In recent years, most of the road transport accidents of dangerous goods that have occurred are mostly related to tanker defects.
Say "no" to the tanker "operating with illness"!
Our reporter Du Xin, our newspaper intern Wang Yufei, "Workers' Daily" (Edition 04, December 03, 2021)
In recent years, the scale of my country's dangerous goods logistics industry has continued to expand, and the number of atmospheric liquid dangerous goods tankers (hereinafter referred to as tankers) has increased year by year. While supporting the continuous and rapid development of my country's petroleum and chemical industries, a large number of tankers that do not meet national standards have entered The logistics industry "runs with illness", causing great hidden dangers to the safety of people's lives and property.
The relevant person in charge of the Transportation Service Department of the Ministry of Transport has recently interpreted the "Work Plan for the Treatment of Atmospheric Liquid Dangerous Goods Tank Trucks" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan" jointly issued by the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration of Market Supervision) ") Shi said that in order to prevent and defuse the major risks of tank trucks, improve the safe operation of tank trucks, and promote the orderly and healthy development of the industry, it is urgent to conduct centralized management of tank trucks and accelerate the development of compliant, standardized and modernized tank trucks.
Some tankers have potential safety hazards
The data shows that there are more than 180,000 tankers in the country, and some tankers have different levels of safety hazards, which have become an important cause of road traffic safety accidents.
According to reports, in recent years, most of the road transport accidents of heavy and extremely dangerous goods are related to tanker defects.
For example, the "8·26" accident on the Yan'an section of Baomao Expressway in 2012, the "3.1" accident on Yanhou Tunnel of Jinji Expressway in 2014, etc.
Regarding the potential safety hazards of tank trucks, the above-mentioned person in charge analyzed that, on the one hand, there are serious safety hazards such as "large tanks and small standards", structural and material safety performance that does not meet mandatory standards, tank thicknesses not up to standards, and missing key safety accessories. It is very easy to cause safety accidents; on the other hand, there are hidden safety hazards such as the use of safety accessories that do not meet the standard, the medium requirements, the leakage and the welding quality of the tank, which are likely to cause "second accidents" in the event of a traffic accident. , Increasing the harm of accidents.
According to industry insiders, the massive operation of non-compliant tankers has caused reverse elimination in the tanker manufacturing industry and dangerous goods road transportation industry, such as "bad money expelling good money", which has greatly affected the healthy and orderly development of the industry.
There are problems from manufacturing to management
On the basis of in-depth investigation and research, the 4 departments conducted an in-depth analysis of the reasons for the prominent safety hazards of tankers, including problems in many links such as manufacturing, inspection, use, and management.
In the manufacturing process, some tanker manufacturers produce tankers in violation of regulations, and one-sidedly cater to the illegal and illegal needs of transportation companies, "cut corners" in the safety configuration of tankers, and use inferior or reduced safety accessories, resulting in hidden safety hazards in the tank body leaving the factory. Risks flow into the road transportation industry.
In the inspection process, there are a small number of tank inspection agencies that are not strictly controlled. Some inspection agencies conduct inspections without the ability, the inspection is mere formality, the inspection report is issued in violation of laws and regulations, and false inspections.
In terms of use, some transportation companies are purely pursuing economic benefits. When buying and using tankers in violation of regulations, they require tanker manufacturers to meet their requirements in violation of regulations. When tank trucks are running, dripping or leaking or safety accessories are damaged, they do not perform timely repairs. maintainance.
In terms of management, each department is only responsible for the management of a certain link of the tanker according to their responsibilities, and only solves partial problems in the management chain. Due to the lack of information and poor connection, the lack of management systems and loopholes have failed to form a full chain of coordination. Regulatory system.
Whole process supervision
Regarding the management of tank cars, the above-mentioned person in charge said that the "plan" is based on the principle of "problem-oriented, standard-leading, symptomatic and root-remedy, combined with unblocking, coordinated advancement, and joint management", and covers the entire process of tanker production, registration, use, and inspection. Supervision made overall arrangements.
In terms of manufacturing, the "Plan" stipulates that the design and manufacturing, inspection and testing, registration, and operation access management of tank trucks must be strictly controlled, and entry points must be strictly controlled to ensure that the new tank trucks in the market meet the requirements of national laws, regulations and standards.
In terms of inspection, the "Plan" clarifies that the stock tanker should be inspected in batches by a professional inspection and testing agency, and those that pass the inspection are allowed to be used normally; those that fail to pass the inspection shall be stopped immediately and rectified and re-inspected within a time limit. The re-inspection is still not acceptable. Qualified tanks shall be replaced or scrapped in accordance with laws and regulations of the same type.
For defective tanker products, the manufacturer shall be ordered to conduct a recall and strengthen the management of the source of production.
In terms of management, the "Plan" pointed out that it is necessary to implement national standard requirements, correct improper practices such as "one tank, one product" adopted in some places, allow tankers to transport goods with consistent characteristics while ensuring safety, and improve tanker utilization efficiency.
The "Plan" also set four timetables, clarifying that starting from December 1, 2022, the operation of tankers with major safety risks will be completely banned.
In the process of governance, the existing tankers in the market that do not meet the requirements of national standards and have major safety hazards will be gradually digested and eliminated. The transportation companies and vehicle owners involved may have certain input or losses in the short term.
In this regard, the above-mentioned person in charge said that allowing non-compliant tankers to operate is not only unsafe, but will also cause these companies to lower the overall freight rate due to their low investment in safe operations, resulting in reverse elimination and a vicious circle.
Through centralized management, it is of great significance to curb the occurrence of major accidents and ensure transportation safety. To a certain extent, it will also promote the reasonable return of freight rates, which will benefit the entire industry and society.