Several Issues and Suggestions Regarding the Future Intrinsically Safe Chemical Industrial Park: Insights from Severe Hazardous Chemical Accident Analysis and Industrial Park Field Investigations

A four-step systemic methodology (which is designated as SAID) is proposed to investigate the future intrinsically safe chemical industrial park (FISCP). First, we collected 150 severe chemical incidents that occurred in China from 2010 to 2020 and analyzed their causes, provincial distribution of accidents and fatalities, accident scenario characteristics, and types of hazardous chemicals involved so as to identify potential safety hazards inherent in China’s chemical industry. Second, we scrutinize the interplay between the elements of chemical process safety and exemplary severe accidents. Then, taking the Taixing Economic and Technological Development Zone and 150 severe chemical incidents as a case study, we systematically investigated the existing problems in current chemical industrial parks. According to analyses related to severe chemical accidents and industrial park field investigations, the concept of the FISCP is proposed. This concept was subjected to in-depth analysis, including the identification of core characteristics and the addressing of critical issues related to the proposed FISCP. Finally, a multi-dimensional analysis is conducted in consideration of practical conditions, culminating in the formulation of specific recommendations. Furthermore, this research provides a foundational dataset and information repository, which may serve as a reference for subsequent studies on chemical industry safety and sustainability, as well as for the prevention of major chemical incidents in other regions.