BEIJING — China will take a host of measures to ensure safe production of hazardous chemicals with all-around administration, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).
As a major manufacturer of chemical products, China is home to 210,000 hazardous chemical firms, covering more than 2,800 types of products, said an official with the MEM.
To comprehensively improve the safety level of the industry, the country issued guidelines to strengthen the management of all entities, products and chains concerning hazardous chemical production, the official said.
Enterprises will be subject to stricter access to the industry while a system of production safety will be set up by integrating the standards of chemicals, petrochemicals and chemical pharmaceuticals. Construction standards and management measures for chemical industrial parks will also be worked out.
Capacities failing to meet national and industrial standards of safety will be eliminated through supply-side structural reforms, and the country will carry out in-depth security risk screening and control work.
The official also noted that over 80 percent of China's chemical firms are small and medium-sized companies, most of which lack chemical professionals and funds for technology upgrades. Support will be granted by enhancing professional training, increasing the market supply of technology and management services and offering targeted guidance from specialists.
A life-cycle information system will be set up to supervise the production, storage, transportation, utilization and disposal of hazardous chemicals using technologies such as electronic tags, big data and artificial intelligence, according to the official.
Emergency rescue bases will also be established focusing on chemical industrial parks, radiating surrounding areas and covering main storage districts.
Stressing the vital role of chemical companies in safe production, China decided to include behaviors violating production safety in credit records and offer incentives such as tax and fee cuts to firms dedicated to improving the level of safety.