be prohibited; such parks will be placed under prioritized governance and regulatory oversight, with a specified deadline for corrective measures and improvement. By the end of 2021, any park still classified as Level A must be shut down and phased out. For parks rated as Level B, new, renovated, or expanded hazardous chemical projects shall, in principle, be subject to restrictions; by the end of 2022, any park that has not yet been downgraded to Level C or D must have its designation as a chemical industrial park revoked.

In the area of logistics and storage, comprehensive inspections will be conducted on warehouses storing flammable, explosive, toxic, and hazardous materials, such as dangerous chemicals, fireworks and firecrackers, and ammonia‑based refrigerants. Any facilities found to pose significant safety hazards or to have inadequately addressed existing hazards will be subject to strict enforcement in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, management of vehicles transporting dangerous goods and of loading and unloading operations within warehousing and logistics parks will be strengthened through measures including the establishment of dedicated parking areas and lanes for dangerous chemicals, as well as time‑ and speed‑limiting restrictions. Loading and unloading procedures will be rigorously standardized, and safety controls over dedicated parking areas and lanes will be enhanced to ensure transportation safety.

In enhancing safety oversight within industrial parks, efforts are being accelerated to strengthen the regulatory capacity of enforcement teams. This includes gradually arranging for regulatory and law‑enforcement personnel from key counties (cities and districts) handling hazardous chemicals to undergo on‑the‑job training at large state‑owned chemical enterprises. Furthermore, information technology is being fully leveraged to elevate the level of safety supervision, with vigorous promotion of the development and deployment of an intelligent, information‑based platform for workplace safety in chemical parks. This will enable real-time risk monitoring and early warning for enterprises within the park, critical facilities, major hazard sources, and infrastructure, thereby completing the construction of an information‑driven safety management platform for the park. In addition, the province is expediting the establishment of a provincial‑wide risk monitoring and early‑warning system for the safe production of hazardous chemicals, while also putting in place a robust automated early‑warning mechanism and a comprehensive management framework. These measures will initially facilitate functions such as automated classification and tiered early warning of safety risks.

In addition, the Plan stipulates that industrial parks must strengthen their capacity for emergency response and preparedness, maintain comprehensive oversight of emergency‑related information within the park and among its enterprises, establish a system for hazard communication and coordinated emergency response with surrounding communities, and issue timely early‑warning alerts. It further calls for the implementation of preventive measures and emergency response protocols, the establishment of joint emergency‑response mechanisms with key rescue forces in the park’s vicinity, and, in the case of chemical parks, the formation of specialized emergency‑response teams for hazardous chemicals. The plan also emphasizes the need to refine the park’s emergency‑response planning framework, developing both overarching and sector‑specific contingency plans; to integrate and coordinate emergency‑response resources across the park while intensifying joint drills; to put in place a robust public emergency‑supply reserve system; to strategically allocate and equip emergency‑response materials and equipment; and to clearly define tiered response systems and procedures for emergency management, ensuring unified command, rapid response, and safe, efficient operations.

Source: China Chemical Industry News