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Circular from the Zhengzhou Municipal Construction Committee regarding the “2.23” collapse accident in Xingyang City and an urgent notice calling for a comprehensive inspection of safety conditions in construction projects. Document number: Zheng Jian Ban [2009] No. 16. To the construction bureaus of all counties (cities) and districts, as well as those in Zhengdong New Area, Zhengzhou High-Tech Zone, Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Zhengzhou Port Area; to all construction companies and supervision firms; and to all relevant organizations: On February 23, 2009, a serious industrial safety accident occurred at the construction site of the Qinghua.Yi Jiangnan project in Guangwu Town, Xingyang City, which was under the contract of Henan Guoan Construction Group. Around 8 p.m. that day, Zhang Shujie, a resident of Group 3 in Hucun Village, Guangwu Town and the person in charge of the earthwork work, led his team to carry out earthwork operations at the underground garage of Phase II of the Qinghua.Yi Jiangnan project. Suddenly, the wall of the excavation pit collapsed, burying four workers who were working there to clean up debris. This tragic incident resulted in three deaths and one injury. The occurrence of this accident was the first industrial safety incident in the construction sector of our city in 2009; it caused significant losses to people’s lives and property, had a negative impact on society, and drew great attention from leaders at all levels – the national, provincial, and municipal levels. In order to earnestly implement the directives of higher-level authorities, fully enforce the safety production responsibilities of all relevant parties, and further improve safety standards in construction work this year, so as to ensure a stable and improving situation regarding construction safety in our city during the ** period and in 2009, the Municipal Construction Commission has decided to launch a comprehensive inspection of construction project safety across the city starting today. The relevant details are as follows: 1. Inspection methods and timing (a) This comprehensive inspection will be carried out through a combination of self-inspections by enterprises and targeted inspections and oversight by regulatory authorities. (II) From now until the end of February, all construction sites in the city will be shut down. A task force composed of the project owner, the construction contractor, and the supervision unit will be established to conduct a thorough inspection for potential safety hazards. (III) For the identified potential accident hazards, specific measures, timelines, and responsible personnel must be assigned for rectification; work can only commence after the hazard identification team gives approval that the rectifications have been completed successfully. (IV) Starting from March 1, the Municipal Construction Commission will organize inspectors to conduct random checks and inspections of various regions and enterprises. II. Key inspection points: First, special attention should be paid to the support systems for deep foundation pits, lifting machinery and equipment, external scaffolding, large formwork support systems, as well as on-site management and emergency rescue plans ； Second, it is necessary to focus on checking the implementation of the safety management regulations regarding construction during the Spring Festival and the resumption of work after the festival ； Third, focus on checking the implementation of the Ministry of Construction’s “Notice on Carrying Out Actions to Identify and Rectify Safety Hazards in Construction Enterprises” and the “Zhengzhou City Work Plan for Identifying and Rectifying Safety Hazards in Construction Projects” ； Fourth, focus on examining the deployment and implementation of special rectification efforts for construction project safety at all levels and by all departments ； Fifth is the implementation of the regulations regarding the registration and record-keeping of construction lifting machinery and equipment, as well as safety supervision and management ； Sixth is the safety education and training provided to managers and new employees of construction and supervision companies, as well as the operation of night schools for migrant workers. III. Inspection Requirements (1) Construction administrative departments at all levels and all parties responsible for construction activities must fully recognize the severe situation regarding work safety at present, and effectively strengthen organizational leadership. Safety production work must be taken seriously as an important task in implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development and in safeguarding the fundamental interests of the people. (II) All units must overcome feelings of weariness from war and fear of difficulties, and conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of all construction projects within their jurisdictions. Identify and eliminate potential safety hazards in a timely manner. Major safety hazards must be monitored and rectified to resolutely prevent the occurrence of serious and catastrophic production safety accidents. (III) All engineering construction, contracting, and supervision enterprises that resume work after the Spring Festival must conduct a thorough reinspection of the safety conditions at their construction sites. Safety education and training must be provided to newly arrived workers as well as those who are changing jobs or positions. The construction unit may resume work only after obtaining a resumption-of-work notice signed by the chief supervision engineer. (IV) Construction administrative departments at all levels must take decisive action upon discovering projects that do not meet the safety production requirements or have reduced such requirements without authorization, and must immediately order them to suspend operations for rectification ； Acts of construction without a license, contracting beyond the approved qualification level, subcontracting, and illegal sub-subcontracting must be severely punished in accordance with the law. Regarding the units and individuals responsible for safety hazards resulting from non-compliance with **standard specifications during construction, as identified during inspections, the construction administration authorities at all levels shall, in accordance with the Ministry of Construction’s \"Administrative Measures for Information on Honest Behavior in the Construction Market\", record such instances as negative behaviors and publicize them in relevant media. (5) Implement a strict duty system to ensure smooth information flow. “**”During major inspections, it is necessary to maintain safety duty shifts and leadership supervision; any significant safety hazards must be reported promptly, and work should be halted for rectification. It is necessary to develop emergency response plans and establish emergency response teams to effectively deal with potential emergencies that may occur during construction. All regions and units are requested to report on the progress of this comprehensive safety inspection campaign to the Zhengzhou Construction Safety Supervision Station by March 20. February 25, 2009