3 deaths due to hydrogen fluoride poisoning at a chemical plant; the local authorities concealed the incident, and the provincial safety committee has taken charge of investigating it!

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On the evening of the 20th, a reporter obtained confirmation from the Jiangsu Provincial Emergency Management Department that the chemical accident that occurred on the morning of the 18th at Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. in Changjiang Town, Rugao City, Nantong, was not caused by a \"liquid nitrogen leak\" as reported locally, but rather by a serious hydrogen fluoride poisoning incident that resulted in 3 deaths. The Safety Committee of Jiangsu Province is overseeing the investigation and handling of this significant poisoning incident. The company involved is located in the Changjiang Town Chemical Industry Park. After the incident, reporters visited the chemical industrial park on several occasions to conduct investigations and sought confirmation from the local authorities as well as the enterprises involved; they were all informed that the sudden chemical accident at the affected enterprise was caused by a \"liquid nitrogen leak.\" The two announcements issued by the Rugao city authorities also referred to this accident as a \"liquid nitrogen leak\" incident. On the 18th, Rugao City issued its first report on the accident; on the 19th, it issued a second report. It is worth noting that in October, Zhongchang Chemical was subject to a safety inspection conducted by experts organized by the people’s government of Changjiang Town, during which 14 safety hazards were identified. These included issues such as leaks at the gas cylinders in areas where hydrogen fluoride was used, malfunctioning toxic gas detectors, failure to conduct timely inspections of emergency supplies, and low pressure in the air respirators. The local official in charge of work safety emphasized that the safety supervision of enterprises by the relevant authorities and safety inspection departments is an ongoing task, and all 14 issues identified in previous inspections of the involved enterprise have been addressed through corrective actions, with re-inspections completed. A \"Hazard Inspection and Rectification Report Form\" from Rugao Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. in possession of the reporter shows that the date of rectification was October 30, the date of re-inspection was November 15, and it bears the signatures of the relevant responsible persons. The company involved is Rugao Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. Established in 2010, Rugao Zhongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. is mainly engaged in the production of chemical products, the sale of such products, as well as the production and distribution of hazardous chemicals. A municipal official revealed to reporters that the city established an accident investigation team immediately after the incident occurred. However, the involved company and the local township concealed information in an attempt to cover up the truth with false statements. It was for this reason that the phrase “liquid nitrogen leak” appeared in the municipal authorities’ report, which disrupted the investigation team’s efforts to conduct a proper investigation. During its supervision, the Jiangsu Provincial Work Safety Committee required Nantong City to determine the cause of the accident and identify those responsible within 60 days, and to put forward suggestions regarding actions to be taken against the responsible units and individuals ； An accident investigation report is prepared and submitted in writing to the Office of the Provincial Safety Committee; once approved by that office, the accident is officially closed ； Urge production and operation units to learn from the lessons of the accidents, implement corrective measures, and draw inferences from them to prevent similar problems from occurring again.