Lax laws, lack of funds make China's mines deadliest
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The lax enforcement of safety laws, coupled with inadequate investment in equipment, are partly to blame for China having the world's most deadly coal mines, a senior safety official has said.
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Two miners are rushed to hospital from the back of a truck after being caught up in a gas explosion on Saturday at a coal mine in Enshi, Hubei province. At least 10 miners were killed and another nine injured in the accident. |
China's low efficiency in the use of coal, the country's main source of energy, to feed its booming economy makes it necessary to mine more of it.
This creates the potential for more safety risks and underlines the paramount importance of preventing further mining accidents, Huang Yi, spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety, said in an interview with the Beijing-based Economic Observer.
"Punishments specified by the (relevant) laws are very harsh," said Huang. "But the problem is that enforcement of these laws is not strict."
Safety rules made by the central government have not been carried out at every mine in the country and, in some cases, miners lack the most rudimentary knowledge of these rules, let alone the relevant laws, he said.
For instance, the heaviest fine specified by the national safety laws amounts to 2 million yuan ($300,000). However, not a single coal mine in China has ever incurred such a heavy fine for safety violations, Huang said.
