China Vigorous on Work Safety: ReportThe State Administration of Work Safety Supervision (SAWSS), the country's top watchdog on production safety, issued a circular Friday requiring authorities concerned to put on-the-job safety on the top of their working agenda.According to Saturday's China Daily, officials with a lax attitude toward accidents will be punished severely in accordance with the laws and regulations governing work safety. Zhang Baoming, head of SAWSS and the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety Supervision, also told a symposium Friday that inefficiency in the current system has drawn much attention and reform is on the agenda. The establishment of Zhang's administration, which came into existence in March, is part of the reform. In addition, the State Council has set up a special commission to coordinate work safety supervision. According to Zhang, the reform plan, mapped out by the State Economic and Trade Commission, has been approved by the State Council. Currently over 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions are making preparations for the establishment of their own safety authorities. Statistics indicate that over the past six months, up to 28,000 firecracker manufacturers and 594 state-owned coal mines have been closed down. China has shut down another 33,220 small coal mines and 18,900 are expected to be closed this year. |
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