The Ministry of Emergency Management is pushing for the introduction of a series of new standards for the chemical industry

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Improving standards to address issues of \"low\" quality, \"lack\" of standards, and \"weak\" enforcement – China Chemical News. At the quarterly regular press conference held by the Ministry of Emergency Management on April 22, Liu Li, deputy director of the Department in charge of safety supervision and management of hazardous chemicals under the ministry, said that in recent years, the ministry has focused on the actual needs related to risk prevention and control in the chemical and hazardous chemicals manufacturing sectors. By implementing the requirements of establishing two closed loops for learning from past accidents and ensuring strict compliance with standards, a series of standards have been developed to help address the problems of low standard quality, lack of standards, and weak enforcement. First, continue to increase the supply of standards and improve the standard system construction. Since 2024, 19 new safety standards for the production of chemicals and hazardous chemicals have been issued; during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, a total of 22 standards were formulated or revised, thereby promoting the systematization, standardization, and precision of the standard framework. Among them, the proportion of strong standard compliance increased from 57% to 83%, resulting in a significant enhancement in the rigid constraints imposed by standards. Second, focus on key areas to exert precise efforts and drive the iterative improvement of standards. For key links and areas with high safety risks and low intrinsic safety levels, efforts are being made to promote the development of standards to fill existing gaps and address shortcomings. Regarding major hazard sources: Technical specifications for the safety monitoring of such sources, requirements for managing responsibilities related to their safety, and safety management standards for liquefied hydrocarbon storage areas and atmospheric pressure storage areas for flammable liquids have been formulated and issued. These standards are integrated with existing ones to create a comprehensive set of guidelines for preventing and controlling risks associated with major hazard sources, covering aspects such as identification and classification, quantitative assessment, monitoring, and daily management. In terms of high-risk sectors: safety management standards for fine chemicals, guidelines for assessing reaction safety risks, as well as a series of safety technical standards for substances such as ammonium nitrate, phosgene, cyanides, and liquid chlorine have been established. These measures aim to strengthen controls such as process risk management, closed-system management in special areas, and restrictions on the number of workers on site, thereby preventing major risks at their source. Regarding issues such as repeated violations in hot work operations: a series of safety management regulations have been formulated and revised for special operations in hazardous chemicals enterprises, equipment maintenance tasks, pressure-sealing operations, and pressure-opening operations, with the aim of strengthening the safety procedures and requirements for high-risk tasks on site. By 2025, the total number of accidents related to such special operations is expected to decline by more than one-third compared to the previous year. At the same time, the criteria for identifying major safety hazards have been elevated from regulatory documents to mandatory industry standards, further facilitating accurate identification, evidence-based enforcement, and a closed-loop system for accountability. Third, innovation drives improvement in quality and efficiency, facilitating a shift toward proactive prevention. By integrating the concepts and methods of chemical process safety management that are already widely used internationally, the general standards for the standardized safe production in hazardous chemicals enterprises have been revised. A series of standards titled “Industrial Internet + Standards for Safe Production in Hazardous Chemicals” have been formulated and issued to help relevant enterprises identify their strengths and weaknesses, address shortcomings, and implement systematic management. New-generation information and digital technologies are utilized to enhance the prevention and control of safety risks, thereby effectively overcoming the limitations of traditional approaches, which suffer from issues such as inadequate monitoring, poor control, and incomplete oversight.