Those responsible for the “4.22” fire accident in Jingjiang, Taizhou, were severely punished; 7 people were placed under criminal detention

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Those responsible for the \"4·22\" fire accident in Jingjiang, Taizhou, have been severely punished; 7 people have been placed under criminal detention. The investigation team regarding the significant \"4·22\" fire accident in Taizhou recently released its investigation report. Upon investigation, it was determined that the major fire accident that occurred on April 22 at Jiangsu Deqiao Warehousing Co., Ltd. was an accident resulting from failures in production safety responsibilities. Previously, the judicial authorities had taken action against 7 people, including Zhu, the vice president in charge of safety at Deqiao Company, and He, the deputy director of the security department. At around 9:13 on April 22 this year, a fire broke out at Station No. 2 in the storage tank area of Jiangsu Deqiao Warehousing Co., Ltd. located in Jingjiang. As a result of the incident, one firefighter lost his life while trying to extinguish the fire, and the direct economic loss amounted to 25.3214 million yuan. On April 23, Taizhou City **established an investigation team for the “4·22” serious fire accident at Jiangsu Deqiao Warehousing Co., Ltd. to carry out investigations into the incident. Through on-site inspections, evidence collection, and expert analysis, the accident investigation team identified the cause of the accident, determined its nature and the responsibilities involved, put forward recommendations regarding actions to be taken against the relevant responsible units and individuals, and suggested measures for preventing such accidents and making corrections. The investigation team determined that Deqiao Company ordered its contractors to carry out hot work on the pipelines at Exchange Station No. 2 without first cleaning the oil from the ditches at the work site, without conducting combustible gas analysis, and without taking measures such as covering or sanding the ditches beneath the area where hot work was being performed to isolate them. This illegal hot work generated sparks that ignited the combustible materials in the ditches, which was the direct cause of the accident. The indirect cause of the accident was: Deqiao Company carried out operations in violation of regulations, and the initial emergency response was inadequate ； Lack of construction site management at Huadong Company ； The Jingjiang Economic Development Zone has failed to properly implement measures for work safety. The investigation team recommended that Gu, the contractor responsible for the construction of the accident-related project, and Wang, the general manager of Deqiao Company, be referred to the judicial authorities for prosecution. It suggested that three individuals, including the official in charge of work safety at Jingjiang Economic Development Zone and the former director of the Economic Development Bureau, be subject to party and administrative disciplinary actions. Additionally, it recommended that five persons, including the chairman of Deqiao Company, be subjected to administrative penalties. Determination of accident liability and handling recommendations: (I) Persons who have had measures taken against them by judicial authorities (7 people): 1. Zhu Jingen, a probationary Party member and the deputy general manager in charge of safety at Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident; his arrest was approved on May 6. 2. He Jianming, deputy director of the security department at Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident, and his arrest was approved on May 6. 3. Shao Jianwei, deputy director of the storage and transportation department at Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a major accident; his arrest was approved on May 6. 4. Liu Dongliang, an inspector in the security department of Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident, and his arrest was approved on May 6. 5. Xu Lei, the person responsible for carrying out direct welding operations at Huadong Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident; his arrest was approved on May 6. 6. Lu Yin, an inspector in the security department of Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident; he was released on bail pending trial on May 6. 7. Chen Liang, an inspector in the security department of Deqiao Company, was placed under criminal detention by the judicial authorities on April 23, 2016, on suspicion of being responsible for a serious accident; he was released on bail pending trial on May 6. For those who are **Party members**, once the judicial authorities have taken action, the local disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies or the competent authorities shall promptly impose the appropriate Party discipline sanctions. (II) Persons recommended for referral to judicial authorities (2): 1. Gu Yankun, the contractor for the construction of the accident-related project, who undertook the work in the name of Huadong Company but failed to arrange for anyone to oversee safety management at the construction site. As the person bearing primary leadership responsibility for the accident, it is recommended that the matter be handled by the judicial authorities in accordance with the law. 2. Wang Weizhong, **Party member and general manager of Deqiao Company, as the person responsible for the company’s work safety, failed to properly implement relevant laws and regulations on work safety as well as the company’s own responsibilities in this area ； The work arrangements issued by the higher-level safety supervision authorities were not implemented, and no special campaign to address hazardous operations was carried out across the company ； Insufficient supervision and guidance were provided to various departments of the company regarding their responsibilities for safe production, and potential hazards related to production safety accidents were not eliminated in a timely manner. He bears primary leadership responsibility for the occurrence of the accident; it is recommended that he be dealt with in accordance with the law by judicial authorities. For those who are **Party members**, once the judicial authorities have taken action, the local disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies or the competent authorities shall promptly impose the appropriate Party discipline sanctions. (III) Persons recommended for party discipline and administrative discipline sanctions (3 people): 1. Liu Dingbang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Jingjiang Economic Development Zone (at the deputy department level), responsible for work related to safety production in the development zone; failed to adequately supervise and inspect the special operations initiatives assigned by higher-level safety supervision authorities ； Bear leadership responsibility for failing to assign sufficient and competent safety supervision personnel as required by higher-level directives ； Failure to detect issues such as chaotic safety management and inadequate performance by supervisors. Asholding significant leadership responsibility for the accident, it is recommended to impose an administrative reprimand. 2. Xiang Jianguo, a Party member and former director of the Economic Development Bureau of Jingjiang Economic Development Zone (at the section-level position), was in charge of the work of that bureau. He failed to properly supervise and inspect the special operations initiatives assigned by the higher-level safety supervision authorities, and did not organize any special inspections for such operations ； They bear direct responsibility for the chaotic state of safety management and the inadequate performance of supervisors in fulfilling their duties. bearing primary leadership responsibility for the accident, it is recommended to impose a party warning and a serious administrative sanction. 3. Xu Ping, **Party member, Deputy Director of the Economic Development Bureau of Jingjiang Economic Development Zone (at the deputy section level); responsible for work related to work safety, but fails to fulfill his duties diligently ； There was inadequate supervision and inspection of the special operation campaigns assigned by the higher-level work safety authorities, and no special inspections for such operations were carried out. bearing significant leadership responsibility for the accident, it is recommended to impose a severe administrative sanction. (IV) Recommendations for administrative penalties: 1. Gu Wenlong, the chairman of Deqiao Company and the person in charge of the company’s board of directors, failed to effectively supervise and inspect the company’s work related to safety production, nor did he ensure that potential hazards related to production safety were eliminated in a timely manner. As he bears significant leadership responsibility for the occurrence of the accident, it is recommended that the Taizhou Work Safety Supervision Bureau impose on him a fine equal to 40% of his annual income in 2015, in accordance with Article 92, Paragraph 2 of the Work Safety Law. 2. Wang Guoxiang, chairman of Huadong Company, is in charge of the company’s daily operations; he approved others to undertake projects in the name of the company but failed to arrange for anyone to manage the construction sites. As he bears significant leadership responsibility for the occurrence of the accident, it is recommended that the Taizhou Work Safety Supervision Bureau impose on him a fine equal to 40% of his annual income in 2015, in accordance with Article 92, Paragraph 2 of the Work Safety Law. 3. Gu Dong, an inspector in the security department of Deqiao Company, is responsible for conducting safety inspections and providing safety training; he failed to ensure proper safety education for Xu Lei and others. It is recommended that the Jingjiang City Work Safety Supervision Bureau revoke their safety officer qualification certificates. 4. Deqiao Company failed to properly implement its responsibilities regarding safe production; it carried out operations in violation of regulations, and is thus responsible for this accident. It is recommended that the Taizhou Work Safety Supervision Bureau impose a fine of 1 million yuan on Deqiao Company in accordance with Article 109, Paragraph 2 of the Work Safety Law, and suspend Deqiao Company’s Hazardous Chemicals Business License for 6 months. 5. Huadong Company agreed to allow others to undertake projects in its name, but failed to assign anyone to manage the work on site; it is therefore responsible for the occurrence of this accident. It is recommended that the Taizhou Work Safety Supervision Bureau impose a fine of 1 million yuan on Huadong Company in accordance with Article 109, Paragraph 2 of the Work Safety Law.