Ministry of Emergency Management: Conducts the Third Round of Special Inspections on Enterprises with Major Hazard Sources of Hazardous Chemicals.

According to the website of the Ministry of Emergency Management, on September 7, the ministry convened a meeting. The meeting emphasized the need to comprehensively and thoroughly strengthen the prevention and control of major risks in sectors such as hazardous chemicals. It called for conducting a third round of targeted inspections of all enterprises with major hazardous chemical hazards, advancing the expansion and deepening of safety governance in this sector from point‑ and line‑based measures to a comprehensive, area‑wide approach, and resolutely preventing the occurrence of serious and extremely serious accidents.

The meeting emphasized the need to comprehensively and thoroughly strengthen the prevention and control of major risks in industries such as hazardous chemicals. It called for unwavering follow-through on rectifying the problems and hazards identified during the first and second rounds of special inspections targeting explosive hazardous chemicals like ammonium nitrate, conducting regular “look-back” reviews of remediation efforts in key regions, major ports, and enterprises with significant issues, and carrying out a third round of targeted inspections of all enterprises with major hazardous chemical risk sources. These measures aim to expand and deepen safety governance from isolated incidents and specific pathways to a comprehensive, system-wide approach, resolutely preventing the occurrence of serious and extremely serious accidents. With the current peak production season underway in sectors such as coal mining, non-coal mines, fireworks and firecrackers, construction, and fishing vessels, it is imperative to persistently and rigorously implement the three-year nationwide special campaign for workplace safety, ensuring a stable safety situation.

Second-round special inspection and remediation of hazardous chemical storage safety: Over 260 potential hazards were identified, including 9 major hazards, and 2 enterprises were ordered to suspend operations for rectification.

Building on the first round of targeted inspections conducted in early August, the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee recently dispatched six working groups to 19 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government—including Henan, Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning, and Shanxi—to carry out a second round of special inspections and remediation efforts focused on the safe storage of hazardous chemicals. These measures aim to further strengthen the identification and rectification of major safety risks and hazards at enterprises producing ammonium nitrate and other hazardous chemicals, as well as at port terminals handling explosive hazardous goods. While conducting follow-up reviews of companies’ corrective actions, the teams also extended their inspections to address underlying issues, thereby laying a solid foundation for better preventing major risks, implementing targeted governance, and formulating tailored solutions for each enterprise. In this second round, more than 60 enterprises were inspected, revealing over 260 problems and potential hazards, including nine significant hazards and two enterprises ordered to suspend operations for rectification. For all identified issues, the six working groups have reported back to local governments, issued specific remediation requirements, and urged local authorities to carry out in-depth, specialized inspections and remediation efforts.

Of the five identified hazards, three had been fully rectified, while two had only been partially addressed—yet the company reported that all had been completed. This was the finding of the First Working Group during an inspection of hazard‑remediation efforts at Henan Yongchang Nitrate Fertilizer Co., Ltd. During a follow-up inspection, an additional 15 issues were uncovered, including one major hazard. The working group urged the local emergency management authorities to impose a penalty of suspending production and business operations for remediation.

During an inspection of Jiangsu Huifeng Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, the second working group found that the company had not installed any leak‑collection facilities in its loading and unloading area, and that the fire trucks on site lacked sufficient reach to cover the top of the liquid ammonia spherical tank. While inspecting Lianyungang New Oriental International Container Terminal Co., Ltd. and Lianyungang New Oriental Container Terminal Co., Ltd., the working group identified a total of nine potential safety hazards. The findings have been reported to the relevant local government authorities, and the companies have been ordered to implement immediate corrective measures.

In Guizhou, the Third Working Group conducted a follow-up inspection of Guizhou Kailin Xifeng Synthetic Ammonia Co., Ltd. and Guizhou Yixing Chemical Co., Ltd. Both companies have largely addressed the issues and potential hazards identified during the first round of inspections, with the remaining items currently being rectified according to schedule. However, during the extended inspection, several problems were uncovered, including significant deviations in ammonium nitrate process control, the absence of safety valves on neutralization reaction vessels, the lack of independently installed combustible and toxic gas detectors, and the failure to completely shut off steam to the ammonium nitrate neutralization system after plant shutdown. In Changsha, inspections of the hazardous‑goods storage yard at Changsha Port and of Changsha Jixing Container Terminal Co., Ltd. revealed three potential hazards. These findings have been reported to the local government, which has ordered the companies to implement immediate corrective measures.

During an inspection at Lanzhou Zhongkai Industry and Trade Co., Ltd. in Gansu Province, the Fourth Working Group found that the company has applied for the cancellation of its ammonium nitrate production safety license and currently maintains zero inventory of ammonium nitrate. In a follow-up review of the Baiyin Xintian Chemical Branch of Gansu Liuhua (Group) Co., Ltd., the working group determined that the company’s pipeline‑marking rectification still falls short of the required standards. The working group urged the enterprise to continue making improvements in accordance with the relevant criteria.

In Mianyang and Meishan cities of Sichuan Province, during a follow-up inspection conducted by the Fifth Working Group at Sichuan Meifeng Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., Sichuan Jinxiang Sairui Chemical Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Lutianhua Co., Ltd., it was found that the rate of rectification for identified hazards exceeded 80 percent; in particular, all 10 hazards at Sichuan Lutianhua Co., Ltd. have now been fully addressed. However, during extended checks, the working group still uncovered several safety concerns across the three enterprises, including the absence of warning labels on ammonium nitrate packaging indicating that the material can explode when exposed to open flames or thermal radiation, the lack of explosion-proof walls or other physical barriers in ammonium nitrate transfer warehouses, and the perfunctory nature of evaluation forms for multiple emergency response drills. In response to these findings, the working group provided feedback to the local governments and issued specific requirements, ordering the companies to implement immediate corrective measures while also drawing broader lessons from these cases, rigorously conducting targeted inspections, and comprehensively identifying and addressing all types of risks and potential hazards.

Tracking the rectification of identified hazards to establish a closed-loop management system. This is the approach adopted by the Sixth Working Group after uncovering three significant hazards at Qinghai Salt Lake Nitrate Industry Co., Ltd. during an inspection in Golmud City, Qinghai Province. The Haixi Prefecture Emergency Management Bureau promptly issued a notice ordering the company to make corrections within a specified timeframe, while the Qinghai Provincial Emergency Management Department sent a supervisory letter to the Haixi Prefecture Emergency Management Bureau to monitor and ensure the company’s compliance with the corrective measures.

During their inspections across the provinces, all six working groups convened symposiums with representatives from hazardous‑chemical production and transportation enterprises, intermediary assessment agencies, and relevant government departments, jointly deliberating approaches and strategies to address the significant safety risks associated with ammonium nitrate.

Source: China News Service, Ministry of Emergency Management