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| 2002 In Review: China vows to strengthen work safety |
| CCTV.COM 2002-12-25 14:12:55 |
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Looking back on the year 2002, though only a few natural disasters occurred in China, some accidents have still left some tragic marks in the past year. Coal mine explosions, air crashes and a cyber cafe fire are among some of the events that will evoke sad memories. Despite these terrible events, China has never shied away from its resolution to tighten safety measures.
Relatives waited for the return of their loved ones, but all that remained from the plane crash was debris and mangled bodies. An Air China passenger plane, a Boeing 767, enroute from Beijing to Pusan crashed on April 15 into a wooded hill in heavy fog, killing most of the 166 passengers and crew members on board. It was the first Air China accident in nearly fifty years.
No one could have imagined that just three weeks’ later, a similar air tragedy occurred. On May 7, a China Northern Airplane plunged into the sea off the northeast coastal city of Dalian, and all 112 aboard were killed.
Shortly after the May 7 event, nine major measures were put forward by the CAAC, including a thorough checkup for all the airplanes, a comprehensive exam for all pilots, and the creation of a clear－cut responsibility system.
Besides air crashes, nothing is of more concern for work safety officials than the continuous coal mining accidents, especially those that occurred during the first half of the year, the most serious in Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province and at Nandan coal mine, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This string of disasters set alarm bells ringing for the security administrations in 2002.
Statistics shows that within the first half of the year, mine accidents claimed 3393 lives in 2014 accidents.
"The direct reasons for these accidents can be summarized in three aspects: firstly, the responsibility system couldn't be put into operation in a practical way； secondly, many accidents were actually the outcome of hidden dangers left over in previous times； and thirdly, low safety standards by the management in small coal mines," said Zhao Tiechui, deputy director general of State Administration of Work Safety.
So far, work safety officials have undertaken a series of measures to fight against these coal mine accidents, including full discussions on gas administration, strict supervision over coal mines in undeveloped areas, and the enhancement of legal supervision by safety officials. Frequent safety checkups throughout the whole country are also being carried out as a result.
Internet cafes have been springing up all over the country in recent years. One hit the headlines on June 16 of this year. A fire in a packed illegally－operated Internet cafe called Lanjisu, claimed 25 young lives in Beijing. It was later found out that two boys, aged 13 and 14, used gasoline to set the Internet caf岢 ablaze to take revenge on staff who would not let them use the computers.
Due to the lack of fire－prevention and fire－control facilities, the iron bars over the cafe's windows prevented many from escaping. Following the disaster, the government suspended all of Beijing's Internet cafes' business for safety inspections. A tough government regulation on cyber cafe safety has become a must. Adequate safety facilities, especially in fire prevention, are highlighted.
New cyber caf岢 laws have been released recently by the State Council to improve the administration of public Internet access service. Cyber cafes operating without a security qualification certificate will be regarded as illegal.
The accidental dumping of seven tons of arsenic in the Jinxin River on the upper reaches of the Pearl River on December 11, and a ship collision on the Yangtze River in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on December 18, which caused 40 innocent lives, are examples of the flouting of work safety rules.
In response to these disasters, work safety officials warned a stricter regulation system as well as a series of precaution measures needed to be enforced.
Despite these disasters, China has made rapid progress in ensuring effective work safety management during the past year.
Take transport for example, with the rapid increase of automobiles, road traffic fatalities however, have fallen by over 3 percent.
Industrial accidents decreased by 9 percent, coal mining by nearly 14 percent and maritime by 22 percent.
China released its first－ever Law of Work Safety in 2002, which further enhanced safety legislation in the work place.
“Generally speaking, the situation of work safety in China is much better now. We are still facing many challenges, but I believe we can prevent such disasters through the formation of a long－term, effective work and safety administration system. Full implement of our rules and regulations, and a more public awareness about safety and concern about life is needed," said Zhao.
Although the year 2002 has seen an overall improvement in work safety compared with last year, officials admit that it's impossible to eliminate accidents completely. However, they vowed to take all necessary measures so as to try and prevent a repeat of the tragedies that happened in 2002.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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