China Daily:

Special equipment safety is closely related to people's daily life and production and is connected to the life and property safety of the general public. With the upsurge of efforts to boost the economy in various places, the production pace of enterprises has accelerated after resuming operations. How can we ensure the safety of special equipment to avoid accidents? Thank you!

Tian Shihong:

Thank you. As the China Daily reporter just said, special equipment safety is closely related to daily life and production. It includes not only the safety of pressure-bearing special equipment such as boilers, pressure vessels, pressure pipes, and gas cylinders, but also the safety of special electromechanical equipment such as elevators, passenger ropeways, large amusement facilities, hoisting machinery, and special vehicles used in factories.

With a commitment to safe development, the market regulatory departments have been working to enhance the supervision of special equipment safety. We have been conducting comprehensive investigations to identify and eliminate potential risks associated with special equipment, thereby effectively preventing accidents involving such equipment. As of now, the number of accidents and deaths related to special equipment has decreased by 52% and 36.84%, respectively, compared with the same period last year. No major special equipment accidents have occurred, and the overall safety situation of special equipment in China remains stable.

At the same time, we also need to recognize that special equipment is growing rapidly. The total amount of special equipment is large, with a significant stock of old equipment and a fast growth rate of new equipment. The number of existing special equipment has reached 19,917,300 units. Take elevators as an example; there are 9,982,500 elevators in operation nationwide, transporting more than 2 billion people daily. Among them, 736,800 old elevators have been in operation for more than 15 years, while the growth rate of new elevators added every year is about 10%. At present, large-scale, high-parameter and high-risk special equipment continues to grow, and new materials, processes, and equipment are emerging, along with all kinds of new risks and hazards. At the same time, some enterprises have insufficient safety awareness in the management of special equipment usage, imperfect management systems, and only perform superficial daily maintenance. The phenomenon of operators working without a certificate still exists, which increases the risk of special equipment accidents. In the next step, the SAMR will continue to strengthen the supervision of special equipment safety, urge enterprises to implement their main responsibility for safety, and jointly safeguard the bottom line of special equipment safety, creating a good environment for high-quality development. Specifically, we have several measures in place:

First, we will effectively strengthen the responsibility for safety supervision. We will encourage local governments at all levels to fulfill their local management responsibilities, coordinating and rectifying major safety hazards regarding special equipment. Focusing on the requirement that “managing an industry necessitates ensuring safety,” we will clarify the management responsibilities of relevant industry sectors. Meanwhile, we will also emphasize the role of the special equipment safety joint meeting mechanism within the security commission at all levels, promoting the formation of a joint management and work approach. Market regulatory authorities at all levels will further improve the risk prevention and control mechanism for special equipment, intensify administrative law enforcement, establish connections with criminal justice, and reinforce credit punishment. This will ensure the effective implementation of regulatory measures.

Second, we will emphasize the main responsibility of enterprises. We will formulate and implement regulations for the supervision and management of special equipment production and usage, ensuring enterprises fulfill their responsibilities. We will establish a safe work mechanism that involves daily control, weekly inspections, and monthly scheduling. We will urge enterprises to appoint safety directors and officers, clarify the safety responsibilities of the main responsible person of the enterprise, standardize the behavior of safety managers, and enforce the accountability of the main body of the enterprise. Market regulatory authorities will fully deploy activities to promote corporate responsibility, urging enterprises to firmly establish a safety bottom-line mindset and strictly implement production safety measures.

Third, we will carry out special equipment safety rectification. We will focus on increasing special equipment supervision and inspection efforts in schools, hospitals, amusement parks, tourist attractions, and other public gathering places. At the same time, we will carry out special rectification activities targeting accident-prone weak links, such as town gas pressure pipelines, high-pressure gas cylinders, small boilers, passenger ropeways, and unregistered illegal use of special equipment. We will also strengthen supervision and inspection efforts in key periods, key regions, and key areas, especially ensuring the safety of special equipment during holidays, festivals and major activities, to resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of serious accidents. Thank you!