Interpretation of the Work Requirements for Safety Agencies and Safety Managers under the Safety Production Law

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Article 22 of the Work Safety Law: The work safety management institutions and work safety managers of production and business operation entities shall perform the following duties: (1) Organize or participate in the formulation of the entity’s work safety rules and regulations, operating procedures, and emergency rescue plans for work safety accidents； (II) Organize or participate in the work safety education and training within the unit, and keep accurate records of such education and training activities ； (III) Supervise the implementation of safety management measures for major hazard sources within the unit ； (IV) Organize or participate in emergency rescue drills within the unit ； (5) Inspect the unit’s safety production conditions, promptly identify potential hazards related to production safety accidents, and propose suggestions for improving safety production management ； (VI) Preventing and correcting acts of giving illegal instructions, forcing workers to carry out dangerous operations, and violating operating procedures ； (7) Supervise the implementation of safety improvement measures within the unit. This article stipulates the responsibilities of the work safety management organizations and work safety management personnel. (1) Organize or participate in the formulation of the unit’s safety production regulations, operating procedures, and emergency rescue plans for production safety accidents ； As the department specifically responsible for safety production management within an organization, the safety production management agency is the entity that implements relevant guidelines, policies, laws, regulations, standards, and rules regarding safety production; it serves as an important assistant to the key executives in matters related to safety production. Therefore, this provision stipulates that the safety production management agency has the responsibility and obligation, in accordance with the arrangements of the person in charge, to organize or participate in the formulation of the unit’s safety production rules and regulations, operating procedures, as well as emergency response plans for production safety accidents. (II) Organize or participate in the work safety education and training within the unit, and keep accurate records of such education and training activities ； The most crucial factor in safe production is the human element. The safety production management department has the responsibility and duty, in accordance with the arrangements of the person in charge, to organize safety production education and training within the unit, or to actively participate in such education and training organized by the personnel training department. It is also responsible for keeping accurate records of the safety production education and training activities carried out within the unit, monitoring the progress of these training programs, and reporting back to the person in charge of the unit. (III) Supervise the implementation of safety management measures for major hazard sources within the unit ； In practice, major hazard sources are difficult to separate from production and operational activities, with the relevant business departments being responsible for management tasks such as record-keeping, inspection, testing, and evaluation. Therefore, this provision stipulates that safety production management personnel, upon conducting on-site inspections and finding that major hazard sources are not being managed in accordance with relevant regulations, have the authority to require the relevant departments to supervise the implementation of corrective actions. (IV) Organize or participate in emergency rescue drills within the unit ； Explanation: Conducting emergency rescue drills is an important way to enhance emergency response capabilities and to test the effectiveness of emergency rescue plans for production safety accidents. Safety production management agencies should actively participate in regional emergency drills organized by the relevant competent authorities, and carefully organize emergency drills within their own organizations. (5) Inspect the unit’s safety production conditions, promptly identify potential hazards related to production safety accidents, and propose suggestions for improving safety production management ； Hidden dangers are the root cause of accidents. The fundamental responsibility of safety production management organizations and safety production managers is to promptly identify potential hazards related to production safety accidents. An inspection work plan should be formulated based on the unit’s production and operation characteristics, risk distribution, types of hazard factors, and the degree of harm they pose. This plan should specify the objects to be inspected, the tasks to be carried out, and the frequency of inspections, while also providing recommendations for improvement. (VI) Preventing and correcting acts of giving illegal instructions, forcing workers to carry out dangerous operations, and violating operating procedures ； Based on years of analysis of production safety accidents, the main hazard leading to such accidents is unsafe human behavior. In practice, the managers of production and operation units, workshop supervisors, and team leaders often act as they please, relying on a sense of luck and believing that nothing bad will happen; they give orders that violate safety regulations and even force employees to carry out work in dangerous conditions ； The workers themselves do not pay enough attention to safety, rely on luck, and work in violation of operating procedures. In response to this situation, this article explicitly stipulates that safety production management agencies and safety production managers must immediately stop and correct any instances of illegal instructions, forced risky operations, or violations of operating procedures identified during inspections. This is a legal obligation that must be strictly enforced; no leniency or favoritism is allowed. To encourage practitioners to abide by rules and regulations, safety production management agencies should also include records of violations committed by these practitioners in the framework of rewards and penalties related to safety production, and take strict action against those who violate the rules ； For those who frequently violate regulations, arrange safety production education and training again ； If necessary, it is recommended to transfer them from their current position ； In serious cases, dismissal is recommended. (7) Supervise the implementation of safety improvement measures within the unit. Safety production improvement measures, including those for addressing major accident hazards as well as other safety issues, represent a complex systematic task. It is difficult to have the safety production management agency specifically implement the corrective measures for safety production. In accordance with the principle that \"whoever is in charge of production must also be responsible for safety,\" it is the relevant business departments that are tasked with implementing safety improvement measures. In practice, the relevant business departments also have the capability to carry out this task; for example, in the event of a leak in a pipeline carrying hazardous materials in a workshop of a hazardous materials production facility, it is most appropriate for the workshop supervisor to organize the relevant personnel to carry out repairs. To ensure that safety improvement measures are implemented in a timely manner, the safety management agencies and safety management personnel should strengthen supervision over the relevant business departments ； Those who fail to implement safety improvement measures as required shall report to the main person in charge of their unit without delay.