Official reports of multiple accidents caused by electrical and welding operations reveal these issues

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Source: Yi’an Net. According to the website of the **Work Safety Administration, on the 24th, the **Work Safety Administration issued a report on accidents caused by electrical welding and other hot-work activities in recent years. The report noted that the accident revealed issues such as a failure by some enterprises to fulfill their responsibilities regarding safe production, a lack of awareness regarding safety and laws, and chaotic safety management. (EHS.CN) In recent years, accidents caused by electrical and welding operations have occurred frequently, resulting in serious consequences and serving as a sobering lesson. Since 2010, 6 major accidents and since 2015, 13 significant accidents have been caused by electrical and welding operations, the majority of which involved hazardous chemicals or tank installations. 　　There have been three relatively typical incidents this year: on February 17, a flash explosion occurred during welding work on an acidic water tank in the gasoline and diesel upgrading unit at the Jiangnan plant of Songyuan Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Songyuan City, Jilin Province, resulting in 3 deaths; on February 25, a fire broke out at Changtiandi KTV in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, during welding work carried out as part of renovation and demolition activities, causing 10 deaths; on March 20, an explosion occurred at the top of a selenic acid tank in the anode slime pretreatment workshop of YuChuan Smelting Plant of Henan Yuguang Gold and Lead Co., Ltd. in Jiyuan City, Henan Province, while efforts were being made to cut through rusted valves as part of shutdown maintenance, leading to 3 deaths. 　　The State Administration of Work Safety stated that these accidents revealed issues such as a failure by some enterprises to fulfill their responsibilities regarding work safety, a lack of awareness regarding safety and laws, and chaotic safety management. Specifically, this is manifested in: first, violations of safety procedures and improper command. In the serious fire accident that occurred on January 14, 2013, at Jilin Laojinchang Gold Mine Co., Ltd., the company violated the provisions of the \"Safety Regulations for Metal and Non-Metal Mines\" (GB16423—2006), which state that fire prevention measures must be established and approved by the person in charge of the mine before any welding or cutting operations are carried out underground. Without such approved fire prevention measures, the company organized workers to carry out welding and cutting tasks to install steel supports underground; the falling molten metal caused smoldering of the lining materials in the mine shafts, leading to this serious fire accident. As a result, 10 people died, 29 were injured, and the direct economic loss amounted to 9.29 million yuan. 　　Second, the firework procedure is not followed, no protective measures are taken, and work is carried out in violation of regulations. On July 5, 2015, Hulunbuir Northern Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. failed to comply strictly with the company’s regulations on safety management for hot work operations during welding work on the top of a condensate tank. The plant was not shut down, and no sampling or analysis was conducted. Safety measures such as removing all pipelines connected to the hot work equipment or installing blind flanges were not implemented before starting the welding work, which led to an explosion of a mixture of gases including toluene and butanol inside the condensate tank. As a result, 3 people died and there were direct economic losses of 3.1486 million yuan. In another 9 accidents, there were also issues such as the absence of plans for equipment installation and maintenance, failure to identify hazardous factors and develop risk control and on-site response plans; inadequate verification of working conditions, failure to strictly comply with regulations when applying for permits for hot work, and even carrying out hot work before the necessary permits had been obtained. 　　Third, companies lack the necessary qualifications and hire personnel without special operation permits to carry out work recklessly. Some private business owners and construction firms ignore the provisions of the \"Regulations on the Management of Safety Technology Training and Assessment for Special-Type Workers\" (Order No. 30 issued by the State Administration for Work Safety), which state that special-type workers must undergo specialized safety technology training and pass relevant assessments before they can obtain the \"Special-Type Worker Operation Certificate of the People’s Republic of China\" and be allowed to work. These entities hire welders who have not received proper fire safety training or assessments, and they proceed recklessly, resulting in accidents. Among the 5 accidents that occurred in Shanshan County, Xinjiang, in 2015, including the serious flash explosion incident on February 2 related to the maintenance of empty hazardous materials tank trucks (which resulted in 4 deaths and 1 injury), the involved units or operators lacked the necessary qualifications for welding or thermal cutting tasks, did not have the appropriate credentials for transporting hazardous chemicals, lacked the technical skills and capabilities to carry out repairs on hazardous materials tank trucks, and engaged in unauthorized welding operations and other illegal activities. 　　Fourth, the improper on-site emergency response led to the expansion of the accident. Four accidents that occurred in 2016, including the serious fire accident at the Xigou Mine of Gansu Jiugang Group on August 16 (which resulted in 12 deaths and 16 injuries), happened either because the company’s managers failed to report the incidents to the relevant authorities in a timely manner, thereby missing the best opportunity for external rescue; or because all workers underground were not evacuated immediately after the accidents occurred, and rescue efforts were carried out recklessly; or because no emergency response plans were established as required, no drills were conducted, and the necessary equipment for rescue operations was lacking, all of which led to an increase in casualties. 　　To thoroughly learn from the lessons of these accidents, draw broader conclusions from them, maintain a constant sense of alert, further implement various safety measures, and effectively prevent and curb the occurrence of all types of accidents, the following requirements are put forward: 1. Firmly establish a sense of the red lines and lay a solid foundation for safety prevention. All regions and relevant enterprises, especially those in the chemical industry, must draw profound lessons from the tragedies resulting from these accidents. Behind these accidents, behaviors such as illegal operations and failure to comply with regulations reveal deeper issues such as weak safety awareness and legal consciousness among enterprises, as well as inadequate safety competence among employees. Further strengthen the implementation of enterprises’ primary responsibilities, firmly establish a sense of the red line in work safety, truly stay vigilant in mindset, and build a solid ideological barrier for work safety. 　　II. Operate and produce in strict accordance with the law to ensure production safety. Enterprises must earnestly implement the provisions of laws and regulations such as the Work Safety Law, and carry out production operations and management in strict accordance with these laws and regulations. They are not allowed to engage in production or operation without the necessary qualifications, nor shall they assign or lease their production projects, facilities, or equipment to entities or individuals that do not meet the work safety requirements or possess the appropriate qualifications. It is necessary to strengthen work safety risk assessment, the development of emergency plans, and related training efforts; emergency measures should be improved, and regular emergency drills as well as training for personnel in key positions should be conducted to enhance the emergency awareness and self-rescue and mutual rescue skills of employees. Safety supervision departments at all levels should step up law enforcement inspections, strictly investigate and deal with various violations related to work safety, and impose penalties in strict accordance with laws and regulations such as the Work Safety Law. They must enforce the law rigorously, hold those responsible accountable, and enhance enterprises’ awareness of relevant regulations. 　　III. Strictly manage hot work operations and ensure compliance with safety control protocols. Relevant enterprises should raise their awareness of the risks associated with special operations such as hot work. In strict compliance with relevant regulations and standards including the Fire Protection Law, the Provisions on Fire Safety Management for Government Agencies, Organizations, Enterprises, and Public Institutions, and the Safety Standards for Special Operations in Chemical Production Units (GB30871–2014), they should establish and improve management systems for such special operations. They must strengthen risk identification and control, ensure proper procedure verification and approval for work permits, enhance on-site supervision, and guarantee that all regulations are properly implemented, thereby fostering a management and behavioral pattern based on systematic control of safety. 　　IV. Strengthen publicity and education to leverage the role of accident warnings as a form of education. All relevant enterprises in various regions should make full use of the role of publicity and education. Through various dissemination platforms such as television, newspapers, WeChat, Weibo, and bulletin boards, and using various forms including text, pictures, and animations, they should promote awareness of the lessons learned from accidents caused by electrical and welding operations. Special campaigns should be carried out to educate people about fire safety laws and regulations as well as fire safety knowledge, thereby enhancing the awareness of the risks associated with electrical and welding operations among everyone in society, especially employees in related enterprises. This will help to improve safety precautions and legal awareness, and encourage people to take proactive steps to ensure safe production and prevent all types of accidents.