Media surveillance of occupational chemical incidents in 2021 / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the occurrence characteristics of occupational chemical incidents in China by media surveillance, to provide scientific evidences for formulating effective prevention and control strategies, and to provide new ideas for public surveillance and early warning of chemical incidents. Methods Occupational chemical incidents were collected and sorted through the Internet every day. The statistical analysis was conducted from time, region, industry, and causes of the collected incidents. Results A total of 99 occupational chemical incidents were collected in 2021, involving 356 peoples and 186 deaths. April to July was the high incidence period of events, mainly limited space poisoning and asphyxiation events. Majority of the incidents were general grade events, mainly occurring in small and medium enterprises. Guangdong Province had the most incident reporting areas. Incidents mainly occurred in chemical raw material and chemical product manufacturing industry as well as in water production and supply industry, mainly in manufacturing, cleaning and maintenance positions. The main types of poisons were asphyxiating gases and organic solvents, mainly involving hydrogen sulfide and benzene. The incidents could have been caused by lack of safety awareness, leakage of equipment, and lack of protective measures. Conclusion Occupational chemical incidents still occur frequently and cause serious harm. It is suggested that the relevant departments and employers should strengthen supervision and management, effectively manage and control operational risks, and increase supervision of key industries and positions, to ensure the health and safety of workers.