Released in Shandong! Opinions on Further Strengthening the Classified and Hierarchical Supervision and Management of Enterprise Work Safety

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People’s **Safety Committees of various cities, and all member units of the provincial **Safety Committee: In order to further improve the safety production governance system and enhance governance capabilities, in accordance with relevant regulations such as the \"Work Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China\" and the \"Shandong Province Work Safety Regulations\", the following suggestions are put forward regarding the further strengthening of classified and hierarchical supervision and management of enterprise work safety. I. Adhere to Principles (1) Uphold meticulous management and precise treatment. Enterprises in various industries are classified and graded according to their risk levels, safety conditions, and management performance, enabling refined and differentiated management. Strict oversight is exercised on those enterprises with high risks and poor management practices, in order to avoid the situation of only focusing on managing good enterprises while neglecting those with poor performance, as well as to prevent simplistic and superficial supervision and management. This approach ensures precise and efficient risk control, the elimination of potential hazards, and the prevention of accidents. (II) Adhere to source control and implement layered defense. Putting risk management at the forefront, focusing on key industries and key enterprises, and adopting an attitude and measures of \"no tolerance for any oversight\", we strengthen the primary responsibilities of enterprises, the regulatory responsibilities of relevant departments, and the management responsibilities at the local level. Through multiple layers of controls and management at the source, and through collaborative efforts, we maximize the combined strength of supervision and management in order to enhance the effectiveness of risk prevention and control. (III) Adhere to the integration of various elements for comprehensive management. Taking the implementation of classified and hierarchical supervision as the main approach, it integrates various measures such as safety production inspections, regulatory enforcement, and on-site supervision, focusing efforts in a targeted manner for comprehensive management, thereby promoting the simultaneous improvement of safety production supervision capabilities and the inherent safety levels of enterprises. (IV) Adhere to leveraging technology for empowered, information-based management. By making comprehensive use of modern information technologies such as the industrial Internet, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and big data, we innovate the implementation of the \"Internet + safety supervision\" work model, establish and improve the \"smart safety supervision\" information system, gather enterprise safety production data in real time, conduct dynamic analysis and intelligent grading, thereby enhancing the digital and intelligent level of supervision and management. II. The classification and grading method adheres to the principle of classifying first and then grading. Enterprises are classified and graded based on their industry type, level of risk, status of work safety, and management performance. Departments at or above the county level responsible for work safety supervision and management shall, in accordance with the “Regulations on the Administrative Responsibility System for Work Safety in Shandong Province,” conduct dynamic management of the classification and grading of enterprises within their respective industries and fields. (1) Classification by industry and level of risk. In accordance with the 125 industry classifications specified in the \"Shandong Province Work Division for Work Safety,\" enterprises are classified into Category I and Category II by taking into account both existing risks and potential risks. Mines, metal smelting facilities, transportation and construction enterprises, enterprises involved in dust-related explosion hazards or ammonia-based refrigeration, as well as enterprises engaged in the production, operation, storage, loading, and unloading of hazardous materials; enterprises that use hazardous materials in their production processes and consume them in quantities exceeding the specified limits (collectively referred to as high-risk enterprises); enterprises categorized under “high energy consumption and high pollution” projects; enterprises required to suspend or limit production in accordance with national and provincial policies; enterprises where there is a high volume of hazardous operations such as maintenance, work at heights, hot work, and operations in confined spaces, along with many workers involved in such activities; and other enterprises with numerous risk factors—all these should be classified as Category I enterprises subject to key supervision. Other enterprises identified as Category II are subject to regular supervision. Departments at all levels responsible for safety production supervision and management shall establish basic information databases for Category I and Category II enterprises respectively and update them dynamically, to provide fundamental support for classified and hierarchical supervision. (II) Classification based on safety production conditions and management performance. In accordance with the requirements set out in the \"Implementation Opinions on Strengthening Safety Production Diagnostics in Enterprises\" issued by the Provincial **Safety Committee (Lu An Fa [2022] No. 2), enterprises in various industries are required to conduct regular diagnostics and inspections of their safety production conditions. An overall assessment is carried out of aspects such as enterprise safety management practices, the safety competence of employees, safety risk control and hazard identification and remediation, investment in safety measures, the safe operation of processes and equipment, as well as the development of information and intelligence systems. Based on this assessment, enterprises are classified into four grades – A, B, C, and D – from best to worst. Enterprises with strict safety management standards and performance at the industry’s leading level may be classified as Grade A ； With good safety management and overall stability and controllability, it can be classified as Grade B ； The safety management system is generally sound; those areas that require improvement can be classified as Level C ； Those with poor safety management and numerous potential risks can be classified as Grade D. It is determined specifically through diagnostic evaluations and other methods. Enterprises that have experienced fatal production safety accidents within the past 3 years shall be classified as Grade D enterprises. A system for issuing enterprise diagnosis and grading reports shall be implemented; enterprises should conduct self-diagnosis or engage third parties for diagnosis, and promptly submit the diagnosis reports and grading results to the departments responsible for work safety supervision and management in their respective locations, so that these departments can carry out reviews or random inspections. The departments responsible for safety production supervision and management organize the diagnosis and classification of supervised enterprises as required by their work. The grading for corporate self-diagnosis and third-party diagnosis is subject to the departmental grading, with lower-level departments complying with the grading set by their higher-level departments. The departments at the provincial level responsible for supervision and management of work safety should establish classification-based guidelines for the diagnosis and grading of work safety in enterprises, to ensure the standardization, consistency, and continuity of such diagnoses and gradings. **Where otherwise provided, such provisions shall apply. (III) Dynamically adjust enterprise grades. The departments responsible for safety production supervision and management shall, based on issues identified through routine inspections, regulatory enforcement actions, diagnostic checks, accidents, and complaints, implement dynamic adjustments to the classification of enterprises in their respective industries and sectors, upgrading or downgrading them as appropriate depending on the circumstances. In cases where there are shortcomings and deficiencies in safety production management, the safety production responsibility system and various innovative measures are not properly implemented, the dual-prevention system for risks and hazards is not effectively established or operated, significant problems and hazards are identified during inspections, repeated penalties are imposed or failure to comply with regulatory orders occurs, safety production accidents occur or such accidents are concealed, or other circumstances that affect the safety of production exist, the relevant entity will be demoted or directly classified as a lower grade. In the event of a production safety accident of general severity or above, the enterprise will be directly downgraded to Class D. For companies that are downgraded, they are generally placed under close monitoring for one year, after which their rating is reassessed. Enterprises with a high level of safety production management, which have not experienced any production safety accidents for three consecutive years, have been established as safety production standardization enterprises, recognized as benchmark enterprises for the dual prevention system, and have achieved significant results in improving inherent safety through measures such as replacing workers with machinery, using automation to reduce the need for human labor, and employing intelligent systems that eliminate the need for human intervention. Those whose advanced practices in safety production have been recognized at the county level or above, as well as those that have taken effective measures to enhance their safety production standards, will be upgraded or directly classified as high-level enterprises. Provincial departments responsible for work safety supervision and management should, in light of the actual conditions of their respective industries and sectors, formulate specific rules for dynamically adjusting the grades of enterprises. III. Differential regulatory measures: Safety production supervision and management are implemented in a differential manner, with standards that are stricter for Class I enterprises compared to Class II enterprises, and stricter for lower-tier enterprises compared to higher-tier ones. (1) Implement differentiated regulatory enforcement. For Class A enterprises, guidance and support are provided as the main approach; they are encouraged to strengthen their own management, with the frequency of inspections being reduced appropriately. Regular supervision is carried out on Class B enterprises, with routine inspections conducted as planned. Impose stricter supervision on Class C enterprises, and increase inspection and enforcement efforts. Enterprises of Class D are subject to close attention, strict supervision and rigorous inspection; frequent special inspections, law enforcement inspections or diagnostic checks are carried out, and they are ordered, in accordance with laws and regulations, to make corrections within a specified time frame or to suspend operations for rectification. Depending on the requirements of the safety production situation, various levels and departments may implement targeted supervision and management measures for Category I enterprises, as well as for Category C and Category D enterprises among Category II enterprises. (II) Implement differentiated on-site supervision. For Class C and D enterprises in Category I enterprises, as well as Class D enterprises in Category II enterprises, the industry authorities at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, or the departments responsible for safety production supervision and management, assign personnel to conduct on-site supervision in order to ensure that corrective measures are implemented and safety management standards are improved. Enterprises of Grade A and B in Category I, as well as enterprises of Grade B and C in Category II, can be subject to mobile or regular on-site supervision. (III) Promote differentiated comprehensive governance. The classified and graded supervision and management of enterprises should be integrated with activities such as safety production notifications, interviews, warnings, targeted attention, and the appointment of safety directors, in order to ensure coordinated implementation. Information on the classification and grading of enterprises should be linked to safety production blacklists and credit rating assessments; enterprises that consistently receive low ratings or are involved in serious illegal activities should be subject to joint disciplinary actions in accordance with the law. County-level people’s governments should incorporate the classified and graded supervision and management of enterprises into grid-based management in order to establish a new framework for safety production governance at the grassroots level. (IV) Implement differentiated disciplinary and incentive measures. All levels of ** and their departments should use the classification of enterprise safety production as an important basis for supply of resources and for recognizing excellence. Enterprises that have consistently been rated at high levels and demonstrate significant exemplary roles can be incentivized through measures such as priority approval for resuming production and operations, as well as reduced premiums for safety liability insurance. Enterprises that are consistently rated as having a low level of safety and do not meet the requirements for safe production shall be ordered to suspend production and operations for rectification in accordance with laws and regulations. If they still fail to meet the requirements after such rectification, they shall be shut down in accordance with the law. Departments at all levels may, in light of the actual conditions of their respective industries and regions, improve and implement mechanisms for the hierarchical management of enterprise safety production. They should further refine the measures related to support, encouragement, as well as penalties and restrictions, and continue to reinforce the approach of rewarding those who perform well and holding back those who fall short. This will encourage enterprises to take proactive steps to ensure safety, manage safety effectively, and maintain safe working conditions. IV. Implementation Steps (1) Categorization and thorough investigation. By the end of July 2022, the departments responsible for safety production supervision and management shall complete the classification of Category I and Category II enterprises, organize a precise census of enterprises across the province, and establish a basic information database. (II) Diagnosis and grading. By the end of September 2022, the provincial departments responsible for safety production supervision and management shall formulate and implement guidelines for classifying and grading enterprises. At the provincial, municipal, and county levels, these departments shall organize the supervision of enterprises to carry out comprehensive assessments and initial classification and grading, establish electronic records for each enterprise with dynamic updates, and adopt a list-based management approach. The electronic records of enterprises under county-level supervision are aggregated step by step to the municipal and provincial departments responsible for work safety supervision and management, thus creating a single record for the entire province. (III) Hierarchical supervision. By the end of December 2022, various departments at all levels shall, based on the basic information of enterprises and hierarchical records, as well as existing experiences and measures, formulate and implement hierarchical supervision plans by industry, sector, and region; improve and enforce hierarchical supervision measures; and establish long-term mechanisms. (IV) Intelligent management. By the end of June 2023, industries with high risks will take the lead in establishing and improving a unified information system for the classified and graded supervision and management of enterprises at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. Intelligent supervision methods will be explored and implemented to enable intelligent and dynamic management of enterprise self-inspections, supervision and inspections, as well as regulatory enforcement. By the end of December 2023, all cities and counties shall establish and improve regional information systems for classified and hierarchical supervision of enterprise work safety, in order to achieve intelligent supervision. The departments at the provincial level responsible for supervision and management of work safety are utilizing existing information management platforms to explore the development of information systems for the classified and graded management of industries and enterprises, with the aim of gradually establishing an intelligent supervision system that enables effective integration of information and shared use of resources. V. Safeguard Measures (1) Strengthen organizational leadership. All levels and departments must raise their political awareness, establish sound working mechanisms, strengthen leadership, make thorough plans, organize things carefully, and take proactive actions to ensure the smooth implementation of the classified and hierarchical supervision and management of enterprises, thereby achieving practical results. (II) Strengthen publicity and education. Include the classified and graded supervision of enterprises as an important part of safety production education and training, and provide targeted training. Strengthen social outreach efforts to ensure that the approach of differentiated management for safe production is deeply rooted in people’s minds. Enhance the disclosure of information on enterprise safety management, accept social oversight, and foster a positive atmosphere of collective social governance. (III) Promote the application of results. Enhance the utilization of the outcomes of classified and graded supervision and management of enterprises; conduct statistical analyses by industry, specialty, field, and region to identify common issues, determine their causes, and explore targeted preventive and control measures to promote a continuous and stable improvement in safety production conditions. (IV) Strict accountability. Include the classified and graded supervision of enterprises as a key element in safety production inspections, patrols, and evaluations, with strict assessments applied. A responsibility accountability system shall be implemented; in cases where corporate assessments, assessments conducted by third-party agencies or internal departments are not thorough or standardized, the assessments are inaccurate or incomplete, inspections are insufficiently in-depth, the conclusions drawn are untrue, issues are avoided or hidden, thereby affecting the effectiveness of classified and graded supervision, responsibilities shall be traced in accordance with the law, and relevant responsible entities and individuals shall be held strictly accountable.       Shandong Province People’s **Work Safety Committee                                           May 1, 2022