What is the situation regarding chemical plant accidents in the United States and Japan? Why are there so many accidents in China?

In my opinion, there are various management-related factors, and of course the level of equipment manufacturing is also a factor

It is mainly due to management issues, and it is also related to the quality of the staff; eliminating violations can reduce many unnecessary accidents.

Wow, besides technical and managerial factors, there’s also China’s large population base.

First of all, it’s definitely because it involves significant costs – the safety assessment fees charged by foreigners are incredibly high; they go through each pipeline individually. And then there are all those other things like management, concepts, and awareness issues

Regarding the owner’s question, I would like to share my views from three aspects: First, during the lectures I remember the teacher saying that the probability of accidents is closely related to per capita GDP. China is currently in a period of rapid growth in per capita GDP; in other words, industrial development is advancing swiftly and there are many operational activities, which theoretically makes it a period prone to accidents. In fact, the United States and Japan also experienced many accidents during their periods of rapid industrial development. II. The overall safety awareness among Chinese people needs to be improved, from leaders to ordinary employees. When leaders’ awareness of safety improves, they naturally increase efforts in terms of safety management and investment in safety measures. When employees’ awareness of safety improves, production accidents can be avoided. III. Investment in safety measures is significantly lower in China compared to the United States and Japan. In terms of equipment for firefighters, a Chinese firefighter’s entire set of equipment typically costs less than 5,000 yuan, whereas it is said that a U.S. firefighter’s equipment costs between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan. The above analysis merely represents my personal views; please point out any shortcomings!

There are reasons for management and security awareness, as well as for supervision.

I agree with the views expressed in this forum, and would like to add two points: First, for specific Chinese companies, by focusing on management and technology, it is possible to achieve a high level of safety management – not much lower than that in the United States and Japan. However, when it comes to the overall level of corporate management in China, we are still far behind. Secondly, the major gap lies in management. I believe that technical issues can be resolved quickly through the introduction of new technologies and investment, but when it comes to management, there is still a significant gap in terms of concepts, atmosphere, culture, as well as specific management methods and techniques. This is my biggest realization in my work.

Enforcement of the law in China is weak, and the practice of boarding first and buying tickets later is widespread.

Just like environmental protection, safety also requires a process of development. Our country is currently in a phase of rapid growth, and safety accidents as well as environmental incidents keep occurring frequently. Theoretically, it is necessary to avoid the approach of polluting first and then dealing with the consequences, but in practice, problems are addressed only after they arise.

Judging from the circumstances of the accident, human factors are still the main cause. Regardless of whether it is domestically or internationally, the proportion of accidents caused by deficiencies in the design, construction, manufacturing, and other processes is low; therefore, what matters is still the improvement of individual opinions as well as overall human competence. In other words, there are still shortcomings in our management.

Based on everyone’s starting conditions, this accident probability is possible.

Since foreign chemical plants are large in scale and highly automated, they invest more in safety facilities compared to Chinese enterprises. Domestic chemical companies are smaller in scale, have lower management levels, less automation, insufficient funding for safety facilities, and do not pay enough attention to safety matters.

Yes, according to those foreign requirements, most companies in China have stopped operating; after all, we have so many children here. There’s no other choice but to make do

I think it has more to do with safety technology; the equipment in the factories of foreign-owned companies in China is indeed much better than that in our domestic private enterprises. But I agree more with what was said on the fourth floor: China has a vast territory and many small chemical enterprises, so it seems like there are many accidents recorded

Personally, I think the key lies in the level of economic development. Our country is still too poor at present; people are focused on immediate benefits. In countries like the United States and Japan, where living conditions are better, people aspire to live longer and seek safe working conditions – after all, how can one enjoy life if they’re at risk of dying? In simple terms, people have different definitions of safety; in our country, people consider the current situation to be acceptable (safe), while the United States and Japan believe it is not sufficient. . .

Management is the main issue; it’s not just the management of individual factories or workshops – the overall management philosophy lags behind as well. In many cases, there are relevant laws and regulations, but there are serious problems at the level of actual implementation and operation.

It’s mainly a management issue! Leaders giving illegal instructions, workers carrying out operations in violation of rules, and carelessness due to lax thinking – these are all our management flaws!

The number of accidents in the United States and Japan is also not low; however, it is relatively low when considered in relation to their GDP and the number of registered companies. The underlying reason for this is that there is strict accountability after an accident occurs, and in the case of corporate accidents, only the company owner is held responsible, unless the owner can prove that the accident was caused intentionally by someone else. In the event of a fatal accident, companies with assets worth up to 50 million can declare bankruptcy, while those with assets worth up to 1 billion and involving deaths or injuries of fewer than ten people can be dissolved. In contrast, in our country, a few deaths or injuries are considered minor issues. If it’s a state-owned enterprise, the huge compensation costs lead to a loss of assets; therefore, only the person who is directly responsible is held accountable, but even their investments in safety measures must be approved by the higher-level company. If employees violate safety rules, only symbolic penalties can be imposed, and they cannot be fired like in foreign companies. Private enterprises should perform better than state-owned ones, but most private enterprises in our country are small in scale and still in the stage of initial capital accumulation. Such large investments in safety would be too much of a burden for them, which leads to a situation where no investment is made beforehand, and bribery is resorted to afterwards. People try to avoid responsibility or flee when possible.