Statistical investigation on the characteristics of hazardous chemical accidents in special work in China from 2008 to 2021

Abstract Special work involves hot work, confined space, blinding‐pipeline operation with stop plate, work at height, lifting work, temporary electricity, excavation work, work for road breaking, and other work, which may cause harm or damage to the operators themselves, surrounding buildings, equipment, and facilities. In this article, we conducted a statistical investigation on 154 large and above hazardous chemical accidents that occurred between 2008 and 2021 in China, and found that there were 58 accidents that occurred in special work alone, accounting for 37.7% of the total number of accidents. However, at present, no statistical analysis has been conducted on the characteristics of special work accidents in China. Therefore, this paper analyzes the special work accidents in terms of six aspects: categories of special work, industry distribution, enterprise scales, provincial location distribution, time‐volatility characteristics, and accident causes. Moreover, this article puts forward countermeasures and suggestions, aiming to provide useful information for the prevention of special work accidents in China.