On August 21, 2020, the Work Safety Committee under the State Council and the Ministry of Emergency Management launched the second round of special campaigns targeting hazardous chemicals, with the aim to shore up safety vulnerabilities in workplaces involving such materials. [1]
The first round was conducted from August 7th to the 17th, during which 3,048 inspection teams were dispatched nationwide to examine 8,895 businesses. The campaigns were concluded with 22,295 problems identified and 42 enterprises ordered to shut down for rectifications.
The focus, as with the previous round, is still placed on explosive chemicals, including ammonium nitrate which was believed to have caused the grievous explosion rocking Beirut, Lebanon earlier this month.
To keep aligned with the campaigns, regional governments have made relevant arrangements in light of their own conditions. Tianjin, committed to an overhaul of its hazardous chemical industry, focuses on the production, storage, transport, etc. of hazardous chemicals to identify and rectify safety problems throughout the whole lifecycle of hazardous chemicals.
Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu and several other provinces and autonomous regions have been carrying out inspections on hazardous chemical businesses which deal with ammonium nitrate, and plan to exercise regulation on a case-by-case basis.
