China closes down unsafe chemical mills

BEIJING -- China's work safety watchdog on Tuesday urged local authorities to further their work to close down small chemical enterprises that do not meet standards set to ensure safe production.

The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) said in a statement that the campaign will first target unsafe production mills in densely populated areas and small enterprises that work with dangerous chemical processes, chemicals and fatal chemical sources.

The SAWS said that over 90 percent of chemical accidents occur in small chemical mills with safety loopholes, including outdated technology, high energy consumption, heavy pollution, low efficiency, irrational arrangements, poor safety monitoring and unqualified staff.

The local governments are required to file the details of small chemical mills and publish a list of possible enterprises to close, according to the SAWS.

Meanwhile, the watchdog demanded a halt to subsidies for unsafe small chemical companies.