“A single slow reaction can lead to rumours running riot”.
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Li also called on local authorities and experts to continue monitoring the air, water and soil quality within the vicinity to ensure the health of its residents. Questions also have been raised about management of the warehouse, and the country’s top prosecuting office announced Sunday that it was setting up a team to investigate possible offenses related to the massive blasts, including dereliction of duty and abuse of power.
The blasts originated at a warehouse for hazardous material, where 700 tons of sodium cyanide – a toxic chemical that can form combustible substances on contact with water – was being stored in amounts that violated safety rules. Among the rumors Xinhua cites as being published online are: “the blasts killed at least 1,000 people“, “shopping malls in Tianjin got looted”, and “leadership change in Tianjin government”.
China has struggled in recent years with incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires, and President Xi Jinping has vowed that authorities should learn the lessons paid for with blood.
Tragedies similar to the Tianjin explosions here in the United States, such as the fertilizer-plant explosion near Waco, Texas, in April 2013, have emphasized how important it is for accurate inventory information to be available at all times to first responders, who in turn need to be educated about the various dangers and appropriate techniques that should be applied in case of a chemical fire. It was also storing 700 tonnes of highly toxic sodium cyanide, significantly more than the 24 tonnes it was authorised to hold, according to The Beijing News.
“We had to run for our lives, and we escaped, but we were almost finished”, he said. No unsafe levels were found at 14 inspection sites outside the zone, he said.
Statistically, there seems to have been some improvement in the area of work safety, although overall numbers remain shocking.
The agency is one of many government departments that regulate companies that operate with risky materials. “Will there be a last straw one of these days?”
China is the world’s largest producer of coal and in this sector there has been notable progress.
Ten people were detained last week, including Rui Hai chairman Yu Xuewei and vice chairman Du Shexuan, amid investigations into the blast, Xinhua reported officials as saying Tuesday.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the blasts but the disaster has deepened public concern about safety regulations.
“The only way to improve safety is to make it a priority in the workplace, to create a culture where employers, employees and regulators all stress the importance of safety over the blind pursuit of profit”, Mr Crothall told The Straits Times. This article has been republished, with permission, from his blog, Engineering Ethics, which is a MercatorNet partner site.
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“There were many firefighters who went into the blast and sacrificed themselves”.
