To strengthen the safety management of dangerous goods port operations and ensure safe production, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport has recently issued the “Standard for Determining Hidden Dangers of Major Accident in Dangerous Goods Port Operations” (hereinafter referred to as the “Standard”), aiming to clarify the basis for determining hidden danger of major accident and guide port operators to promptly inspect and eliminate hidden safety dangers.

The Standard applies to port operators and clarify hidden dangers of major accident in five aspects, including the scope of operations, equipment and facilities, safety facilities, safety distances, and safety management deficiencies. It lists in detail the hidden dangers of major accident under various circumstances, such as operations beyond the scope, equipment and facilities not meeting safety requirements, and insufficient safety facilities; emphasizes that when determining hidden dangers of major accident, experts can be organized to conduct comprehensive argumentation and analysis; clarifies that the determination of hidden dangers of major accident in special equipment, fire protection, lightning protection, and other fields should follow relevant regulations; requires that measures be taken in accordance with laws and regulations for situations determined to be hidden dangers of major accident; defines dangerous goods with dangerous properties such as flammability, toxicity, and radioactivity; the Standard is implemented from the date of issuance, and the relevant guidelines from 2016 are simultaneously abolished.

The issuance of this Standard will help improve the safety management level of port operations, prevent and reduce safety accidents in dangerous goods port operations, and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.