Abstract:

In order to curb the occurrence of bottled LPG accidents and ensure the safety production, firstly, a multi-agent accident causation model for bottled LPG was established based on 50 typical cases in mainland China from 2013 to 2024. Secondly, seven core accident causal factors were extracted from it as conditional variables. Finally, fsQCA method was applied to explore the configuration paths of accidents. The analysis results indicate that the bottled LPG accidents are not only characterized by distinctive multi-factorial complications, but also have diverse formation mechanisms. In total, there are eight configuration paths of accidents, which are further categorized into six types, namely the multiple risk coupling, coupling of illegal applied behaviors and equipment failure, illegal applied behaviors of bottled LPG, organizational deficiencies, illegal operation of bottled LPG, and equipment failure. The organizational factors, such as deficiencies in safety production management systems, inadequate safety inspections and rectification of hidden dangers, illegal operation of bottled LPG, and ineffective safety supervision and law enforcement play key roles in the emergence and evolution of accidents. The conclusion indicates that three configuration paths with relatively the highest unique coverage, configuration 1a, configuration 5, and configuration 6a, should collectively be regarded as priorities for accident prevention and control.

Key words: fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), urban gas, conditional variable, configuration path