State Councilor Hua Jianmin said on Tuesday that the government
will strengthen supervision to improve work safety and occupational
health.
"The national situation of industrial safety is still serious
although there are signs of improvement and the country, in the
process of industrialization, has established a far too weak safety
infrastructure," Hua said at the opening of the third China
International Occupational Safety and Health Exhibition.
Hua, who is also secretary-general of the State Council, said
the work safety accountability system at local government level and
in enterprises should be improved and strictly enforced.
The death toll in industrial accidents was 13,600 in China in
2004 when the gross domestic product reached 13.6 trillion yuan
(US$1.64 trillion), which meant every million yuan worth of GDP
cost one person's life.
He also said safety equipment and labor protection and
occupational health protection products should be updated.
The four-day exhibition is being held at the National
Agriculture Exhibition Hall and will display the latest
technologies, products and concepts in the field of work safety and
occupational health.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2006)
