The Chinese chemical firm responsible for an explosion that killed 24 people and injured 21 others in northern China last year hid information and misled investigators, said local authorities in a report published Sunday.

A gas leak caused the explosion last November at a PVC production plant in Zhangjiakou, a northern Chinese city in Hebei province that will host part of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"After the accident occurred, Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Company did not report (the incident) to relevant government departments in accordance with regulations, concealed the accident, and misled investigators," said the emergency management department of northern Hebei province.

In its report, local authorities also pointed to the company's lack of safety measures and "chaotic" management for contributing to the blast.

Those in charge of key departments were "not at the company for long periods of time" and violations of labour regulations by employees were common, including playing on their mobile phones and sleeping during work hours, said the report.

Police have investigated and taken "criminal compulsory measures" against twelve employees and thirteen local officials have been "punished", the report said, without offering details.

The report also recommended Shenghua Chemical Company, a subsidiary of ChemChina, pay a 9.49 million yuan ($1.41 million) fine.

The Zhangjiakou blast is the latest alleged corporate cover-up in China, where industrial accidents are common as safety regulations are often poorly enforced.

A few weeks before the explosion, a chemical spill left dozens ill in eastern Fujian province. Later that month, authorities said the company responsible for the incident had "deliberately concealed" the extent of the leak.

The Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company had reported 6.97 tonnes of chemicals had spilled into the sea, when the true amount was 10 times higher.

In August 2015, 165 people were killed in a chemical warehouse explosion in the port city of Tianjin.

The government found that the disaster was caused by improperly or illegally stored hazardous materials.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Probe over Brazil dam disaster puts heat on mining company Vale
Brumadinho, Brazil (AFP) Jan 29, 2019
Brazilian authorities stepped up their probe Tuesday into mining giant Vale over last week's dam disaster that killed at least 65 people and left 288 others missing and presumed dead. Five engineers involved in the operating licenses and the last inspection of the dam were arrested on prosecutors' orders in the state of Minas Gerais, where the tragedy occurred Friday at one of Vale's mines. Meanwhile, shares in the company - the world's biggest iron ore miner - ticked up nearly two percent in ... read more