Ningbo Embarks on Campaign to Create Safer Transport

Massive blasts that hit Tianjin sounded an alarm to work safety. Ningbo Municipal Ministry of Transport has embarked on a three-month campaign to improve safety in hazardous chemicals transport, freight stations, ports storage, among others.

The special campaign targets transport businesses, vehicles, freight stations, water transport businesses, port work and storage businesses, among others. Regulators must take comprehensive approaches to examining each business, vehicle, port, station, tanker. And integrated inspection should be conducted as hazardous chemicals are transported, loaded and unloaded, stored, unboxed. More inspections must be made into businesses and operating sites dealing with massive, highly dangerous articles and problems and hidden dangers must be dealt with immediately.

A blanketing examination has been done on hazardous chemicals as they are produced, sold, stored, used, transported and disposed.

The inspection team is engaged by Zhenhai Administration of Work Safety, the Administration of Construction and Transportation and logistics. It works to conduct examinations of businesses on dangerous chemicals and petrochemicals. The team moves to ensure access controls of businesses are well placed, personnel is qualified, and chemicals are stored in a safe way. Meanwhile, problems arising from transporting dangerous chemicals have also been looked into. At the moment, Ningbo city is home to 30 or 34% of Ningbo's businesses on transporting hazardous chemicals, involving 726 vehicles with 20,554 tons of chemicals. Our examination has singled out a handful of hidden dangers, though most businesses operate in a safe manner.

As of August 18th, 35 businesses have been subject to examinations of the enforcement of rules and regulations, the maintenance of equipment, education and training, work safety and management of emergencies. 62 hidden dangers as a result has been found and dealt with.

Jiangbei District has also set in motion a campaign to deal with major safety hazards in the sector.

On August 15th, staff at Yongjiang Street Administration of Work Safety led third-party experts to check how the campaign is doing in 4 gas stations and two businesses of hazardous chemicals. The professionals focus on whether static electricity crossover has been properly done, whether people responsible and work safety managers have been trained, whether electrostatic grounding has been ensured for oil tank trucks, and whether grounding warning devices have been maintained regularly.

In addition, secret visits and examinations are also underway. On August 14th, law enforcement officers found more than 20 buckets of dangerous chemicals illegally kept in a rental house. They detained those buckets and transfer them to a designated site.

On top of that, businesses have also embarked on a self-imposed campaign on work safety. At an oil depot of Sinopec, businesses have focused on registering incoming and outgoing personnel and vehicles. Incoming operators are required to wear work suits or anti-static clothing, follow registration procedures and they are not allowed to bring phones and lighters with them.

LINK:	http://en.nbwh.gov.cn/art/2015/8/24/art_1325_73953.html...
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