More time needed to improve work safety

Beijing(China)—China still needs more time before it can see a significant improvement in production safety, a top safety official said yesterday.
About 320 lives are lost daily in workplace accidents. “China is such a large and developing country, and is in the middle of rapid industrialization, thus accidents happen and cannot be avoided,” Li Yizhong, minister of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) told a pres conference yesterday. Li, who was reported to have yelled and pounded his desk because of a series of serious accidents last month, said “mental preparation” is needed for a long and ardous journey before China can step out of a highly accident-prone period.
He hoped the country’s safety situation would see a significant improvement in about 10 to 15 years. Huang Shuxian, deputy minister of the Ministry of Supervision, also announced yesterday the results of investigations into 11 major accidents, seven mining and four others, which claimed 535 lives, with 11 still missing and an economic loss of 415 million yuan (US$53 million). The investigations resulted in 117 people being transferred to judicial departments to face possible criminal charges, and 166 officials, including two provincial-level, were given various administrative sanctions.
Li said that some businessmen turn a blind eye to the law, chaotic management and bad supervision of local governments. Corruption should also be blamed. “Behind the curtain of some accidents are problems like dereliction of duty, money-for-power, as well as collusion between businessmen and officials,” Li said.

—The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item