On the evening of April 2, 2026, according to the national emergency management authorities, to thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and on work safety, and strictly follow the 2026 annual deployment of central work safety assessment and inspection, the State Council Safety Committee will dispatch 24 central work safety assessment and inspection teams starting early April. Led by responsible officials from relevant member departments, these teams will fully launch quarterly unannounced and open inspections across key regions nationwide.

This campaign is problem-oriented, focusing on responsibility implementation, fundamental solution and critical governance, whole-chain rectification, and major risk investigation. It will create strong regulatory deterrence in high-risk industries such as chemicals.

It is reported that the inspections will precisely target prominent problems exposed by typical accidents and major near-miss incidents so far this year, with a focus on verifying four key areas:

Implementation of work safety responsibilities: Leadership responsibilities of Party committees and governments at all levels, regulatory responsibilities of departments, and the main body responsibility of enterprises.

Effectiveness of the three-year action for fundamental work safety governance (final stage): Focus on checking the completion of tasks such as dynamic clearance of major accident hidden dangers and improvement of intrinsic safety levels.

Whole-chain "one-stop" rectification effectiveness in key work safety tasks and hazardous chemicals: Covering the entire process of project access, production, storage, transportation, use, and waste disposal.

Quality of major safety risk investigation and rectification in key industries such as chemicals, mining, and fire control: In-depth expert guidance services and hidden danger investigations will be carried out.

The inspection teams will adhere to the "Four Mores" principle (more notifications, more supervision letters, more unannounced visits, more on-site filming of hidden dangers). They will trace back departmental performance through on-site verification, urging all regions to adopt a correct view of achievements and balance development and safety. Typical cases found in inspections—such as suspended responsibilities, inadequate rectification, and illegal production—will be strictly punished in accordance with the law, held accountable, and publicly exposed. This high-pressure stance aims to resolutely curb accident resurgence and ensure sustained stability in the national work safety situation.

Core Impact Analysis on the Chemical (Hazardous Chemicals) Industry

As a pillar of the national economy and the highest-risk sector for work safety, the chemical (hazardous chemicals) industry is the top priority of this quarterly inspection. The campaign will exert profound impacts on regulation, market, and industry:

I. Regulatory Enforcement: High-Pressure Crackdown, "Dynamic Clearance" of Hidden Dangers

Rigid inspection standards: In accordance with the newly implemented 53 mandatory criteria in Criteria for Identifying Major Work Safety Hazards in Chemical and Hazardous Chemical Production and Operation Enterprises, a "fine-tooth comb" review will be conducted on processes, equipment, personnel, and management—making major hazard identification more quantitative and stringent.

Penetrating accountability: Focus on verifying safety package performance by "three key personnel" (enterprise main principals, technical directors, operation directors). Once hidden dangers are found, both enterprise main body responsibility and local regulatory responsibility will be investigated; typical cases will be publicly exposed without exception.

Dual control of existing and new risks: As 2026 marks the final year of the three-year fundamental governance action, inspections will strictly monitor the clearance of existing major hazards and containment of new risks. Enterprises with overdue rectification or repeated violations will face top penalties, including production suspension and license revocation.

II. Industry Governance: Whole-Chain Rectification, Accelerated Survival of the Fittest

Full life-cycle supervision: "One-stop" whole-chain rectification covers the entire chemical project life cycle—planning, construction, production, and waste disposal. Key issues to address include chemical park safety risks, outdated facilities operating with defects, non-standard special operations, and inadequate major hazard source control.

Accelerated industrial structure optimization: Inspections will strictly verify implementation of the chemical industry "prohibition-restriction-control" catalog, promoting elimination of outdated processes, equipment, and production capacity. This will force high-risk, low-level SMEs to exit or upgrade, expanding market share for high-quality compliant enterprises.

Park governance upgrade: 91% of national chemical parks rated low-risk will undergo re-inspection, focusing on public facilities, professional regulatory forces, and intelligent early warning systems—driving parks to shift from "scale expansion" to "safety quality improvement."

III. Enterprise Operations: Short-Term Cost Rise, Long-Term Benefits for Compliance

Rigid increase in safety investment: Enterprises must boost intrinsic safety spending on equipment renewal, process retrofits, intelligent monitoring, and personnel training—temporarily raising production costs, especially financial pressure on small and medium chemical enterprises.

Operational restrictions: Inspections use the "Four Nos, Two Directs" approach (no prior notice, no greeting, no listening to briefings, no accompanying reception; direct access to grassroots, direct inspection of sites). Enterprises may face sudden checks at any time; those with major hazards will be ordered to suspend production immediately for rectification, affecting project construction and production continuity.

Long-term compliance dividends: Strict regulation will purify the market environment. Leading enterprises with standardized safety management, advanced technology, and high intrinsic safety will gain competitive advantages, driving continuous industry concentration.

This quarterly inspection serves both as a "sword" for work safety and a "catalyst" for high-quality development of the chemical industry. In the short term, the industry will undergo the pain of strict supervision; in the long term, it will effectively curb major and serious accidents, accelerating transformation toward safe, green, intelligent, and efficient development.

From:ChemNet