The three departments have issued an opinion on correctly understanding and applying the "open or close factory windows for production" law enforcement standard.
Ministries of Justice, Environmental Protection, and Emergency Management of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, as well as the Judicial Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau, and Emergency Management Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:
Ecological environment protection and safety production are matters directly related to the lives and property safety of the people. Therefore, strict standards and requirements must be adhered to. In recent years, the laws and regulations in the fields of ecological environment protection and safety production have been continuously improved. The environmental protection departments and emergency management departments in all regions have persisted in performing their duties in accordance with the law, providing a strong guarantee for the high-quality development of the economy and society. At the same time, in the standardized special actions for administrative law enforcement involving enterprises, some enterprises have reported that some grassroots environmental protection departments and emergency management departments' law enforcement personnel have been inconsistent in their requirements regarding "whether factories should open or close their windows for production". Therefore, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly conducted investigations and research, and the following opinions were formed.
1. Accurately understand and apply legal regulatory requirements. From the perspective of environmental protection, for workplaces involving pollutant emissions, measures such as enclosure or sealing should be taken, along with the collection and treatment of pollutants. At the same time, exhaust pipes and ventilation outlets should be set up in accordance with regulations; if enclosure or sealing is impossible, measures such as using clean raw materials and local collection and treatment of waste gas can be adopted. Law enforcement personnel shall not simply require enterprises to "close the windows". From the perspective of safety production, for enclosed or sealed workplaces, when the emitted hazardous substances exceed the safety threshold, ventilation measures such as interlock fans should be taken. Law enforcement personnel shall not simply require enterprises to "open the windows". Environmental protection departments and emergency management departments in each region should, based on the characteristics of enterprises in different industries and fields, further clarify the specific meanings of the law enforcement standards, strengthen the training of law enforcement personnel, and guide law enforcement personnel to accurately grasp the law enforcement requirements, avoiding mechanical law enforcement.
II. Establish and improve the joint law enforcement mechanism. Environmental protection departments and emergency management departments in all regions should strictly implement the requirements of the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Safety Production Work of Environmental Protection Equipment and Facilities" issued by the Office of the State Council's Safety Production Committee, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Emergency Management. They should establish a collaborative and coordinated mechanism, jointly formulate inspection plans, and carry out joint law enforcement. They should strengthen collaborative governance and promptly resolve issues when there are inconsistencies in regulatory requirements.
III. Strengthen guidance and services for enterprises. Environmental protection departments and emergency management departments of all regions should coordinate the relationship between production and operation and safety production, as well as environmental protection. They should further enhance their service awareness, guide and supervise enterprises to strictly implement relevant laws, regulations, and standards and norms, standardize the installation and use of related facilities, take into account both environmental protection and safety requirements, and promptly help enterprises solve existing difficulties and problems. Judicial administrative departments of all regions should strengthen overall coordination and urge relevant departments to implement the measures, ensuring strict, standardized, fair, and civilized law enforcement, and effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.
Office of the Department of Justice
Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment
Office of the Ministry of Emergency Management
April 7th, 2026
