Recently, the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee, the Central Political and Legal Commission, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Justice jointly issued a notice to launch a campaign targeting illegal activities and violations in key sectors such as mining, chemical production, fire safety, and industrial and commercial enterprises.

The notice mandates a focused crackdown on three common types of violations: failure to meet the required qualifications or conditions for workplace safety; falsification or deception in matters related to workplace safety; and malicious illegal conduct, coercive orders to violate regulations, and hazardous operations.

According to the responsible officials, cases of non‑compliance with safety production qualifications or requirements primarily include: production and business entities engaging in production or business activities without legally obtaining the requisite permits; operating with incomplete or expired licenses, or beyond the scope of their permits; employees working without the necessary qualifications or without having obtained the required permits as stipulated by law; operating with incomplete or expired qualifications, or exceeding the permitted scope; premises constructed prior to approval and lacking proper authorization, or failing to undergo safety acceptance inspections and assessments, thus lacking the conditions for safe production; and the use of processes, technologies, facilities, or equipment that are expressly prohibited or should be phased out because they pose a risk to production safety, as well as the use of facilities and equipment involving personal safety that have not been inspected and tested in accordance with relevant regulations, or whose inspection and testing have expired.

Fraudulent practices in workplace safety primarily include falsification in surveying, design, assessment, evaluation, inspection, and testing activities related to quality and safety, resulting in reports that materially misrepresent the actual conditions; the use of substandard materials or inferior products in production and business operations, leading to compromised quality and safety and jeopardizing operational security; inadequate closure of production and business entities or premises, or instances of “sham closures” or “pseudo‑shutdowns”; the shutdown or sabotage of facilities and equipment critical to production safety, or the manipulation of relevant data; and the forgery of safety‑related certificates, licenses, or qualifications.

Acts of malicious violation of the law, compelling unlawful conduct, or engaging in hazardous operations primarily include: refusing to comply with mandatory measures such as suspension of production and business activities, cessation of construction, or prohibition of the use of relevant facilities, equipment, or premises; resuming production or business operations without authorization after a production or business entity or site has been shut down and banned; or commencing production or business operations without passing inspection following a suspension for rectification or integration and technological upgrading; knowingly failing to eliminate serious accident hazards and nevertheless proceeding with risky operations; and concealing, falsely reporting, or delaying the reporting of production safety accidents.

The notice, targeting key sectors such as mining, chemical manufacturing, fire safety, and industrial and commercial enterprises, specifies the priority issues to be rigorously addressed. In the chemical industry, enforcement will focus on: engaging in chemical and hazardous‑chemical production without legally obtained safety‑production permits; producing, using, or trading hazardous chemicals beyond the scope of the permit; conducting chemical production without complying with the “three simultaneous” requirements for safety facilities; initiating projects under other names while actually carrying out chemical production; undertaking chemical production without securing the requisite permits for planning, land use, project commencement, market entity registration, environmental protection, fire safety, water supply, and electricity use; and illegal operation of hazardous‑chemical businesses engaging in production and business activities in violation of applicable laws and regulations.

The notice emphasizes the need to strictly ensure seamless coordination between administrative and criminal enforcement. On the basis of rigorously implementing closure and prohibition measures, “dual penalties for a single case,” and enhanced penalties in accordance with regulations, discipline, and law, it calls for strengthened collaboration and coordination with judicial organs, administrative authorities, and disciplinary inspection and supervision bodies, while holding those responsible strictly accountable. It also calls for improving mechanisms for transferring cases and leads across regions and departments, thereby promoting systemic approaches to addressing issues.

The notice also underscores the need for rigorous accident investigations, with investigations to be escalated and supervised under official oversight in accordance with laws and regulations. Particular attention should be paid to tracing the root causes of high‑profile accidents, and all profit‑driven illicit chains must be resolutely severed. Furthermore, the credit‑based regulatory system should be improved by legally and regulatively placing illegal and non‑compliant production enterprises, individuals, and related parties on the list of seriously untrustworthy entities in the relevant sectors, and by imposing sanctions for such violations.

(Source: China Chemical News) 2026-07-06 )