A firefighter is at the site of a chemical plant explosion in Panjin, northeast China's Liaoning province on January 16, 2023. PHOTO XINHUA BEIJING - China has ordered local authorities to manage hazardous chemicals and ensure workplace safety after a fatal chemical plant explosion earlier this month, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The incident happened during maintenance at the plant's alkylation facility in Panshan County on January 15, leaving 13 dead and 35 injured.
The initial investigation revealed significant flaws in the safety management of the plant's high-risk operations, and for a long time hidden hazards had not been completely eliminated, the ministry said in a statement from the Work Safety Committee of the State Council.
Local authorities and enterprises should make solid progress in order to strengthen the management of hazardous chemicals and immediately start checking for problematic chemical equipment that may still be in operation, it said.