According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, while the national work safety situation has been generally stable this year, several typical fatal accidents have occurred in multiple locations recently.
- On March 13, an accident at an auto parts company in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, resulted in 3 deaths and 4 injuries;
- On March 14, a fire in a self-built house in Meizhou, Guangdong, caused 3 deaths and 2 injuries;
- On the same day, individuals fell while rock climbing near Yanlie Mountain in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, leading to 3 deaths;
- On March 15, a mechanical injury accident at an auto parts company in Yantai, Shandong, resulted in 3 deaths.
On March 15, the Office of the State Council’s Work Safety Committee decided to place the investigation and handling of these four accidents under special supervision. It required the relevant local authorities to conduct elevated investigations following the principle of “no leniency” and to strictly pursue accountability according to laws and regulations. An urgent notice regarding the recent typical accidents was issued, demanding that lessons be learned comprehensively to resolutely prevent and curb major and extraordinarily serious accidents, effectively prevent major risk incidents and a rebound in serious accidents, and ensure the continued stability of the national safety situation.
The notice pointed out that the recent typical accidents have sounded a safety alarm. Currently, as various production and business units are accelerating their resumption of work and production, and there is a strong push for a successful start to the year, safety risks have significantly increased. With temperatures rising, there is a concentration of public travel and tourism, leading to an intertwining and overlapping of various risks and hazards. Work safety must not be relaxed for a moment.
The notice required resolutely shouldering the political responsibility of preventing and defusing major work safety risks. All regions, relevant departments, and units must strengthen the analysis and assessment of work safety risks in their respective areas, units, and industries, solidly advance the three-year campaign for fundamental work safety improvement, intensify targeted efforts against illegal activities, fully prevent and defuse major work safety risks, and use concrete actions to continuously build a solid safety foundation for economic and social development. It is essential to maintain high vigilance and strictly control the safety of resuming work and production. Focus on key industries such as mining, hazardous chemicals, construction, and industrial trade, strengthen risk assessment and warning reminders for resumption, urge enterprises to strictly formulate and implement work resumption plans, comprehensively conduct pre-operation risk identification, carry out pre-startup mobilization and training, clarify personnel onboarding requirements, implement safety protection measures, and strictly prevent equipment from operating with faults and enterprises from resuming operations with underlying issues. For mining enterprises, the acceptance process for resuming work and production must be strict, ensuring that “operations resume only where acceptance is qualified.”
The notice emphasized strengthening risk prevention for public travel, tourism, and outdoor activities. Further enhance transportation safety supervision and responsibility fulfillment, strengthen safety management at scenic areas involving water and mountains, intensify the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers in facilities and equipment such as cableways, ropeways, large amusement rides, glass walkways, floating bridges, suspension bridges, and sightseeing vehicles/boats, reinforce safety prompts and public guidance, promptly dissuade tourists from entering “wild scenic spots” or other areas lacking effective safety protection, strengthen safety management for organized outdoor activities like rock climbing and hiking, and prevent oversight and loss of control. Efforts must be intensified to solidify grassroots fire safety foundations. In accordance with the recently issued “State Council General Office Opinions on Strengthening Grassroots Fire Safety Work,” coordinate and promote the implementation of various tasks and measures. Focus on key areas such as “three-in-one” and “multi-purpose” self-built houses for business, high-rise residential buildings, large commercial complexes, hotels, elderly care facilities, medical institutions, and schools. Continue to deepen comprehensive safety rectification across the chain, including building insulation materials and hot work in crowded places. Strictly investigate and address violations such as illegal parking and charging of electric bicycles, use of flammable and combustible exterior insulation materials, unauthorized hot work, haphazard electrical wiring, and blocking fire escape routes. Simultaneously, it is crucial to effectively strengthen accident emergency response and investigation. Conduct accident investigations and handling with strictness, elevate investigations and place special supervision on typical accidents as per procedures. While promoting problem rectification and accountability to form a closed loop, emphasize identifying issues related to quality and standard deficiencies to drive improvements in intrinsic safety levels. Learn from incidents comprehensively to promote governance across the entire chain of “one matter,” one industry, and various industries, preventing recurrence from the source.
