On 22 December 2025, the draft Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law was formally submitted for its third review at the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress. The draft for review will subsequently be released to the public to solicit broad opinions. Previously, the draft underwent its first review at the 13th Session of the Standing Committee in December 2024, and its second review was conducted at the 17th Session in September 2025.
Background
China is a major global producer, user, importer, exporter, and consumer of hazardous chemicals, with a vast industrial scale spanning numerous sectors. However, the situation regarding safety in production remains severe. The current regulatory framework struggles to meet the safety management demands of the entire supply chain and multiple stages, necessitating specialized legislation to enhance safety governance capabilities. The draft stipulates regulations on various aspects of hazardous chemicals in China, including registration and identification, planning and siting, production and storage safety, use safety, operational safety, transport safety, waste disposal safety, emergency rescue for accidents, and legal liabilities. It aims to establish a safety supervision system covering the entire lifecycle of hazardous chemicals, applicable to the safety management of their production, storage, use, operation, and transportation.
New Provisions in the Third Draft for Review
- Strengthen Routine Safety Training for Personnel
In addition to stipulating pre-job training and assessment, the third draft adds provisions requiring hazardous chemical production enterprises to establish and improve safety training management systems, organize regular training sessions, and enhance personnel's safety awareness and skills.
- Implement Dynamic Monitoring Throughout Road Transport
Hazardous chemical road transport enterprises are required to conduct real-time monitoring and management of the operational status of vehicles and drivers, and promptly correct illegal driving behaviors such as speeding, fatigue driving, and deviating from designated routes.
- Safeguard Public Right to Know
Enterprises producing or storing hazardous chemicals are required to commission an institution to conduct a safety assessment of their production safety conditions every three years and produce a safety assessment report. The report's content must include plans for rectifying identified problems in the production safety conditions and conclusive opinions after rectification, and must be made public.
- Regulate Personal Use
Individuals using hazardous chemicals should understand their hazardous properties, correct usage methods, and protective measures, and must not use, store, or dispose of them illegally.
- Increase Accountability
The draft raises the amount of fines for violations and imposes fines on directly responsible managers and other directly liable personnel for certain severe violations, while also restricting the professional practice of principal responsible persons according to law.
Core Content of the Draft Law
- Strict Safety Management Across the Entire Chain and All Stages
It puts forward specific requirements or makes cohesive provisions for the safety management of each stage, including registration, production, storage, use, operation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous chemicals, to improve regulatory measures.
- Strengthen Primary Responsibility of Hazardous Chemical Entities
Hazardous chemical entities are required to implement a whole-staff production safety responsibility system, improve procedures for identifying and rectifying hidden dangers, install safety facilities and equipment, and enhance personnel's safety awareness and skill levels.
- Clarify Government Supervision Responsibilities
It clarifies the division of responsibilities among departments such as emergency management, public security, market regulation, ecology and environment, and transport, which are tasked with hazardous chemical safety supervision and management, to enhance regulatory coordination and joint law enforcement.
- Coordinate Planning and Siting
It requires coordinated planning and rational siting for the production and storage of hazardous chemicals, strengthens the certification, re-evaluation, and safety management of chemical industrial parks, and improves their safety management levels.
- Strengthen Emergency Rescue Capabilities and Team Building
It stipulates that local people's governments at the county level and above, along with hazardous chemical entities, shall strengthen the development of emergency rescue capabilities, conduct emergency drills, and improve personnel's emergency response capabilities.
- Foster a Social Environment Conducive to Hazardous Chemical Safety
It requires the promotion and dissemination of knowledge related to hazardous chemical safety, and encourages reporting violations and major accident hazards.
Further Information
