中国工程物理研究院化工材料研究所中国工程物理研究院化工材料研究所Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering PhysicsInstitute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics

Brief Introduction of Safety Brief Introduction of Safety Control for Hazardous Control for Hazardous

Chemicals in ChinaChemicals in China

Huang LimingHuang Liming

Institute of Chemical Materials China Academy of Engineering Physics

1- Establishing a serial of Legislation and Standards

Since now, China has

established more than 300 kinds

of chemical safety control

regulations, and more than 600

national safety standards. More

than 100 kinds of them are

directly related with hazardous

chemicals.

Some regulations and standards list as below.

《 Work Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China 》 , released on Nov. 1, 2002

《 Safety Management Regulation for Hazardous Chemicals 》 , released on Mar. 15, 2002

《 Convention of Chemicals’ Safety Usage at Working Place 》 , (also called No. 170 International Convention), passed on Oct. 27, 1994

《 Requirements of Hazardous Chemicals for the Manufacture and Business Entities 》 , GB18265-2000

《 General Storage Regulation of Dangerous Chemicals in Common Use 》 , GB15603-1995

Some regulations and standards list as below.

《 Safety Supervision and Administration Method of Flammable and Explosive Chemicals 》

《 Regulation on the Safe Use of Chemicals at Industrial Sites 》 , Jan. 1, 1997

《 Production Safety Ban of Chemical Industry Ministry of the People’s Republic of China 》 , Oct. 8, 1994

《 Registration and Administration Regulation of Hazardous Chemicals 》 , 2000

《 Highway Transport and Administration Regulation of Dangerous Goods 》

《 Waterway Transport Regulation of Dangerous Goods 》 , 1996

《 Catalog of Dangerous Chemicals (V. 2002) 》

Some regulations and standards list as below.

《 Notice of Carrying Out Occupational Health and Safety Management Authentication System 》 , 1999

《 Policy Method of License Administration for Hazardous Chemicals 》

《 Toxic Identification and Administration Criterion of Chemicals 》 , Oct. 1, 2005

《 Graduation, Classification and Arrangement of Virulent Chemicals 》 , GA57-92

《 Catalog of Virulent Chemicals (V. 2002) 》 《 Classification and Label of Dangerous Chemicals in

Common Use 》 , GB13690-92

Some regulations and standards list as below.

《 General Technical Condition of Package for Transporting Dangerous Goods 》 , GB12463-1990

《 Catalog of Dangerous goods 》 , GB15603-95 《 Specifications on the Technical Explanation for the Safe

Use of Hazardous Chemicals 》 , GB16483-1998 《 Specifications on the Safety Label of Dangerous

Chemicals 》 , GB15258-1998 《 Catalog of Hazardous Goods 》 , GB12268-90

and so on.

Establishing a serial of legislation and Standards

Among all the above mentioned legislations, there are

two are most important, viz. 《 Work Safety Law of the

People’s Republic of China 》 and 《 Safety Management

Regulation for Hazardous Chemicals 》 .

The intent of the former is enforcing the surveillance

and administration of manufacturing safety, preventing and

reducing safety accidents, ensuring the safety of people and

property.

It consists of five main aspects:

Establishing a serial of Regulations and Standards

1. Safety Guarantee and Requirement for Manufacturing and

Business;

2. Right and Obligation for the Workers;

3. Surveillance and Administration of Manufacturing Safety;

4. Emergency Response, Investigation and Handling

Regulation of the Manufacturing Safety Accidents;

5. Legal Liability

Establishing a serial of Regulations and Standards

The latter is directly aiming at hazardous chemicals (which has been put in practice from March 15, 2002). Its intent is to strengthen the safety management of hazardous chemicals, ensure the safety of the staff and property, and protect our environment. It is made up of five main contents:

1. Manufacture, Storage and Usage Administration Regulation of Hazardous Chemicals;

2. Business and Management Regulation of Hazardous Chemicals;

Establishing a serial of Regulations and Standards

3. Administration Regulation on Transportation of Hazardous

Chemicals

4. Regulation of the Registration of Hazardous Chemicals and

Emergency Response Management of Accidents

5. Legal Liability

　　 According to the concerned law and standards, the man

ufacture and business entities should constitute their own reg

ulation of safety management, and controlling measures of th

e hazardous chemicals in relative process efficiently.

Establishing a serial of Regulations and Standards

For some special dangerous chemicals, such as explosi

ves and radiative materials, the government had established s

ome professional regulations.

Such as:

《 Safety Regulation of Explosion at Dangerous Place 》 , 1995

《 Radiation Protection Regulation of Radiative Isotope and Radiative Instrument 》 , 1989

《 Sanitary Shield Policy Method of Radiative Work 》 , 2001

2-Extensive safety promotion, education and training

Organizing the annual “Production Safety Month” campaign. (started from 1991. aim to promote safety knowledge to the common people. prolonged from one week to one month after year 2003).

Extensive safety promotion, education and training

Posters on safety can be seen here and there at society, factory and many other public places.

Attach importance to the safety education of the minor.

Establish professional education commission on safety engineering. (25/12/1996, Beijing). Up to now, 75 Universities have set up the safety engineering department.

Extensive safety promotion, education and training

Bring up a group of academic research staff on

manufacturing safety.

Introduce new technical instrument and advanced

management methods of other countries into China. (For

example, the famous companies such as Dupont and Bayer

brought the first class safety technology in the world and

safety management concept and methods into China.)

Extensive safety promotion, education and training

Carrying out emergency exercises for safety accident.

The photos showed a large scale emergency exercise. Its purpose was to practice how to tackle the accident as liquid chlorine leakiness in the way of transportation.

3-Strengthen the management and surveillance

3.1 － Management of the hazardous chemicals’ production, storage and usage

　　 Adopt the method of examination and approval.

Any unit and individual

can not produce, store

hazardous chemicals

without approval.

Strengthen the management and surveillance

　　 Strict the qualification of the enterprises. There are 5 coStrict the qualification of the enterprises. There are 5 conditions to abide by: nditions to abide by:

equipped with manufactory techniques, equipments or storage ways and facilities according to the national standards;

the peripheral protection distance of the factory, warehouse matches national standard;

have qualified administrators and engineers take charge of the production and storage;

set up the safety management system completely; Meet other demands of the rule of the regulation and

national standard.

Strengthen the management and surveillance

3.2－Management of the hazardous chemicals’ business

　　 Implemented license system. Any unit and individual can not sell hazardous chemicals without permission.

3.3－Management of the hazardous chemicals’ transportation

　　 Without cognizance by government, the hazardous chemicals can not be transported. The enterprises engaged in the hazardous chemicals’ transportation must be approved by the ministry of communications.

Strengthen the management and surveillance

3.4－Management of the hazardous chemicals’ enrollment and accident rescue

　　 Carry out the policy of enrollment, and provide the technique and information for the hazardous chemicals’ safety management, provide accidents prevention and emergency rescue.

3.5－ Punishment on breaking the hazardous chemicals’ rules

There are five points belonged to legal liability:

1. Laid on the administrative staff’s legal liability.

2. While dangerous chemical accidents took place, the

department involved that neither to implement relative

regulation nor to adopt emergency measure to lower the

trouble degree will be laid on the legal liability.

3. Laid the legal liability on the units engaged in hazardous

chemicals.

4. Check the illegal behavior of producing and using the packaging, container of hazardous chemicals, and pursue the legal liability of the related personnel.

5. Check the illegal behavior engaged in the production, storage and sale the hazardous chemicals; laid on the related person's legal liability.

Strengthen the management and surveillance

3.6－ Carry out special inspection on hazardous chemicals’ safety

In order to straighten up the situation of the hazardous chemicals’ production safety stably, the government specially inspects the hazardous chemicals’ safety every year.

3.7－ Promote Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS).

Today, many enterprises have adopted OSHMS, and have an effect on the safety management.

4-Serious Safety Situation

Currently, the hazardous chemicals’ accidents is rising up obviously. There were 514 cases in the whole country in 2000, 785 persons died, but in 2003, the amount of the accidents reached to 621 cases, 960 persons died.

Serious Safety Situation

April in 2004, there were serial cases involviApril in 2004, there were serial cases involvi

ng severe leaking of hazardous chemicals and expng severe leaking of hazardous chemicals and exp

losion took place in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Beijing...losion took place in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Beijing...

etc., resulting in 23 persons died, over 300 personetc., resulting in 23 persons died, over 300 person

s injured or poisoned, more than 150,000 persons s injured or poisoned, more than 150,000 persons

evacuated.evacuated.

There are two examples.There are two examples.

1-“4 ·16” explosion

“4 ·16” explosion

The photos showed that chlorine gas leakiness c

aused the nitrogen trichloride explosion in Chongqin

g Tian yuan chemical plant on Apr.16th, 2005, caus

ed 9 persons disappeared and died, 3 persons got h

urt, more than 150,000 persons evacuated.

2-Hydrogen sulfide poison

A gas well blowout took place in the northeast of Sichuan province on Dec.23th, 2003, caused 234 persons died.

5－ Reason and Correction

　　 It is generally believed that there are 5 reasons as following.

1. Some employees are short of the consciousness of safety and skills;

2. In different enterprise, such as in private-enterprise, in state-enterprise and in foreign-enterprise, the employees have different sense of safety responsibility.

3. The regulations for safety production are not enough perfect.

4. The level of production science and technology is still lower.

5. The investment in safety is still not enough.

Reason and Correction

The statistics showed that the employees graduated from junior high school is about 70% in 140,000,000, most of them lack of basic technology and knowledge, lack of experience and method, can not protect themselves at the process of emergency.

Because the employees always don’t abide by the rules, in most cases the similar accident always took place again and again by individual’s wrong operation.

Reason and Correction

So, in order to control the hazardous chemicals efficiently, we must rely on completed the related regulations and standards, rely on the most advance detecting and supervision instruments, rely on the safety management itself.

At the same time, we must always rely on the education. Only when the employees were well conscious of what is right and what is wrong, when they can follow the operation rules properly, the artificial mistakes could be greatly decreased. and the safety accidents could be enormously lowly!

All above are my personal opinions about safety control for hazardous chemicals in China.

Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!

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　 Today, our

quality products

based on science

and technology are

playing a very active

role in world

agriculture and

human health.

Today, our

quality products

based on science

and technology are

playing a very active

role in world

agriculture and

human health.