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Linda Lew

The blast at the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant has left at least 64 dead and 640 injured, while around 3,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes. But it is not the most deadly industrial accident in China in recent years.
In 2016 alone, 22,436 people died in work-related incidents, according to China’s government labour statistics.
China has long grappled with workplace safety, largely due to lax enforcement of regulations and negligence. Here are the incidents that caused major loss of life in the past five years, with 2015 being a particularly deadly year.
Kunshan dust explosion 2014
Some 146 people were killed and 114 injured after the August 2 dust explosion at a car parts processing factory in Jiangsu province’s Kunshan city.
The factory did not comply with safety standards which required aluminium dust particles to be regularly cleaned and had not installed ventilation to reduce the risk of explosions
The high concentration of dust eventually ignited.
Following the explosion, 14 company executives and local government officials received jail terms of between three and seven years, while 35 other officials were disciplined and demoted.
Tianjin port explosions 2015
A fire at a Tianjin port warehouse for hazardous goods triggered a series of massive explosions on August 12 that killed 173 people and injured close to 800 people.
The blaze from the accident was so big that it was caught on film by the Japanese meteorological agency’s satellites.
Firefighters were immediately dispatched to contain the fire, unaware of the dangerous chemicals at the site and unprepared for the explosions that were to come.
This resulted in the death of 104 first responders, more than half the total killed and prompted criticism of the way chemical fires were handled.

Ruihui International Logistics, the company that owned the warehouse, was found to have illegally stored more than 49,000 tonnes of highly toxic chemicals.
Chairman Yu Xuewei was given a suspended death sentence, while 48 other company employees and local government officials were jailed on lesser charges.
The fire was caused by a container of highly flammable nitrocellulose, a chemical used in nail polish, that became too dry and ignited. Scientists later estimated that one of the explosions detonated about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.
Shanyang landslide 2015
The Shanyang landslide, which killed 65 people in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, was overshadowed by the Tianjin explosion as it happened on the same day.
The landslide happened on the site of a mine operated by a state-owned enterprise, burying 15 employee dormitory buildings and their occupants, who were asleep.
The lack of media coverage left many questions surrounding the tragedy unanswered. As there was no rain, some considered the landslide to be a result of over-mining rather than a natural disaster.
There had been warning signs the year before when rockfalls were reported at the site.
A few days before the landslide, a rock had crashed through the wall of an explosives store. The mining operator only shifted the explosives but did not cease operations or move the dormitories.
The government designated the incident as a natural disaster. Eight employees at the mining firm were demoted following the incident but no one faced criminal charges.

Shenzhen landslide 2015
Seventy three people were killed when a pile of construction waste collapsed at an industrial estate in the southern megacity on December 20 burying dozens of buildings.
The 20-storey-high pile of rubble had built up over the previous two years.
An investigation later found that the site did not have an adequate sewage system, which led to water building up at the base of the pile, which eventually weakened it and caused it to collapse.
The director of the urban management bureau which approved the waste dump, Xu Yuanan, took his life a few weeks after the accident. A total of 45 people were given jail terms ranging from between three and 20 years for offences ranging from bribery to criminal negligence.

Jinshangou mining explosion 2016
A blast at the Jinshangou coal mine in Chongqing on October 31 killed 33 people who were working underground at the time.
The mine was found to have breached safety standards and was operating in an illegal zone, which caused a build-up of gas in the mine.
Lax oversight means that such explosions are a frequent hazard in Chinese mines.
In the wake of the blast, 23 people were charged with criminal offences and 28 government officials were disciplined and demoted.

Fengcheng power plant collapse 2016
A total of 73 people were killed when a construction platform at a power plant in Jiangxi province collapsed on November 24. Two were injured.
The collapse caused dozens of workers on the platform to fall to their deaths while others working on the ground were crushed by the falling debris.
An inquiry into the accident found the crew had breached construction standards and removed scaffolding before the concrete had properly set. The concrete and surrounding structures could not bear the weight and collapsed.
After the collapse 31 people involved in the construction and safety oversight for the power plant were charged with criminal offences.


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The aftermath of the 2015 Tianjin blast that killed 173 people, many of whom were firefighters. Photo: EPA

(161124) -- YICHUN, Nov. 24, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Aerial photo taken on Nov. 24, 2016 shows the accident site at the Fengcheng power plant in Yichun City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Sixty-seven people have been confirmed dead and another missing as a platform of a power plant's cooling tower under construction collapsed in Jiangxi Thursday, rescuers said. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang) (zyd)

Rescue workers use excavator to dig and search among the debris of destroyed buildings after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. 22DEC15 SCMP/ Edward Wong

A damaged fire truck is seen at the site of the massive explosions in Tianjin on August 13, 2015. Enormous explosions in a major Chinese port city killed at least 44 people and injured more than 500, state media reported on August 13, leaving a devastated industrial landscape of incinerated cars, toppled shipping containers and burnt-out buildings. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO

(161101) -- CHONGQING, Nov. 1, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers work at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Yongchuan District of Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 1, 2016. Rescuers are working around the clock to search for 20 miners who have remained trapped in a colliery in Chongqing for nearly 24 hours following a gas explosion. Thirteen miners have been confirmed dead. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) (wyo)

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A crater and clouds of smoke dominate the scene after the explosion at Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant. Photo: Handout

The explosion scene in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu. 22MAR19 SCMP / Sidney Leng

The explosion scene in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu. Photo: handout

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All companies in Xiangshui Biochemical Park, where the Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical plant is located, have been shut down temporarily, according to the local government. Photo: AP

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Xiangshui People’s Hospital is overwhelmed by the injured and their families. Photo: Sidney Leng

Injured residents in Xiangshui county hospital. 22MAR19 SCMP / Sidney Leng

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China

People & Culture

A string of incidents, often caused by lax safety standards and criminal negligence, have resulted in widespread loss of life over the past five years


A string of incidents, often caused by lax safety standards and criminal negligence, have resulted in widespread loss of life over the past five years.


China society