The nation's chemical industry still faces challenges involving work safety after more than 20 years of development, but the government will continue to make great efforts to improve the situation, said a senior official on Wednesday.

In recent years, the industry has become safer, with fewer accidents and workplace deaths, even as the sector has grown 15 percent annually, said Sun Huashan, vice-minister of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Sun was speaking during the first China International Chemical Process Safety Symposium, which was held in Qingdao, Shandong province.