15 dead, 15 seriously injured in explosion at chemical plant in Henan! For safe production, it is essential to prevent problems before they occur!

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Reporters from Red Star News learned from the command post for the \"7.19\" accident that, as of 12:30 on the 20th, the search and rescue operations at the scene had been largely completed. By 17:30, 12 deaths had been confirmed, and the bodies of 3 missing persons were found; their identities are currently being verified. Following further treatment and diagnosis by experts, the number of severely injured persons has decreased from 19 to 15; their vital signs are stable. The investigation into the cause of the accident has been fully launched, and measures to address the aftermath are being carried out in an orderly manner. Environmental monitoring data for air and water remain within acceptable levels. The accident command center stated that the Yima Gasification Plant of Henan Province Gas (Group) Co., Ltd., where the accident occurred, was established in April 1997; its second phase was completed in September 2006, enabling gas supply. After Henan Province implemented its \"Gasify Henan\" strategy, the plant began to supply natural gas instead. It currently covers an area of 1,300 mu and has 1,065 employees; it mainly produces natural gas as well as chemical products such as methanol, dimethyl ether, and acetic acid. Employees said that at least 200 people were on duty at the time of the explosion. Mr. Ma, who has worked at the Yima Gasification Plant for 13 years, told Red Star News that the plant is part of Henan Energy and Chemical Group’s Gasification Company, which has other facilities in Yima as well. The plant where the explosion occurred is the purification branch, meaning it is responsible for purifying air and gas in order to separate different gas components. According to the report, the air separation unit where the explosion occurred is located in the air separation plant, in a position roughly in the middle of the northeast side of the plant complex. The entire plant area comprises four or five subsidiary plants, including power, synthesis, and air separation plants. After integration, each branch plant is equivalent to the original workshop. Mr. Ma explained that the air separation plant is primarily used to separate various gases from coal using air separation equipment, such as carbon monoxide and methane, which are then supplied to other plants within the facility for the production of different finished products. Mr. Ma said he works at the mixing plant. Mr. Ma said that this is after all a chemical plant, so it’s inevitable that there are toxic and harmful substances present. The finished products produced by these factories are stored in the west, at a distance from the site of the explosion; previous reports indicated that the explosion did not involve any areas with high-risk storage tanks. According to the Beijing News, an employee at the factory once said that the position they held involved a three-shift system, with each shift running from 0:00 to 8:00, 8:00 to 16:00, and 16:00 to 24:00. Mr. Ma said that the total number of employees across the entire factory is 1,200. The factory operates on a shift system, with four shifts per day. At the time of the explosion, there was one shift of employees on duty, totaling at least 200 people. According to the shift schedule, Mr. Ma had a day off yesterday and was supposed to be at work today. On the evening of July 20, during an interview with reporters, Mr. Ma was at home fixing the doors and windows that had been damaged in the explosion. Mr. Ma said that the ceilings, doors, windows, and lighting in his home were severely damaged, and there were also people injured in the house. Volunteers have already come to my home today to assess the damages. The accident command center provided an update on the rescue efforts. The front-line command for accident response stated that, with strong support from higher-level authorities, the municipal and county levels carried out the following actions: first, they launched immediate on-site rescue operations. The front-line command dispatched 46 rescue vehicles and over 270 firefighters from the fire departments of Luoyang City and Sanmenxia City to fight the fire and search for survivors. Secondly, emergency treatment was provided for the injured; over 30 ambulances and more than 90 medical staff were sent to the scene to provide full assistance in treating the injured. Those with severe injuries were taken to hospitals for proper care, depending on the nature of their injuries. Third, carry out comprehensive environmental monitoring. Immediately conduct monitoring at the accident site and its surrounding areas regarding air, water, and soil quality as well as wind direction, and keep a close eye on environmental changes. The test results show that this explosion incident did not involve any hazardous storage areas, and no secondary accidents such as air pollution occurred. Fourth, promptly investigate the situation, reassure the public, and carry out follow-up work regarding the accident. Immediately after the accident, street and community workers were organized to check each household for damage and to focus on carrying out repairs. At the same time, it is necessary to promptly comfort the families of the victims and those who were injured. As a warning for corporate safety management in light of this accident, chemical plants should earnestly learn from the lessons of this incident, examine the implementation of various safety measures, further improve and refine these safety protocols, prevent all types of safety accidents from occurring, and ensure the safety of production processes ； Regular safety production training for employees should be conducted to enhance their safety awareness; emphasis should be placed on educating employees regarding their sense of responsibility. Safety production regulations and systems need to be improved, and a long-term mechanism for ensuring safe production should be established. Huamou Consulting Group has over a decade of practical experience in diagnosing issues within the chemical industry. When conducting assessments of chemical plants, its senior consultants carefully examine the implementation of various safety measures, working to improve and refine these measures in order to prevent any type of safety incident and ensure the safe operation of the enterprises.