On February 11, 2020, an explosion occurred at a clethodim workshop of Liaoning Xianda Agricultural Science Co., Ltd. in the Huludao Economic Development Zone at around 7:50 p.m. The explosion caused five deaths and six injuries, and three bodies have still not been recovered. The reason for the explosion is still under investigation. According to a news report, an explosion also occurred in a private chemical enterprise in Huludao city, Liaoning province in July 2019.
On July 11, 2020, an explosion occurred at hydrolysis acidification workshop in a sewage treatment plant of a chemical enterprise in Fuxin city, Liaoning province. After the explosion, the relevant departments of Fuxin City rushed to the scene as soon as possible to carry out rescue operations. According to an official investigation, some nearby resident houses and factories were partly broken. Luckily, the accident did not cause any death or serious injury. 17 people suffered slight injuries, but most of them have already been released from the hospital. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Liaoning Province to investigate hidden dangers of hazardous chemical industry
According to Liaoning Daily, a local newspaper, Liaoning Province will launch investigations and rectifications on the hidden environmental and safety risks of 39 chemical parks and all companies engaged in the production and storage of hazardous chemicals from August 2020 to end of 2022, so as to comprehensively increase the safety of operations, as well as environmental standards.
Currently, there are 39 chemical industrial parks, 610 hazardous chemical producing companies, and 4,130 hazardous chemical storing companies in Liaoning province. The provincial government has made plans to address safety risks, setting three stages of goals and outlining 18 key tasks for investigations and rectifications.
The first stage in 2020 will mainly focus on the investigation and rectification of chemical enterprises. The government of Liaoning Province requires chemical enterprises in each city of the province to customize the entry criteria for every new chemical project and program, so as to ensure that the safety risk assessment rate can reach 100% in chemical industry zones. Chemical enterprises should also be required to set up automatic systems for equipment and storage facilities. Chemical enterprises should also make sure to set up surveillance cameras to monitor hazardous chemical products, and to limit the number of hazardous chemical products in storage. For chemical enterprises located in densely populated areas, those enterprises should consider relocation and reconstruction.
Liaoning Province to improve regulation of chemical industry locations and operations
The second stage, starting from 2021, will focus on the improvement of equipment and facilities in chemical industrial parks. The regional distribution of chemical industrial parks and hazardous chemical enterprises should be further optimized. Enterprises should ensure the safety and environmental standards of their chemical products. Chemical products with potential risks should be effectively disposed.
The third stage, which will begin in 2022, will focus on consolidation and improvement. This will require chemical enterprises to establish a prevention and control system for hazardous chemicals. This system will mainly focus on risk classification control of hazardous chemicals, investigation, and treatment of hidden dangers. Monitoring systems and environmental information systems should be built to upgrade industries and improve the regional economic development.
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