Premier Wen
Jiabao has outlined a series of measures to improve work
safety, including more investment in work safety facilities, to
curb the rising trend of fatal workplace accidents.
Addressing a national teleconference on work safety which ended
on Tuesday, Wen said that work safety is a key responsibility for
government at all levels.
Economic development should never be achieved at the expense of
lives, Wen said.
Fatal accidents in the coalmining sector and other industries in
recent months show that the work safety situation in China is still
serious, Wen said.
Work safety will be a key criterion for measuring the job
performance of leading government officials, he said, adding that a
work safety evaluation mechanism will be set up.
He said economic policies will be adopted including the
compulsory allocation of money for work safety, and economic
compensation for the loss of life or injury.
On work safety in the coalmining sector, he said China will step
up its reorganization, encouraging large firms to merge with
smaller ones.
The central government will increase funding for technological
measures to improve work safety in state-owned coalmines, he
added.
Wen said China will try to install work safety facilities in all
state-owned coalmines within two years.
He said the country will complete the overhaul of smaller mines
where the incidence of work safety accidents are potentially
higher.
Wen stressed that rules on work safety should be followed to the
letter and a compulsory work safety training mechanism will be
introduced so that each employee receives the training required by
law.
He also called for tougher measures to punish those responsible
for accidents and for failing to enforce work safety laws.
Wen urged local government leaders to spend the time overseeing
the upgrade of small coalmines during the upcoming
Chinese lunar New Year holidays, which begins on January
29.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2006)