Villagers reassess lives after fatal explosion

Pillar industries

Residents said nearly every household in the village has family members working at the park, where slogans stating "Safety comes from staying alert and a lack of vigilance leads to accidents" can be seen throughout the complex.

Ding, whose farmland was acquired by factories at the park, said, "At first, we were pretty happy about the arrival of the new factories because we could find jobs there."

Chemical engineering, metallurgy and energy are the three pillar industries of Xiangshui, and the park is the "engine for rapid economic development", according to the local government.

Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co, which has 250 employees, is one of more than 55 companies, many specializing in the manufacture of basic and fine chemicals (complex, single pure substances) at the park.

The company was founded in April 2007 and mainly produces phenylenediamine products, which require nitrate chemical reactions involving dangerous compounds such as benzene.

After the explosion, authorities responsible for production safety nationwide were told to conduct careful inspections of processing plants involved in such reactions.

In February last year, the former General Administration of State Security Supervision found 13 safety hazards at the factory. They included no emergency shutoff valves and leakage prevention measures being in place for benzene and methanol tanks; staff members not being clear about the procedure for inflammable gas-related incidents; and flammable gas being marked as inflammable. It is unclear if the company had removed all the hazards listed.

The factory has also been fined at least seven times by local environmental protection authorities for illegally disposing waste water and gas as well as solid waste between July 2016 and July last year, according to qixin.com, a corporate information inquiry website.

In 2017, its former president was sentenced to 18 months in prison with a reprieve for environmental pollution.

In April last year, pollution at the industrial park placed it in the spotlight. All factories were ordered to suspend their operations until they could fix environmental protection flaws.

Like many other companies, Tianjiayi posted its latest environmental impact assessment report on the website of the Xiangshui government for public opinion in early August. It resumed operations in October.

Ding said, "It's commonplace for the factories to suspend production suddenly to rectify different problems. It may happen several times a year." He added that operations at the factory where he works had been suspended since April 10 last year.

"Of course, safety is the most important thing. On the other hand, we won't have enough income if the factories stop operating," he added. Ding only received 800 yuan ($119) a month as a living allowance when production at the factory was halted. He usually earns from 3,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan a month.