State Administration of Work Safety: Report on the national work safety situation in the first 4 months

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bg8.png **The State Administration of Work Safety recently released a report on the national safety situation from January to April this year. During those four months, a total of 13,859 work-related accidents occurred across the country, resulting in 7,385 deaths. (EHS.CN) From January to April this year, 13,859 various types of work safety accidents occurred across the country, resulting in 7,385 deaths; these figures represent a decrease of 14.4% and 17.9% respectively on a year-on-year basis. Among them, there were 10 major accidents, resulting in 136 deaths and missing persons, representing decreases of 28.6% and 28.0% respectively on a year-on-year basis; no especially serious accidents with 30 or more deaths occurred. 　　The number of major accidents and deaths in coal mines, metal and non-metal mines, and the construction industry both decreased compared to the previous year; deaths in the chemical industry and the fireworks industry also declined year-on-year. The number of accidents in the railway transportation sector decreased as well. In the road transportation sector, no major or severe accidents occurred for 7 consecutive months, which represents the best performance on record. 　　Major accidents in April increased by 30.6% on a month-on-month basis compared to March. Among them, accidents of a significant scale in industries such as fishing vessels, metallurgical machinery, and road transportation increased by 50%, 150%, and 47.1% on a month-on-month basis, respectively. No significant accidents occurred in metal and non-metal mines and the chemical industry in March, while 1 accident and 2 accidents occurred in these sectors respectively in April. 　　From January to April, a total of 5 major accidents occurred in coal mines, 4 more than the previous year, representing a 400% increase; among them, 2 major accidents occurred in April alone. 　　The State Administration of Work Safety reports on 3 typical accidents The State Administration of Work Safety publicly reported on three typical accidents that occurred in April this year. These accidents clearly revealed the negligence of enterprises in terms of work safety, as well as serious shortcomings in the implementation of their responsibilities. 　　On April 13, a serious accident occurred at the Dongjiangkou Prefabricated Components Factory in Dongguan, Guangdong, when a gantry crane collapsed, resulting in 18 deaths and 33 injuries. Based on preliminary investigation and analysis, the direct cause of the accident was the failure to use the rail clamps as required for fixation, which allowed the gantry crane to be pushed by strong winds to the end of the track; once the base of the crane was blocked by the end stop, the entire crane toppled over. Illegal temporary shelters were located within the overturning range of the gantry crane, resulting in numerous casualties. The accident revealed issues such as the failure to fulfill corporate responsibilities, inadequate implementation of safety regulations, employees performing special tasks without the necessary certifications, and inappropriate selection of locations for temporary dormitories built in violation of regulations. 　　A fire broke out at Jiangsu Jingjiang Deqiao Warehousing Co., Ltd. on April 22. Based on preliminary investigation and analysis, the direct cause of the accident was that the company, while organizing contractors to carry out pipe welding work in the pump house, violated the requirements for managing hot work: it failed to remove flammable materials from the ditches at the work site, did not conduct gas analysis, and did not take any preventive measures in advance. The open flame used for welding ignited the oil present in the ditches, resulting in the fire accident. The accident revealed issues such as the failure to fulfill the enterprise’s primary responsibilities for safe production, inadequate control of major hazard sources, deficiencies in the management of special operations and contractors, and incorrect emergency response procedures. 　　On April 25, a water inrush accident occurred at Zhaojin Mining Co., Ltd. in Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, resulting in 2 deaths and 9 people missing. Based on preliminary investigation and analysis, the direct cause of the accident was the failure of the enterprise to drain the water accumulated in the strata in advance; when the roof underwent periodic stress accumulation, the collapse of the roof created water-conducting pathways, allowing the water to flow into the working area and resulting in a water inrush accident. The accident revealed that the company failed to implement proper measures for water exploration and drainage, and did not learn from previous accidents (the mine has experienced 3 water inrush incidents since July 2013); no actions were taken such as water exploration and drainage when an increase in water seepage from the roof of the mining face was detected. The responsibility system for water control was inadequate, with no dedicated professionals skilled in water control; the mine lacked hydrogeological data, and its hydrogeological research work was weak. 　　The safety situation in coal mines remains severe. Case study: The Yongji coal mine accident resulted in 10 deaths. From January to April this year, 5 major accidents occurred in coal mines, indicating that the safety situation there is still critical. To effectively prevent serious and catastrophic production accidents in coal mines, it is necessary to learn thoroughly from these accidents. Today, we will analyze the coal mine accident that occurred in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, last October, to determine what exactly caused it. 　　On October 9, 2015, a major gas explosion occurred at the Yongji Coal Mine in Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, resulting in 10 deaths and direct economic losses of 10.97 million yuan. 　　The Yongji Coal Mine is located in Chouchuan Village, Fenglingtou Town, Shangrao County, Shangrao City. It began operations in 1997 and is a privately-owned enterprise; its approved production capacity is 40,000 tons per year. 　　The safety production license of Yongji Coal Mine expired on January 9, 2015, and the safety supervision authorities ordered it to immediately cease all mining and excavation activities underground. On June 26, the Coal Management Bureau of Shangrao County took measures to lock up and seal the hoisting winch at that mine. From January to October in Fenglingtou Town, Shangrao County, 11 inspections were conducted at the mine, during which violations were detected on 3 occasions, and orders to cease operations were issued in each case. Yet the mine turned a deaf ear to these warnings, refused to comply with regulatory orders, and continued to operate in violation of laws and regulations; between January and September, when its safety production license had expired, approximately 5,500 tons of coal were produced. 　　20 days before the accident, a high-temperature spot was detected in Gate No. 1 of Mine (Negative) -228 South; there was a kerosene-like odor in the air and water droplets appeared on the tunnel walls. The mine management concluded that spontaneous combustion had occurred in the coal seam in that goaf, and decided to use flooding as a method to extinguish the fire. Irrigation began on September 21, and by October 1 the water level had reached nearly -200 meters above sea level; at that point irrigation was stopped and drainage commenced. By October 9, the water level had dropped to -243 meters above sea level. The mining company blindly drained water and reopened the fire area without confirming that the fire had been extinguished; the spontaneous combustion of coal caused gas accumulated in the goaf to explode, ultimately leading to the accident. 　　The investigation team determined that this was a typical accident caused by the existence of hidden dangers that were not properly addressed, as well as by illegal operations. 　　At the same time, the mine was engaged in illegal production; its safety production license had expired and it was ordered to cease operations. Yet the mine management ignored the regulatory directives, privately removed the seals from the hoisting winches, unlocked them without authorization, and continued to carry out production illegally. 　　The investigation team also found that ventilation and gas management in the mine were in disarray, the system requiring mine managers to work underground was not implemented, and even some workers performing special tasks were working without the necessary licenses. 　　The State Administration of Work Safety issues safety warnings for three industries. According to reports from the administration, based on past data analysis, safety accidents exhibit seasonal patterns; therefore, while stepping up efforts to ensure safety in all industries in May, special safety warnings need to be issued for these three industries. 　　The first is construction. Against the general trend of significant declines in accidents across various industries, the construction sector has seen a relatively smaller decline in accidents, with its proportion increasing. The proportion of major accidents in the construction industry among the total number of accidents and total deaths increased from 4.1% and 3.6% in 2006 to 9.4% and 9.1% from January to April this year. Among them, accidents involving formwork supports and scaffolding collapses, as well as accidents with lifting machinery, occur frequently and require focused prevention and control. 　　The second are metallurgical enterprises. Market prices of key production materials in the distribution sector show that in April, the prices of ferrous metals such as rebar, wire rods, ordinary medium-grade steel plates, and hot-rolled ordinary thin steel plates all increased by more than 10%. Driven by favorable factors, the capacity utilization rate of small steel mills has risen from 51% in January to 58%, while that of large steel mills has increased from 84% to 87%. It is necessary to prevent serious accidents from occurring in steel companies during the process of increasing production and resuming operations; in particular, special attention should be paid to preventing serious accidents caused by molten iron spills, boiler explosions, and gas leaks. 　　Third are other industrial enterprises. According to **statistics bureau data, the total profits of industrial enterprises above a certain scale in the first quarter of this year increased by 7.4% on a year-on-year basis, with profits rising by 11.1% in March alone. Profit margins in industries such as electronic equipment manufacturing, chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, oil processing and coking, and pharmaceutical manufacturing have seen a significant improvement. Some companies are operating at full capacity or with excessive intensity, resulting in greater pressures related to safe production; **in the chemicals sector, efforts to prevent accidents should be further intensified.