【Accident Case Analysis】Poisoning Incident at the Sewage Lift Pump Station Project of Cangzhou Boxin Building Installation Engineering Co., Ltd

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Accident case: Poisoning and asphyxiation accident. Around 2 p.m. on September 1, 2014, a poisoning and asphyxiation accident occurred at the temporary sewage lift station project of Cangzhou Boxin Building Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. in the high-tech zone, resulting in 3 deaths and 3 injuries, with direct economic losses of approximately 2.7 million yuan. 　　I. Information on the unit where the accident occurred and overview of the project (1) Details of the unit where the accident occurred. 　　1. Information on construction companies. Cangzhou Boxin Building Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Cangzhou Boxin Company) was established on March 31, 2011, with a registered capital of 100,000 yuan. Its business license registration number is 130903000021490, and its organization code is 57133672-0. The legal representative is Sun Fengtong; the company has 20 employees. Its registered address is in Yongpingli Village, Xiaowangzhuang Town, Yunhe District, Cangzhou City ； The business scope includes building automation systems, security monitoring and anti-theft alarm systems, mechanical and electrical equipment, lifting equipment, building piping and ventilation systems, as well as plumbing installations (none of the above include special equipment) ； Earthwork and stone work ； Civil engineering buildings. 　　2. Information on the construction entity. Cangzhou High-Tech Construction and Development Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Cangzhou High-Tech Jian Tou Company) is located in Wuzhuangzi Village, Cangzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. It was established on July 26, 2010, and is of the type of limited liability company (state-owned sole proprietorship). Its legal representative is Sun Li; it has 18 employees, with a registered capital of 20 million yuan. Its business scope includes the development, construction, investment, and management of urban public infrastructure ； Invest in **approved projects using the company’s own funds. 　　(II) Project overview. 　　1. Project details. The Cangzhou High-Tech Zone temporary sewage lift station project is a temporary construction project approved by the municipal authorities. It is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Yingbin Avenue and Xi’an Road in the Cangzhou High-Tech Zone, with a designed service life of 2 years. The drainage capacity of the pumping station is planned at 20,000 cubic meters per hour per day. The lower part of the pump house is a brick-built circular well chamber, while the upper part is a color-coated steel structure. Three sump pits are located at the bottom of the well chamber; corresponding to these, there are 3 well openings at the upper part, each equipped with a well cover. Based on the current displacement, two submersible pumps are installed, one in use and one as a backup. 　　2. Contract signing status. Approved by the Finance Bureau of the High-Tech Zone Management Committee and the **Procurement Office, this project was procured through a non-public bidding method (competitive negotiation). Cangzhou High-Tech Construction Investment Company has entrusted Cangzhou Huashi Bidding Agency Co., Ltd. to handle this competitive negotiation project. On August 8, 2014, information regarding the procurement for this project was published on the **Procurement Network of Hebei Province ； On August 13, Cangzhou Huashi Bidding Agency Co., Ltd. organized an opening of bids and negotiation sessions with 3 bidding companies. Following the evaluation process, Cangzhou Boxin Company was identified as the prospective winner for this project, and the announcement of this prospective outcome was posted on the Hebei Province ** Procurement Website. On August 18, Cangzhou High-Tech Construction Investment Company (Party A) and Cangzhou Boxin Company (Party B) signed a project agreement, with the contract period running from August 18, 2014, to September 6, 2014 ； The project cost is 318,800 yuan; of this amount, the two water pumps are to be purchased by Party A, and after deducting the costs of the pumps and the main components of the control equipment, the contract price amounts to 260,000 yuan. 　　II. Course of the accident and rescue process 　　(1) Course of the accident. 　　On August 18, 2014, construction of the pump station project began ； On August 30, the pump station project was basically completed. On the morning of September 1st, Sun Fengtong, the manager of Cangzhou Boxin Company, assigned Wu Yubao and Wu Xiangjun to lead the workers in breaking open the sewage pipeline, in order to connect it to the newly installed temporary sewage lift pump. After starting work at 1:30 p.m., Wu Yubao, the foreman of Cangzhou Boxin Company, Wu Xiangjun, the carpenter team leader, Lai Dianzhu, the technician, Xin Xien, the safety officer, and workers Li Junqiang, Zhang Zhizhe, Zhang Xuejiang, Zhang Xueliang and others arrived one after another at the pump station construction site to clean it up and prepare for withdrawal. At around 2 p.m., Wu Xiangjun noticed that there were woven bags blocking the grates in the sewage pipeline leading to the sewage well inside the pump station, so he went down into the well to clean them himself. A few minutes later, Lai Dianzhu, who was outside the pump station, heard Wu Xiangjun’s cries for help coming from inside. Seeing Wu Xiangjun’s head appearing at the well opening in the northwest corner of the pump room, Lai Dianzhu rushed to the well in an attempt to pull him up. Before he could do so, Wu Xiangjun fell into the sewage well of the pump station. Seeing this, Lai Dianzhu quickly called for help and went to a tractor where tools were stored to get ropes. Li Junqiang, Xincien, Zhang Zhi zhe, and Zhang Xueliang heard the cries for help and rushed to the well, descending into it one after another along the well ladder to rescue the person. After descending into the well, Li Junqiang and Xincien both fainted inside it, while Zhang Zhizhe had his leg stuck in the well ladder and was hanging upside down. Zhang Xueliang was the last to descend into the well; upon reaching the bottom, he tried to lift Zhang Zhizhe but felt dizzy and had difficulty breathing. Lai Dianzhu and Zhang Xuejiang, who had gone to get the rope, arrived at the well at that moment; they lowered the rope into the well. Zhang Xueliang put the rope under his arm and was pulled out of the well by crawling and pulling, falling into a coma after emerging from the well. Purchaser Hu Xiangqiao arrived at the construction site at that time; seeing the situation, he volunteered to tie a rope and descend into the well to rescue Zhang Zhizhe, who was hanging upside down on the well ladder. After going down, he found himself dizzy and too weak to save the person, so he signaled Lai Dianzhu and Zhang Xuejiang, who were outside the well, to pull him out. Realizing the situation in the well was dangerous, the other workers did not go down further to carry out rescue efforts. 　　(II) Rescue process. 　　After the accident, team leader Wu Yubao immediately called emergency numbers such as 110, 119, 120, and 96120, and informed Sun Fengtong, the person in charge of Cangzhou Boxin Company, about the situation. At 14:45, rescue personnel from the public security forces, fire department, hospitals, and other agencies arrived at the scene one after another. Key leaders from Cangzhou High-Tech Zone, as well as officials in charge of safety supervision and Cangzhou High-Tech Construction, also went to the site to assist in directing the rescue efforts. By 15:37, the four people trapped underground—Wu Xiangjun, Xincien, Li Junqiang, and Zhang Zhizhe—were successively rescued and taken to Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou People’s Hospital, and Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for treatment. Due to symptoms of poisoning, two rescue workers, Zhang Xueliang and Hu Xiangqiao, were also taken to Cangzhou People’s Hospital for treatment. Around 6 p.m., Cynthian and Zhang Zhizhe died one after another despite attempts to save them ； Li Junqiang died at 2:45 on September 4. At present, Zhang Xueliang and Hu Xiangqiao have been discharged after completing their treatment, while Wu Xiangjun is no longer in critical condition and is still under treatment in the hospital. 　　III. Causes and Nature of the Accident (1) Immediate cause. 　　The direct cause of the accident was that Wu Xiangjun entered the underground sewage well chamber in violation of regulations, without conducting any tests for hazardous factors in such environments, without wearing protective gear, and without any supervision; as a result, he inhaled toxic and harmful gases and collapsed from poisoning. Li Junqiang, Xincien, Zhang Zhizhe, Zhang Xueliang, and Hu Xiangqiao – these five individuals lacked a proper sense of safety; they did not wear any personal protective equipment. They entered the underground sewage wells in an attempt to carry out rescue operations, which led to Li Junqiang, Xincien, and Zhang Zhizhe dying from poisoning and asphyxiation. Zhang Xueliang and Hu Xiangqiao were injured as a result of the poisoning, thereby contributing to the escalation of the accident. 　　(II) Indirect causes. 　　1. Cangzhou Boxin Company has failed to properly fulfill its responsibilities regarding work safety. First, the management system for work in confined spaces was not implemented; there was no proper supervision to ensure that workers adhered to safety management systems and safety procedures, nor was there any oversight to ensure that workers wore personal protective equipment while working underground ； Secondly, safety training and education are inadequate; workers lack the ability to identify hazards in confined work spaces, and their safety awareness is weak ； Third, the emergency rescue plans remain on paper without any drills being conducted, and the staff lack basic knowledge of emergency rescue and self-protection. 　　2. Cangzhou High-Tech Construction Investment Company fails to fulfill its safety management responsibilities, and its safety management systems are inadequate. First, regulations such as a safety production responsibility system and on-site safety management procedures were not established, preventing the timely identification, supervision, and correction of violations committed by construction units during work in confined spaces ； Second, a specific safety management agreement was not signed with the construction unit at the time of contract signing, and the safety management responsibilities of the project owner and the construction unit were not clearly defined ； Third, water supply was approved and permitted without installing the safety measures specified in the construction design, such as gas detection sensors, fans, and deodorization systems ； Fourth, no safety officers were assigned to supervise the site during the processes such as workers entering the pipes to break them open for water flow and then cleaning up and leaving the area. 　　3. The Urban Construction Administration Bureau of Cangzhou High-Tech Zone fails to fulfill its regulatory duties properly. In accordance with the \"Job Responsibilities of Various Departments\" in the High-Tech Zone, the Urban Construction Management Bureau of the High-Tech Zone is responsible for overseeing the quality and safety of construction projects (including building, municipal works, and landscaping) throughout the zone. It shares the same organizational structure as Cangzhou High-Tech Construction Investment Company, but operates under two different names. There was a misconception that temporary structures did not require approval for construction; accordingly, the relevant staff were directly in charge of managing temporary sewage lift stations, and failed to identify or urge construction companies to eliminate potential safety hazards during the construction process. 　　(III) Nature of the accident. 　　This was a significant work safety liability accident caused by entering a confined space in violation of regulations and taking reckless risks in attempting rescue. 　　IV. Accident Prevention and Rectification Measures This accident resulted in tragic casualties, huge losses, severe consequences, and valuable lessons. To earnestly learn from the lessons of this accident, draw broader conclusions from it, further strengthen safety management, and prevent similar incidents from occurring, the following preventive and corrective measures are proposed: 1. Thoroughly learn from the painful lessons of this accident. The Management Committee of the High-Tech Zone and relevant departments must firmly uphold the concepts of scientific and safe development, strictly adhere to the red line that \"development must not come at the cost of human lives,\" and follow the principle of \"safety first, prevention foremost, and comprehensive management.\" From the perspective of protecting people’s lives and property, they should fully recognize the extreme importance of strengthening work related to construction safety, properly handle the relationships between safety and development, safety and speed, safety and efficiency, as well as safety and profitability, and always give top priority to safety. 　　2. Effectively implement the primary responsibility of construction enterprises for work safety. The high-tech zones and the entire city need to further strengthen the primary responsibility of construction enterprises for safe production. It is necessary to ensure the effective implementation of these safety responsibilities within enterprises; companies should establish comprehensive safety management systems that assign safety responsibilities to specific positions and individuals, using such systems to manage both people and operations ； The project owner and the project management unit must firmly uphold their corporate responsibilities regarding safety, enter into specific safety management agreements with the construction contractor, and ensure that both parties fulfill their safety management duties. They should provide unified coordination and management for safety-related matters in the construction project, and urge the construction contractor to strengthen safety management at the construction site ； Construction companies must assign safety management personnel in accordance with laws and regulations, strengthen safety training for employees, urge workers to strictly follow safety management systems and safety operating procedures, and inform employees truthfully about the hazard factors present in the workplace and at their jobs, as well as the preventive measures and emergency response procedures in case of accidents. 　　3. Effectively implement the supervision responsibilities for work safety in engineering construction projects. The Management Committee of the High-Tech Zone and the relevant industry regulatory authorities must strictly fulfill their responsibilities for safety supervision. They should carry out thorough efforts to crack down on illegal activities in the construction industry, and take severe action against any illegal acts that occur during construction projects ； Strengthen safety supervision over enterprises and construction sites, clarify regulatory responsibilities further, develop work plans, establish and improve safety management regulations, systems, and frameworks, formulate more targeted preventive measures and policies, set stricter requirements, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of various types of accidents. 　　4. Carry out special rectification work for operations in confined spaces. In recent years, accidents related to work in confined spaces have occurred frequently; on September 5, the Municipal Safety Committee Office issued the \"Implementation Plan for Special Rectification of Work in Confined Spaces\". In this regard, the high-tech zone and the entire city must attach great importance to this issue and carry out their work in strict accordance with the requirements of the \"Implementation Plan\". The focus should be on determining the number of enterprises engaged in work in confined spaces as well as the current state of safety management in these areas. Relevant enterprises should be urged to establish sound rules and regulations and to equip themselves with necessary safety facilities and equipment. It is essential to ensure that all such enterprises are covered, and that all employees receive training. Standards for the supervision of safety in confined space operations need to be established, so as to improve the level of supervision and services. A long-term mechanism for ensuring safety in such operations must be put in place to effectively prevent accidents from occurring.