FILE – A firefighter walks among damaged vehicles as smoke rises amidst shipping containers at the site of explosions, at Binhai new district in Tianjin, China, Aug. 14, 2015.
August 19, 2015 9:25 AM
BEIJING—Last week’s deadly blasts in China’s northern port city of Tianjin, triggered by a fire and toxic brew of volatile chemicals, are raising questions about how effectively China enforces a long list of hazardous materials that are subject to tight regulations.
The accident raises concerns about violations of safety standards, from the testing and documenting of chemicals, to how such dangerous materials should be sealed, transported and stored.
“There are strict rules for each kind of hazardous chemical depending on its risk factor. Some have to be kept at specific temperatures and away from moisture. Some even underground,” said one industry source.
Standards violated
At daily press conferences, officials have been hesitant to assign blame or even answer basic questions about the chemical industry’s legal regulations, despite repeated questions such as how the company was allowed to operate within a kilometer of residential areas in violation of national zoning laws.
Officials have confirmed that 700 tons of sodium cyanide was stored on the grounds of the company at the center of the blasts when the disaster occurred, but have said less about how that violates standards that only 10 tons can be stored in one place at a time.
At press briefings, authorities have hesitated to comment, citing that an investigation into the disaster is underway.
The central government’s State Council has established a task force to head up the investigation, which held its first meeting Wednesday.
Tight regulations, weak enforcement
The warehouse at the center of last week’s explosions is located in Tianjin’s Binhai New Area.
As a newly developed economic district, the Binhai New Area has had tight regulations regarding the safety management of hazardous chemicals in place since it was set up in 2009, analysts noted.
But how carefully those regulations are enforced is already in doubt.
State media reported Tuesday the warehouse operator, Ruihai International, did not have a proper license to run a hazardous chemicals business from October of last year until June of 2015. Other safety violations have been reported in the past as well.
Analysts noted that in addition to proper licensing, the training of personnel who handle such chemicals and the facilities where they are housed are also key.
“When it comes to warehousing, there’s got to be a separate design and location for storing hazardous chemicals as well as restrictions on a maximum storage quota or the strength of its walls,” said Ivan Su, a logistics professor.
Ruihai converted an ordinary warehouse and logistics center into a special storage facility for dangerous chemicals in 2012. It did not receive approval to handle dangerous chemical goods until April 2014, and that approval expired in October.
