| With the rapid development of chemical industry all over the world,the chemical products have been commonly used in the daily life of humanbeing, substantially contributing to the material civilization of humansociety. However, it has to be noted that the scale and frequency ofchemical accidents has been increasingly disturbing with the developmentof chemical industry and its promotion to other industries. Catastrophesfrom sudden city chemical accidents that shock the international societylike Bhopal event in India have occupied certain percentage of globalsudden events. Averagely, more than 200 cases of such sudden chemicalaccidents occur yearly with increasing scale and ascending frequency,which bring about potential threats to human life safety and natrualecological balance. The city chemical accidents with such catastrophicoutcomes thus have been aroused heated discussion all over the world.Additionally, it also has to be thought highly of that terrorists, extremistsand underworld societies from home or abroad create the chemicalterroristic attacks through distruction of chemical installations based ontheir political or individual intentions.The establishment of preliminary system for chemical accident emergency rescue, therefore, is an improtant work involving the nationalsecurity, social stability and people's health, which constitutes animperative sociological research for modernized city construction. It hasbeen pointed out that the accelerating industrialization is the major causefor the increasingly frequent chemical accidents. During the decade of1970s, there was a saying of "burning US", followed by the saying of"burning Russia", while China, nowadays, begins to step into the phase ofhighly frequent chemical accidents with characteristics of frequent,extensive, various, and difficult to rescue. Since the terroristic attack of"9.11" to the US and the following hostage event in Russia, the topic ofhow to scientifically cope sudden accidents to secure the political,economical and social safety and stability of our country has attractedfocused concern by both the government and the public.In our country and Guandong province, there has extensive potentialrisks of sudden chemical accidents, and their occasional occurrence hascaused severely negative outcomes, such as the explosion of Qingshuihehazard chemicals warehouse, Shenzhen on Aug.5, 1993 with the directeconomical loss of 250 million Chinese Yuan including 15 deaths, morethan 800 injuries and the building destruction in size of 39,000 squaremeters; the poison casting case in Tangshan, Nanjing on Sep.14, 2002 with300 cases of intoxication and 42 deaths during short-term period; the gaswell accident in Gaoqiao Town of Kaixian, Chongqing on Dec.23, 2003with 243 deaths and more than 41,000 residents within 5 kilometers aroundthe accident spot being evacuated; the chlorine leaking accident inTianyuan Chemical Plant, Chongqing with 9 deaths and 150,000 personsbeing evacuated; the explosion accident in Shuangben plant, Jilin Petrolium & chemical Corporation of Sinopec, causing large amount of Benzolcontamitants flowing into the water system of Songhua River, which notonly disturbed the daily life of the residents living in its drainage basin, butalso negatively affected the international image of our country.Guangzhou city is one of the cities with large amounts of andextensive hazard chemicals. There are many chemical enterprises involvingbusinesses of hazard chemicals, which has been up to thousands ofenterprises involving businesses of their manufacture, management, storage,transportation, application and discarding. Only in the year of 2003, 300million tons of hazard chemicals were bought or sold in Guangzhou.Therefore, the establishment of a system from top to bottom for chemicalaccident emergency rescue has been imperative in order to prevent theoccurrence of various chemical accidents, decrease casualties and financiallosses and meet the demands of anti-terrorism.Since the issue and enforcement of several formal documentations asNational Regulations on Public Health Emergency Rescue, GuangzhouPreliminary Plan of Public Health Emergency Rescue and GuangzhouPreliminary Plan of Chemical Accident Emergency Rescue, Guangzhou hasgained progresses in terms of legal system construction, socializedadministration, development of preventing ability and infrastructureconstruction for quick prevention of and dealing with the sudden chemicalaccidents in case of their occurrence, which play an important role insecuring the safety of national assets and people life as well as thesucceeding of socialistic modernization. However, clearmindedness is alsoneeded because the prevention and control ability of sudden chemicalaccidents still lags behind the the overall economical construction and social development. The causes of sudden chemical accidents are mainly 1)the increased risk of sudden chemical accidents due to the rapiddevelopment of petrolium & chemical industry and chemical engineeringindustry, 2) the inharmonious developments of city planning and petrolium& chemical industry render the minor chemical accidents with severeoutcomes because of the mixture of living quarter and factory quarter, 3)the increased volume of hazard chemical transportation and the spreadinggas stations, 4) the large amouts of and extensive major hazard installationswith no complete monitoring system, and 5) large amounts of unitsinvolving the businesses of hazard chemicals that increase the risk andaccident frequency.Based on these facts, a general investigation was conducted in theunits and enterprises engaged in the businesses of hazard chemicals toestablish a database of hazard chemicals in Guangzhou city. The units andenterprises engaging in the major hazard installations were screened andlisted. The properties, classification and distribution of these major hazardinstallations were analyzed and their safety status and accident risk wereevaluated based on the specific neatening work on hazard chemicals byGuangzhou supervision bureau for safe manufacture and Guangzhou policefire fighting bureau, the national standards for identification of majorhazard installations (GB 18218-2000), Regulations on Safety Supervision ofHazard Chemicals and Regulations on Safe Manufacture Certificate. Thestrategies for the prevention of sudden chemical accidents as well as therescue of chemical accidents emergency were proposed with an intention toprovide technical basis for the key monitoring of safe manufacture, theaccomplishment of precautious and predicting techniques and the establishment of an emergency rescue system.The results of the investigation showed that there were 3872 units orenterprises engaging in the hazard chemical business and the populationinvolving in the business was up to more than 800 thousand, in that 261units or enterprises have major hazard installations according to the relatedstandards including 36% major hazard installations at the work site and64% major hazard installations at the storage site. The major hazardchemical in Guangzhou was toxic substances and poisonous gases includingcompressed gas and liquified gas. Besides, there were also quite muchflammable liquid, flammable solid, spontaneously combustible, and contactwater emit flammable gases, oxidizers, organic peroxide and corrosives. Inthe major hazard chemicals of toxic substances and poisonous gases, therewere 22 hazard installations of Classâ… , 15 hazard installations of Classâ…¡,34 hazard installations of Classâ…¢and 25 hazard installations of Classâ…£.The toxic substances and poisonous gases of lower hazard classes (Classâ…¢and Classâ…£) which occupied 35.6 percent have the properties of beingreactive. There were about 1/3 units or enterprises with major hazardinstallations being within 500 m from the residential areas with relativelydense population. In each regions and cities subordinate to Guangzhou city,there were units or enterprises being possible to directly pollute the waterresources of Pearl River. Only 68% units or enterprises with major hazardinstallations had established the preliminary plan for emergency rescue.There was still 10% major hazard installations of toxic substances with nocorresponding preliminary plan for emergency rescue. Meanwhile, thepreliminary plan for emergency rescue lacked such pertinency and regularexercises that it was only empty words although there was preliminary plan for emergency rescue for partial major hazard installations. The resultsindicate that the potential occurrence of city chemical catastrophicaccidents is high, and the suburban areas are the susceptible areas to hazardchemical accidents demanding key preventive measures. Once majorchemical accidents occur, the affected area is extensive and the negativelyaffected population is large, which needs to be evacuated. In the case ofmajor hazard chemical accident, individuals may possibly be poisoned andmay be at risks of major casualty, meanwhile, the accidents from majorhazard installations may also possibly pollute the Pearl River. Additionally,the prevention of leaking accidents from major hazard installation is ourmajor responsibily due to the dominating major hazard installations at thestorage site in Guangzhou city.According to the results from identification and evaluation of majorhazard installations, the preventive strategies are proposed in this paper interms of government, units or enterprises engaging in hazard chemicalsbusinesses and individuals with an intention to provide feasible scheme forspecific decision-making.For the governments1. The governments of all levels and all the related sections should targetthe realities to formulate the effective administration regulations and toreinforce the supervision of the specifications according to theadministrative responsibilities of the respective sections.2. Certain amount of funds should be devoted to establish accidentpreventing and rescuing institutions with the community and residentialpopulation near major hazard installations as one unit to fully exert theactivity and initiative of the masses. Additionally, it is necessary for the governments to set up key projects for the scientific researches of thepreventive and coping strategies for catastrophic chemical accidents and toenhance the scientific researches on the new orientations andcharacteristics of catastrophic chemical accidents.3. The detailed facts on the hazard chemicals in Guangzhou city should beinvestigated to establish the information system for safety administration ofthe hazard chemicals in Guangzhou.4. The further evaluation and approval of units or enterprises engaging inmanufacture, storage and management with major hazard installationsshould be exellently finished.5. The key areas and key units or enterprises with major hazardinstallations whose accidents may possibly have extensive social effects,severe casualties and great economical losses should be stressed forprevention. At the same time, the dispersely and frequently happenedlocalized catastrophic accidents should also be attended.6. The city planning should be conducted according to the principle of"maximal distance" to separate the major hazard installations from theresidential areas and building groups.7. The functional sections of police, fire fighting, safety supervision,quality inspection, environmental protection and industry & businessadministration should formulate the corresponding regulations on lawenforcement to intensify the inspections on major hazard installations.8. The preparation of the preliminary plan for emergency rescue, thepreparation of the equipments and supplies for emergency rescue and thepreparation of the professional team for emergency rescue should bereinforced. 9. The education of societies and masses should be intensified to increasethe masses' knowledge about the prevention of chemical accidents and theiremergency rescue to enhance their awareness on the accident preventionand self protection as well as to increase their ability of identification andto improve their skills on self rescue and buddy aid.10. While the scientific and complete preliminary plan for chemicalaccidents emergency rescue is formualted, the establishement of a systemfor its emergency rescue should be accelerated to improve the abilities ofGuangzhou for preventing and coping major chemical accidents.For the units and enterprises engaging in hazard chemical businesses1. The units and cntcrprises with major hazard installations shouldestablish and complctc the regualtions on safety administration. Theregistcred safety dircctor and the supervisor for safe manufacturc should bcimperatively employed to formulate the operational procedures, torcinforcc the daily administration and to sccure the safe manufacture.2. The safcty functionary of major hazard installations should bcsupervised to cnhance his/her awarencss on rcsponsibilities for theeffective cxertion of his/her dutie on prcvcntion and administration.3. The safe operational proccdures and preventive measurcs should beformulated and complctcd targeting thc facts and charactcristics of theunits or cnterprises with major hazard installations.4. The fulfillment of safcty operational proccdures and prcvcntivc measuresshould be frequently and regularly inspcctcd and supervised.5. The cmployccs should be rcgularly cducatcd to increase thcir knowlcdgcon safety and hcalth.6. The professionals should bc employcd for the major hazard installations and the technicians of the units or enterprises should have the priorities fortraining.For the individuals1. The individuals have responsibilities to cooperate with the governments,enterprises and units to fulfill the safety policies and works.2. The safety operational procedures should be strictly followed. Theeyeless individual behaviors should be rejected.3. The awareness of individual protections should be increased and theknowledge on the prevention and rescue should be continuouslyreplenished.4. The responsibilities and rights should be distinctly differentiated. Thewrong and regulation-violated orders should be firmly refused based on theself-discipline.
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