Abstract: Safety risk control in engineering design serves as the foundational guarantee for production safety in the refining and chemical industry. This paper summarizes the inherent safety risks associated with materials, operating conditions and external environments in refining and chemical units. It outlines the three-tier technical framework comprising inherent safety design, risk prevention and control and emergency response. It also clarifies the key control points throughout the entire design lifecycle. It is considered that compared to the regulatory standard systems of Europe and the United States, China's system exhibits differences in concepts and methodologies, academic foundations, and enforcement effectiveness. The paper identifies significant gaps in standard coverage within China's refining and chemical engineering safety risk governance framework in areas such as aging process units, extreme operating scenarios, emerging technology implementations, and intelligent safety management at the facility level. In response to these issues, the paper proposes recommendations for improving relevant regulations and standards.

Key words: refining and chemical units, engineering design, safety risk control, laws and regulations, standard systems