In order to draw profound lessons from the serious and extremely serious accidents that have occurred in certain regions, adopt a holistic approach to address similar risks, comprehensively strengthen workplace safety in the handling of hazardous chemicals, effectively prevent and mitigate systemic safety risks, resolutely curb the occurrence of serious and extremely serious accidents, and safeguard the lives and property of the people, the following recommendations are hereby put forward.

　　 I. General Requirements

　　Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will comprehensively implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second, Third, and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee. Closely focusing on the coordinated advancement of the Five‑in‑One overall layout and the Four‑Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, we will uphold the holistic national security outlook, adhere to the requirements of high‑quality development, prioritize the prevention and control of systemic safety risks, improve and enforce systems of responsibility and management for workplace safety, establish mechanisms for identifying safety hazards and for preventive risk control, and strengthen governance at the source, through integrated approaches, and with precision. We will concentrate on addressing fundamental, root‑cause, and bottleneck issues, accelerate the modernization of the governance system and governance capacity for the safe production of hazardous chemicals, comprehensively elevate the level of safe development, and promote sustained, stable improvement in workplace safety, thereby fostering a secure and stable environment for economic and social development.

　　 II. Strengthening Safety Risk Management and Control

　　(1) Conduct in-depth safety risk assessments. In accordance with relevant regulations and guidelines, including the “Guidelines for Safety Risk Identification and Remediation in Chemical Industrial Parks (Trial)” and the “Guidelines for Identifying and Addressing Safety Risks in Enterprises Handling Hazardous Chemicals,” carry out comprehensive safety risk assessments and hazard remediation. Strictly enforce the leadership responsibilities of local Party committees and governments, refine assessment criteria to suit local conditions, and organize precise safety risk identification and evaluation for enterprises handling hazardous chemicals, chemical industrial parks, or chemical concentration zones (hereinafter referred to as “chemical parks”). Establish and improve, by category, a robust safety risk database and information management system, classifying risks into four levels—red, orange, yellow, and blue—and giving priority to major hazard sources of Levels I and II, as well as enterprises dealing with toxic, harmful, flammable, and explosive chemicals. Implement the most stringent measures for remediation and rectification, adhering to the principles of “one plan per enterprise” and “one plan per park.” Develop implementation plans and launch a three-year campaign to enhance the safety of hazardous chemicals.

　　(II) Promote industrial restructuring. Improve and effectively implement policies and measures for the transformation and upgrading of the chemical industry. Strictly enforce the National Catalogue of Industrial Restructuring Guidance, promptly revise and publish lists of outdated safety technologies, processes, and equipment to be phased out, and require all regions to formulate, revise, and rigorously enforce their own “prohibited, restricted, and controlled” catalogs for hazardous chemicals, tailored to local conditions. In conjunction with deepening supply-side structural reform, phase out production capacity that fails to meet national or industry safety standards in accordance with the law, thereby effectively mitigating risks. Uphold a nationwide coordinated approach: strictly prohibit the relocation of already‑phased‑out outdated capacity to other regions or the establishment of new facilities within industrial parks; and hold those who illegally approve or permit such projects, as well as those who accept them, accountable in accordance with laws and regulations.

　　(3) Strictly enforce standards and regulations. Develop construction standards, qualification criteria, and management measures for chemical industrial parks. Integrate safety production standards across the chemical, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical sectors to address inconsistencies and establish a sound safety production standard system for hazardous chemicals. Improve engineering design, construction, and acceptance standards for chemical facilities and projects involving hazardous chemicals. Raise the standards for the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of production equipment in the chemical industry and related sectors. Accelerate the development of technical specifications, such as guidelines for chemical process safety management and standards for assessing reaction‑safety risks in fine chemical processes. Encourage leading chemical enterprises to benchmark against international and advanced foreign standards and to formulate enterprise standards that are more stringent than national or industry standards.

　　 III. Strengthening Comprehensive, End-to-End Safety Management

　　(4) Strengthen safety access controls. All regions shall adhere to a principle of prioritizing certain areas while refraining from others, clearly defining the development positioning of the chemical industry, and establishing a coordination and communication mechanism for formulating chemical industry development plans, involving departments such as development and reform, industry and information technology, natural resources, ecological environment, housing and urban–rural development, and emergency management. For newly established chemical industrial parks, provincial governments shall organize safety risk assessments, conduct thorough deliberations, and refine and implement corresponding control measures. For hazardous chemical projects involving the “Two Key Areas and One Major Hazard” (key‑regulated hazardous chemical processes, key‑regulated hazardous chemicals, and major hazard sources of hazardous chemicals), relevant departments at or above the prefecture‑level city government shall jointly establish a safety risk prevention and control mechanism. When constructing high‑tech industrial development zones, economic and technological development zones, or standalone chemical industrial parks that include chemical parks, the competent authorities shall, based on factors such as the completeness of upstream and downstream industrial chains, the availability of skilled personnel, and managerial capabilities, further improve and enforce safety prevention and control measures. Furthermore, regulations governing the identification, assessment, and registration of chemicals shall be refined and strictly enforced, ensuring that the physical hazards and toxicities of chemicals are scientifically and accurately assessed; production must be prohibited without the implementation of appropriate risk‑prevention measures.

　　(5) Strengthen safety management and control at key links. Conduct comprehensive assessments and compliance certifications for all existing chemical industrial parks. Subject newly developed chemical processes to safety reviews. By the end of 2020, ensure that automated control systems are installed on 100% of chemical facilities and storage/transportation installations involving “two key areas and one major hazard,” and that online monitoring and surveillance coverage for major hazard sources reaches 100%. Enhance coordination between the national oil and gas pipeline development plan and other specialized plans, such as land‑use planning and transportation planning. Urge enterprises to vigorously advance integrity management of oil and gas transmission pipelines, accelerate the improvement of geographic information systems for these pipelines, and strengthen control over high‑consequence areas. Strictly enforce the statutory inspection regime for oil and gas pipelines and increase the coverage of such inspections. Strengthen safety management of parking lots handling hazardous chemicals and integrate them into the information‑based supervision platform. Reinforce end-to-end safety oversight of the transport of dangerous goods, covering consignment, carriage, loading and unloading, and vehicle operations. Raise design standards for storage equipment, including tanks for hazardous chemicals. Study the establishment of a mandatory monitoring system for atmospheric‑pressure tanks storing dangerous goods. Implement stringent traffic‑control measures for vehicles transporting dangerous goods across extra‑large highway bridges, ultra‑long highway tunnels, and drinking‑water source areas. Enhance safety management of ancillary storage facilities for dangerous goods at ports, airports, railway stations, and other terminals. Strengthen safety management of hazardous chemical use by relevant enterprises, as well as by hospitals, schools, research institutions, and other organizations.

　　(6) Strengthen the regulation of hazardous waste, including discarded hazardous chemicals. Conduct a comprehensive survey of discarded hazardous chemicals and other hazardous wastes (hereinafter referred to as “hazardous waste”), and carry out identification and characterization of solid wastes with unclear properties. Focus on addressing violations such as unauthorized stockpiling, indiscriminate dumping, and illegal landfilling of hazardous waste in chemical industrial parks, chemical enterprises, and facilities handling hazardous chemicals, thereby ensuring the safe storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste. Accelerate the development of technical standards for the safe storage of hazardous waste. Establish and improve a manifest system covering all stages from generation to final disposal. Put in place mechanisms for inter‑departmental coordination, regional collaboration, and joint consultations and oversight of major cases, creating a regulatory framework that spans the entire lifecycle of hazardous waste—generation, collection, storage, transfer, transportation, utilization, and disposal—and intensify efforts to crack down on deliberate concealment, clandestine discharge or illegal disposal of hazardous waste. Expedite research and development of advanced technologies and equipment for the integrated treatment of hazardous waste, rationally plan the location and deployment of treatment facilities, accelerate the construction of such facilities, and eliminate bottlenecks in disposal capacity. Require enterprises to conduct safety risk assessments and hazard identification and remediation for key environmental protection facilities and projects.

　　 IV. Strengthening the Implementation of Corporate Principal Responsibility

　　(7) Strengthen rule-of-law measures. Actively study amendments to relevant provisions of the Criminal Law and ensure rigorous accountability. Advance the enactment of laws on the safety of hazardous chemicals and the transportation of dangerous goods, and revise the Work Safety Law, the Regulations on the Administration of Work Safety Permits, and other related statutes, thereby reinforcing the legal framework. Strictly enforce the systems of publicizing law enforcement activities, recording the entire law‑enforcement process, and conducting legal reviews of major enforcement decisions; refine the discretionary standards for administrative penalties in work safety; and strengthen precise and stringent law enforcement. Implement a reward system for employees, their families, and the general public who report workplace safety hazards, and rigorously investigate and prosecute reported cases in accordance with the law.

　　(8) Strengthen measures to constrain untrustworthy behavior. The principal person in charge (legal representative) of enterprises engaged in the production and storage of hazardous chemicals must conscientiously fulfill their duties and make a safety commitment; those who have been subject to criminal penalties or dismissal for failing to perform their safety production responsibilities shall, in accordance with the law, be barred from engaging in related professions. Enterprise management and technical teams must possess the requisite competence to perform their duties, ensuring clear assignment of responsibilities and effective implementation of tasks. For cases where hazard identification and remediation are inadequate or risk prevention measures are not implemented, relevant persons in charge shall be held accountable in accordance with laws and regulations. Units and their principal persons in charge that deliberately evade or resist safety production and environmental protection oversight through concealment, deception, or obstruction; issue unlawful instructions or carry out unauthorized operations that give rise to serious safety hazards; illegally alter process flows; sabotage monitoring and surveillance facilities; or smuggle, falsely declare, conceal, or fail to report hazardous materials—actions that seriously endanger the lives and property of the public—shall, in accordance with laws and regulations, be recorded in their credit files, subject to enhanced penalties for dishonesty, and placed under stringent regulatory scrutiny.

　　(9) Strengthen incentive measures. Fully advance the standardization of work safety in enterprises handling hazardous chemicals; for Level I and Level II standardized enterprises, priority consideration will be given—under otherwise equal conditions—for expanding production capacity and entering industrial parks, with reduced inspection frequency. For hazardous chemical projects that the state encourages to develop, advanced testing and inspection equipment imported for internal use, within the total investment amount, shall be exempt from import duties in accordance with current policies. Implement the corporate income tax credit for investments in specialized work‑safety equipment. Raise the standards for the allocation of work‑safety expenses by enterprises engaged in the production and storage of hazardous chemicals. Promote the establishment of internal audit mechanisms and commitment systems for work safety among hazardous‑chemical enterprises, improve risk‑based tiered control and hazard identification and remediation prevention mechanisms, and incorporate these requirements into the criteria for assessing work‑safety standardization levels.

　 　V. Strengthening Basic Support and Guarantees

　　(10) Enhance science, technology, and informationization. Strengthen research support for the safety of hazardous chemicals; bolster the development of national-level innovation platforms related to hazardous‑chemical safety; and conduct fundamental and forward‑looking research. Develop a full‑life‑cycle information‑based regulatory system for hazardous chemicals, leveraging advanced technologies such as electronic tags, big data, and artificial intelligence to achieve end‑to‑end digital management and monitoring across all stages—production, storage, transportation, use, operation, and disposal—ensuring that the origin, destination, and status of hazardous chemicals are traceable and controllable, and enabling seamless interconnection among enterprises, regulatory authorities, law‑enforcement agencies, and emergency rescue services. Integrate administrative penalty information on workplace safety into the unified regulatory and enforcement information system to facilitate information sharing, thereby replacing the previous multi‑tiered filing process. Accelerate R&D on technologies and equipment for intrinsic safety in hazardous chemical processes, safety assurance for large storage tanks, and integrated risk prevention and control encompassing safety and environmental protection in chemical parks. Promote the construction of an information‑driven, intelligent platform for workplace safety in chemical parks, enabling real‑time risk monitoring and early warning for enterprises within the park, key facilities, major hazard sources, and critical infrastructure. Expedite the establishment of a remote monitoring system that links emergency management departments with chemical parks and hazardous‑chemical enterprises within their jurisdictions.

　　(11) Strengthen the cultivation of specialized talent. Implement an action plan to enhance safety skills, designating workers in the chemical and hazardous‑chemical industries as a priority group for vocational‑skill upgrading initiatives in high‑risk sectors. The principal person in charge and the deputy responsible for work safety at hazardous‑chemical production enterprises must hold at least an associate’s degree in a chemical‑related field and possess relevant practical experience. Full‑time safety management personnel must hold at least an intermediate‑level or higher professional technical title in chemistry or a registered safety engineer qualification in chemical safety. Newly hired frontline workers must have a background in chemical vocational education or a high school diploma or higher and undergo training on hazardous‑chemical safety; only those who pass the assessment may take up their posts. Enterprises shall establish specialized chemical‑technology teams through internal development or external recruitment. In key chemical‑industry regions, support will be provided to establish a number of vocational colleges (including technical schools) with chemical‑related programs, and internship and practical‑training bases will be set up in collaboration with leading chemical enterprises, chemical industrial parks, or third‑party professional institutions. Knowledge of chemical process safety management shall be incorporated into the core curriculum of chemical and pharmaceutical programs at relevant universities.

　　(12) Standardize the technical service collaboration mechanism. Accelerate the development of a group of leading technical service enterprises with strong professional capabilities and high social credibility, introduce market‑based mechanisms, and provide management and technical services to enterprises handling hazardous chemicals. Establish standardized guidelines for expert‑provided technical services, and implement tiered, category‑specific, precision‑targeted guidance and support. Ensure that safety production liability insurance covers all hazardous chemical enterprises. For intermediary agencies engaged in safety assessments, testing, and inspection, as well as organizations preparing environmental impact assessment documents, if they issue false reports or certifications, their relevant qualifications or licenses shall be revoked in accordance with laws and regulations; where such acts constitute a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.

　　(13) Strengthen the development of emergency response teams for hazardous chemicals. Coordinate national integrated fire and rescue forces with specialized hazardous‑chemical rescue units, and rationally plan and establish emergency response bases that are anchored in chemical industrial parks, extend to surrounding areas, and cover major storage zones. Enhance emergency response capabilities along the Yangtze River mainstream. Improve the provision of emergency rescue equipment, refine emergency response plans, conduct practical training and drills, and bolster regional collaborative rescue capacities. Promote the implementation of emergency response guidelines for hazardous‑chemical accidents to guide enterprises in enhancing their emergency response capabilities.

　 　VI. Strengthening Safety Supervision Capabilities

　　(14) Improve the regulatory system and mechanisms. Incorporate major risks associated with terrorist, explosive, and narcotic‑related hazardous chemicals into the scope of national security oversight; refine regulatory frameworks; and strengthen targeted supervision. Further adjust and enhance the safety production supervision and management system for hazardous chemicals. In accordance with the principles that “those in charge of an industry must ensure its safety, those in charge of a business must ensure its safety, and those in charge of production and operation must ensure their safety,” as well as the principle of “whoever is in charge bears responsibility,” rigorously enforce the safety‑regulation responsibilities of relevant departments at every stage of the hazardous‑chemical lifecycle, implementing comprehensive oversight across all entities, all types of chemicals, and the entire supply chain. The emergency management authorities are responsible for overseeing the safe production of hazardous chemicals and for overall coordination of hazardous‑chemical safety regulation. Pursuant to the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals, the emergency management, transport, public security, railway, civil aviation, and ecological environment departments each assume specific safety‑regulation responsibilities for the production, storage, use, trade, transportation, and disposal of hazardous chemicals. Where specific safety‑regulation duties have not been clearly assigned to any particular department, the emergency management authorities shall assume ultimate responsibility for the comprehensive supervision and management of hazardous‑chemical safety. The ecological environment authorities, in accordance with the law, exercise oversight over the collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. The emergency management authorities, the ecological environment authorities, and other relevant departments shall establish mechanisms for regulatory collaboration and joint law enforcement, ensuring close coordination and timely, thorough, and effective information sharing, thereby pooling efforts to effectively carry out all aspects of hazardous‑chemical safety regulation. Furthermore, the working mechanism of the State Council’s Work Safety Committee shall be improved to promptly address pressing issues in hazardous‑chemical safety, and to strengthen oversight, inspection, and performance evaluation of relevant entities’ fulfillment of their duties.

　　(15) Improving the law enforcement system. A three-tiered work safety law enforcement system at the provincial, municipal, and county levels shall be established and refined. In principle, provincial emergency management departments will not maintain separate law enforcement units; instead, their internal divisions will assume responsibility for work safety supervision and enforcement. At the municipal and county levels, a “one bureau, one team” structure is generally adopted. Key counties (cities, districts, banners) with hazardous chemicals, port areas with large storage volumes of hazardous chemicals, and various development zones—particularly those that include in‑zone chemical parks—should strengthen their responsibilities for supervising work safety related to hazardous chemicals, ensure that regulatory and enforcement duties are fully implemented and meticulously carried out, and adequately staff and reinforce their specialized law enforcement capacities. Specific arrangements shall be determined by local Party committees and governments and approved in accordance with established procedures.

　　(16) Enhance regulatory effectiveness. Strictly control the recruitment of personnel for hazardous chemical regulation and enforcement, further clarifying qualification standards, rigorously conducting examinations and assessments, emphasizing professional competence, and selecting candidates on merit. Professional talent may be recruited through a civil service appointment system; by the end of 2022, the number of enforcement officers holding relevant academic qualifications and practical experience in occupational safety shall account for no less than 75% of all active personnel. Improve the training system for regulatory and enforcement personnel, with initial on-the-job training lasting at least three months and annual refresher courses of no less than two weeks. Implement a program whereby regulatory and enforcement officers from key counties (cities, districts, banners) involving hazardous chemicals undergo job‑specific on‑the‑job training at large state‑owned chemical enterprises. Deepen the “delegation, regulation, and service” reform, strengthen and standardize mid‑term and post‑event supervision, and, on the basis of full‑coverage oversight of enterprises handling hazardous chemicals, adopt tiered, categorized, and dynamically stringent regulatory measures, employing the “double random, one public” approach for targeted spot checks and surprise inspections. Severely crack down on illegal construction, production, and business activities. Emergency management departments at provincial, municipal, and county levels shall designate a single enforcement authority for each enterprise, thereby avoiding overlapping and redundant enforcement across multiple levels and agencies. Strengthen enforcement oversight to ensure rigorous application of the law while avoiding oversimplification and one‑size‑fits‑all approaches. Vigorously promote the “Internet + Regulation” and “Enforcement + Expertise” models to promptly identify risks and hazards and issue early warnings for preventive measures. Based on operational needs, localities shall recruit auxiliary enforcement personnel from the public and establish sound related management systems.

　　All regions and relevant departments must strengthen organizational leadership, earnestly implement the work safety responsibility system of joint Party–government accountability, dual responsibility for each post, concerted efforts by all parties, and accountability for dereliction of duty. They should pool all available resources and make every effort to accelerate the effective implementation of all measures for ensuring the safe production of hazardous chemicals, and promptly report any significant developments to the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

　　The above data are sourced from the “2020 China Hazardous Chemicals Market Analysis Report: In-Depth Industry Analysis and Development Trend Study.”