The matter in Fengcheng is not yet resolved

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The particularly serious accident at Fengcheng Power Plant came to an end in the eyes of the public with 74 deaths, 15 people arrested, and compensation of 1.2 million yuan per victim; immediately afterwards, Ma Dad replaced the news headlines with content from Alipay’s community. While the investigation team is working on investigating the accident, we can actually take a moment to calm down and reflect. 1. Both types of \"rush to meet deadlines\" are terrifying; at least so far, the main cause of the Fengcheng Power Plant accident was the rush-to-completion approach in its construction. It is labeled as a continuation of the past “satellite launches,” but I think it is different. For a project, schedule is often like a military order – it affects costs as well as the deadline set by management” ； Quality is a matter of long-term significance, and strict requirements are imposed on it (we won’t go into details such as cutting corners in hidden works or experts deceiving laypeople) ； \"Safety first\" is often displayed at the entrance of construction sites and repeated by leaders in every meeting; its importance is \"self-evident\". However, when and who will be “first”? It’s not during meetings, nor when hanging up banners, and not even during inspections; the concept of “first” is best demonstrated when there is a “comparison” with others, or, to put it plainly, when there are “conflicts”. Anyone who has worked in engineering can understand that when progress needs to be accelerated, for the safety officer to keep insisting on \"following principles\" is clearly unwise; neither the workers nor the managers are happy about this. Rushing the schedule can lead to problems, while not rushing it will result in penalties ； The notion that taking safety seriously doesn’t guarantee no accidents, and neglecting safety doesn’t necessarily lead to accidents, is still very common today. A strict leader will make your safety officer responsible for both safety and progress – trying to juggle two tasks at once; see how you handle that? Unlike the relatively obvious phenomenon of \"pressing for a deadline\" in projects, there are also forms of \"pressing for a deadline\" that are more concealed. Put it this way: what is associated with meeting deadlines is by no means just the concept of \"time\"; there are also a whole range of other factors such as \"impact,\" \"public opinion,\" \"relationships,\" \"personal connections,\" and \"self-preservation.\" The investigation, analysis, handling, measures, and long-term management of accidents represent a hidden phenomenon in which there may be a drive to meet deadlines. Investigations, arrests, and thorough inspections – this pattern has become the norm; there is never any genuine reflection or change in the system, giving the impression that efforts are only superficial. Everyone feels that the cause has been identified, those who need to be held accountable have been dealt with, necessary actions have been taken, and compensation and other remedies have been provided; thus this matter can now be \"archived.\" With the media paying little attention to it, there are plenty of other news stories that capture the public’s interest. After working in safety for so many years, shouldn’t we take some time to seriously consider not only the scientific analysis of accidents themselves, but also the systemic issues, legal problems, implementation issues, and public oversight aspects underlying them? Don’t rush to resolve the issue; let’s put it right in front of us and study it thoroughly to see how we can \"avoid many problems by addressing one.\" Let’s take a different perspective and look at some of the BBC’s assessments of the Fengcheng accident: “Industrial accidents are common in China, prompting calls for better safety standards. Last year, 170 people died in a chemical explosion in Tianjin.” “But the disasters and the government’s promises follow a familiar pattern, and China’s record on industrial safety remains poor.” “Even as China becomes richer, cutbacks are occurring in workplaces. Partly the problem is fierce competition, and partly it’s corruption. But the lack of strong unions that can fight for workers’ rights doesn’t help either; nor does a highly controlled media environment that discourages whistleblowers.” While these views may be biased, they do contain some truth. (Unions, I’m even too embarrassed to mention them.) It’s like trying to scratch an itch without actually touching it; we’ve been working hard on safety issues for so many years that it’s fair to say this is well-known throughout the country. However, when it comes to those who truly understand \"security management\" and \"security technology,\" although there are no statistical figures, I would say the situation is \"by no means optimistic\"! Do you think all leaders are just \"important in theory, less so in practice, and ignored when busy\"? No, many leaders truly understand the importance of \"safety\"; they either possess high moral standards or respect human life ； Either experience it firsthand and feel it personally ； Either you see it with your own eyes, and its impact is profound. However, many leaders do care about safety and \"guide\" its implementation, but they end up lacking the necessary resources to do so. Safety is an \"interdisciplinary field,\" but even more so, it is a \"multidisciplinary discipline.\" One needs to have knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation aspects of equipment, as well as expertise in ergonomics, laws and regulations, chemicals, training and education, project construction, and so on. It also encompasses areas such as transportation, fire safety, public order, and environmental protection. From the outside, it may seem like \"a glass of water,\" but once one takes it seriously, it becomes clear that it is actually \"an endless ocean.\" To be honest, at the current level, the competence of safety officers themselves is insufficient (I am also one of those who fall short; I admit this without hesitation. I have communicated with global safety officers from Austria as well as safety officers from General Motors, and there is indeed a gap). Therefore, education is the foundation of a nation, and safety education is also a task that requires careful planning and steady progress. Otherwise, if we strive to \"pay attention\" but stop at the threshold of \"how to pay attention\", isn’t that frustrating? 3. The “useless” supervisors, those who feel aggrieved – in my opinion, the emergence of such supervisors represents a significant advancement in safety efforts. Of course, it’s not just safety. This is essentially an introduction of “third-party” oversight. Yet, the good scriptures have been misinterpreted by our people. To put it simply, the supervision role faces the following issues: 1. An awkward position. With Party A, I’m in a vulnerable position and am constantly reprimanded ； On the side of Party B, if you are treated like a ‘godfather’ or ‘besieged’, they don’t want you to investigate. Many times, one suffers on both ends. Moreover, often the process supervisors, quality supervisors, and safety supervisors are all from the same group – after all, people within the same group don’t want to cause trouble for each other, right? 2. Insufficient staffing. Supervision companies are busy with their work and need staff everywhere, which leads to a severe shortage of talent; many supervisors have to manage several projects at once and are overwhelmed. 3. Insufficient capabilities. Many supervisors either used to work on projects and switched to being supervisors after retirement, or they have just graduated from university; they lack proper knowledge and skills in supervision, so they merely muddle through or try to gain some experience. 4. The tragedy of the safety officers – I really don’t want to say much about it; talking too much only brings tears. Limited rights, low pay at work, and being made to take the blame. I believe many safety officers have this thought. Of the 9 people arrested for the first time this time, 3 are from the security sector; although they were not convicted, it is still sufficient to serve as a warning. I mentioned two types of dreams before: first, to integrate the \"rights, responsibilities, benefits, and capabilities\" of safety officers, so that they have responsibilities as well as sufficient rights ； Those with the ability should also receive corresponding compensation. We can’t expect safety officers to talk about dedication while at work, and still to talk about it in the event of an accident. Today’s companies and society still look down on safety officers, treat them poorly, and blame them when accidents occur. I can only say that those who fail to value safety officers do not truly understand the importance of safety. II. Safety officers should be “exonerated for due diligence.” I wrote a separate article on this before, but the responses weren’t very good. So now I’m being more realistic too; to put it plainly, this is just a daydream. In times of chaos, strict measures are necessary; there’s nothing much to say about that. But what’s important is to show tolerance toward security personnel, provided that fairness is maintained. Those who do their duty at work should not be forced to endure any more fear and worry. It is still hoped that the state will introduce relevant regulations to clearly define the standards for \"duty of care exemption\". If there are clauses similar to “other” in the standards, just ignore them as if I didn’t mention them.