China has taken strict measures to guarantee work safety during the coming May Day holiday, said a spokesman with the national work safety watchdog Thursday.

Huang Yi, spokesman of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), told a press conference that to ensure work safety is a priority during the holiday from May 1 to 7, a golden travel season for Chinese people. Safety in public places and scenic spots is the most important, Huang said.

To guarantee work safety during the holiday, all localities are required to make careful examination to remove all risks and work out plans for dealing with possible emergencies, said Huang.

He said relevant leaders at all levels should be on duty during the holiday so that they can get informed of the work safety situation and solve problems on time. Besides, the media is urged to publicize work safety issues and help increase the public's safety awareness, Huang added.

According to a press release, A total of 31,371 people were killed in 236,048 accidents in the first quarter in China. The accidents decreased by 5.9 percent but the number of fatalities increased by 3.0 percent year-on-year.