Authorities saidspecial experts will be designated to help govern the hazardous chemicalindustry in key areas, while ramping up efforts to move plants out of denselypopulated areas.

The move comes asan investigation into a deadly explosion at a chemical plant in Jiangsuprovince continues.

Counties listed askey ones for concentrations of chemical factories will be assigned at least twoexperts as special consultants to offer technical support to localauthorities’ supervision work, according to a guideline from the StateCouncil’s Work Safety Committee.

The document,published on April 15 by the Ministry of Emergency Management, said the expertswill be chosen based on each of the counties’ needs and in light ofpossible differences in their major types of chemical plants.

It said theexperts will also contribute to emergency rescue and safety training work.While assisting enterprises in their construction of safety infrastructure,they are also expected to help enhance grassroots law enforcement capabilities.

“Thefacilities and technologies in the hazardous chemical industry are complicatedby their variety, and they also involve many flammable and combustiblematerials with huge potential safety hazards,” the document said, addingthat with the industry’s rapid development, newfacilities and technologies continue to emerge, making supervision workincreasingly demanding.

It has been anincreasing challenge that officers lack the expertise needed for propersupervision, which has been “a bottleneck that hinders furtherimprovement of safe production”, it said.

The document wasmade public as the probe into the deadly blast at a chemical plant continues inXiangshuicounty ofYancheng,Jiangsu province.

On April 15,police detained another 17 people for their roles in the blast at JiangsuTianjiayiChemical Co that claimed the lives of 78 andinjured more than 600 on March 21.

The publicitydepartment ofYanchengsaid the 17 people were fromTianjiayiand organizations suspected of providing fakeevaluations of the company’s operations.

So far 26 peoplehave been criminally detained.

No conclusion hasyet been made about the case, but multiple sources have suggested that the company’scasual handling of its hazardous chemical waste could have contributed.

Local authoritieswill shut down the chemical industrial park whereTianjiayiis located.

Before theguideline’s release, WangJiangping,vice-minister of industry and information technology, vowed to promote therelocation of hazardous chemical enterprises from densely populated areas byenhancing coordination in key areas and projects, according to a media releaseon April 15.

Wang made thecomment during a conference of a special work group for the relocation work onApril 12. The group has members from various central government bodies.

Wang, who is alsohead of the group, said his team will make efforts to promote localgovernments’ awareness of the urgency of the relocations and intensifysafety and environmental monitoring as the work moves forward.

According to acircular released by the General Office of the State Council in September 2017,China plans to correct, move or shut down all hazardous chemical enterpriseslocated too close to residential areas by the end of 2025.

The minimumdistance for different types of hazardous chemicals fromresidential areas varyin China’s national standard, but many areset beyond 500 meters.

Thecountry’s top environmental watchdog has also pledged to enhance itsmanagement over chemicals.

QiuQiwen, head ofsolid waste and chemicals management at the Ministry of Ecology andEnvironment, said during a news conference late in March that the ministrywould promote the draft of a special law or regulation regarding the assessmentand control of environmental risks posed by chemicals.

Source:https://appen.media.gov.cn/engovdata/goven/201904/16/456180/article.html