SAWS notified Jiangsu Shuangma Chemical "4.16" dust explosion accident

National Security Supervision Bureau

Nantong City, Jiangsu Province Rugao Shuangma Chemical Co., Ltd.

Notice of the "4·16" Dust Explosion Accident

Safety Supervision Manager No. 34 [2014] 34

All provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Safety Production Supervision Administration, relevant central enterprises:

At about 10:00 on April 16, 2014, in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, Rugao City, Dongchen Town Shuangma Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shuangma Company) stearic acid granulation tower during the normal production process, maintenance workers in the granulation tower cone material When a gas oscillator was installed outside the warehouse and a welding atomized water pipe support frame was installed, an explosion of stearic acid dust occurred, resulting in 8 deaths and 9 injuries.

Shuangma Company was established in June 1997 and currently employs 246 people. It is mainly engaged in the production and sales of stearic acid and glycerin. It currently has an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons of stearic acid and 10,000 tons of glycerin. The company uses imported palm oil as raw material and produces stearic acid and glycerin through catalytic hydrogenation, high pressure hydrolysis, fatty acid distillation, glycerol refining, and granulation and slicing processes. The granulation workshop in which explosive combustion takes place is a double-storey steel structure workshop with partially multi-storey towers. There are 4 granulation towers with a diameter of 4.5-7.0 meters and a height of 27 meters. They are installed on a 5 meter steel platform; the granulation tower Stearic acid in the molten state is sprayed from the tip and cooled by countercurrent contact with the gas stream from the bottom of the column to form stearic acid particles.

According to the preliminary analysis, the direct cause of the accident was: Shuangma Company installed gas oscillators and repaired atomized water pipe support frame for welding of the granulation tower without stopping the emptying of the material, and illegally fired and caused stearic acid dust. The explosion, followed by a fire, resulted in failure of the strength of the steel frame under the prilling tower and collapse of the granulation tower. The detailed cause of the accident is under further investigation.

After the accident, the central leading comrades attached great importance to it and immediately issued important instructions, requiring full efforts to rescue the injured, identify the cause of the accident, and in doing so, intensify safety production of high-risk enterprises. The State Administration of Safety Supervision requires that the leaders of the Central Government should be given careful instructions, organize experts to find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible, report the accident, and prevent similar accidents from occurring. To profoundly learn lessons and prevent all kinds of dust explosion accidents and ensure safe production, the following requirements are now proposed:

First, implement the main responsibility of the company's safe production, and strengthen the safety management of dust sites. Relevant enterprises must fully understand the hazards of dust explosion, earnestly implement the main responsibility of the company's safe production, and strengthen the safety management of dust sites. The first is to strictly implement the relevant laws and regulations of the country and establish and improve rules and regulations for dust safety management. The second is to carry out risk identification and assessment of dust sites, and regular inspections to prevent dust in equipment and facilities from reaching the explosion limit and fundamentally prevent the occurrence of dust explosion accidents. The third is to improve the facilities such as ventilation and dust removal, timely eliminate dust accumulation at the site, equipped with detection instruments in dust sites, timely detection of dust concentration at the site, and prevent excessive dust. The explosion vent and explosion proof devices of the dust removal system must be kept intact and in normal operation. The fourth is to educate the practitioners about the safety production knowledge and fire prevention and explosion prevention technology, to ensure that the employees have the necessary dust explosion knowledge, to be familiar with and master the relevant safety operation skills, and to ensure safe production.

2. Further strengthen the safety management of direct fire and other direct operations. First, all regions should conscientiously implement the Ten Provisions of the Chemical Safety (Hazardous Chemicals) Enterprise on Safeguarding Production Safety (Government of the State Administration of Safety Supervision Order No. 64) of the State Administration of Safety Supervision and strengthen the safety supervision of direct operation. Secondly, related companies should improve the rules and regulations for direct operation in accordance with relevant national safety standards, seriously carry out risk analysis and assessment before direct fire and other direct operations, and take measures such as clean-up, water-jet dust removal before the hot spots are exposed to fire, and strictly prevent Hot fires cause dust explosions. We must strictly implement the approval system for direct operations, implement various preventive measures, and strictly prevent accidents from occurring. Third, related companies should strengthen the management of the operational process of direct fire and other direct operations, and provide personnel with appropriate capabilities on-site monitoring, improve emergency equipment and facilities, and ensure timely and proper disposal of emergencies.

Third, continue to conduct in-depth investigation and management of hidden dangers . First, the relevant companies should conduct a comprehensive and systematic investigation and rectification against the risks that dust may cause. It is necessary to test and analyze all existing combustible substances of the company, to grasp their explosion limits and detonation energy values, and to formulate targeted measures to eliminate dust safety hazards. The second is that hazardous chemicals companies must strictly follow the “Guidelines for Implementation of Hazardous Chemical Companies' Accident Hazard Investigation and Management” and fully carry out the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers so as to institutionalize and regularize the treatment of hidden troubles. Third, safety supervisory departments at all levels must organize experts to guide enterprises in searching for hidden dangers in production safety, formulate rectification plans and measures, and improve the level of corporate safety management.

Fourth, profoundly learn lessons from accidents and further strengthen safety supervision. All regions and departments must draw lessons from the accidents, and, in one case, combine the actual conditions in the region to further strengthen safety supervision. The first is to further intensify publicity and training related to safety supervision laws and regulations and standards, strengthen supervision and inspection, and ensure that the implementation is in place. The second is to take measures to comprehensively strengthen the safety management of chemical process, earnestly carry out the construction of safety production standardization, and further promote the implementation of the main responsibility of the enterprise. The third is to further intensify the supervision of relevant enterprises within the jurisdiction, strictly investigate and punish violations of laws and regulations, and seriously investigate the responsibility of those responsible for the accident.

Please ask the various regions to send this report to every related company.

National Security Administration

April 23, 2014

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