Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress Reviews the Draft Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law to Strengthen Comprehensive Safety Management

On December 21, the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress was held. During the session, the Draft Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law (hereinafter referred to as the Draft) was reviewed. The Draft aims to address the increasingly severe challenges posed by hazardous chemical safety in the context of China's rapid economic development.

Since the State Council issued the current Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals in 2002, progress has been made in hazardous chemical safety management. However, the current regulations can no longer fully meet modern safety production needs. A dedicated Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law is deemed essential to strengthen safety management across the entire lifecycle of hazardous chemicals.

The Draft outlines comprehensive safety management requirements and adheres to the principles of safety first, prevention-oriented, and comprehensive governance. It also implements the principle that those responsible for industry, business, or production must also take responsibility for safety. Key provisions include:

1. Strengthening Corporate Responsibility: Hazardous chemical companies must implement a full-scale safety responsibility system and establish a dual prevention mechanism for risk grading and control and hazard identification and rectification.
2. Enhancing Government Oversight: The Draft specifies the roles of various departments, including emergency management, public security, market regulation, ecological environment, and transportation. It also emphasizes inter-departmental collaboration and joint enforcement.
3. Adapting to Emerging Sectors: In cases where safety oversight responsibilities are unclear, the government at or above the county level will assign oversight responsibilities based on the principle of similar business functions.
4. Improving Inspection Measures: Agencies responsible for hazardous chemical safety supervision are empowered to enter workplaces for on-site inspections and to use information technology for online monitoring and sampling checks of major hazard sources.

The Draft also sets forth specific safety management requirements for hazardous chemicals across production, storage, use, operation, and transportation stages, aiming to improve China’s hazardous chemical safety management comprehensively.