Gas Accidents in China: From 2012–2021

Thousands of gas accident reports from the China Gas Network and annual reports released by gas-related organisations in China from 2012–2021 were collected to investigate the basic gas accidents characteristics. Further, a multi-dimensional correlation analysis considering factors such as accident time, geography, accident causes, and casualties was performed. The results identified March, July, and August as the high-incidence months; Mondays and Sundays as high-incidence days; and morning, mid-day, and evening cooking times as high-incidence periods for gas accidents. The eastern coastal areas, provincial capitals and large cities in China are the areas with a high incidence of gas accidents. In addition, residential, construction sites, and commercial areas are considered high-risk sites for gas accidents. These findings suggest that the number of gas accidents exhibits a strong correlation with the regional economic level and number of gas users. In general, explosions are common types of gas accidents. Although both liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas (NG) cause explosion accidents, the types of accidents differ; for example, the latter is more likely to spread and result in leakage accidents. In terms of the accident causes, LPG accidents are dominated by valve and gas water heater related problems, whereas NG accidents are dominated by pipe-type problems and third-party construction work. Targeted preventive measures have been proposed based on the characteristics of gas accidents in China by considering publicity, education, safety equipment, and available facilities. The results are expected to guide relevant departments in China toward preventing and controlling gas accidents.