The city government of Shanghai is taking measures to cut down on the number of on-the-job deaths in private enterprises. Safety equipment in private firms will be required to undergo examination this year.
Last year, 51 employees of privately owned enterprises were killed in on-the-job accidents, an increase of about 10.9 percent over the 46 such deaths in 1999, according to statistics from the Shanghai Municipal Economic Commission.
Measures should be launched now to strengthen safety in the workplace this year to guarantee a smooth beginning for the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), said the commission recently.
Apart from examinations instituted by the departments concerned, measures will be taken by the commission this year requiring firms in the private sector to carry out regular safety checks on their own premises to eliminate possible danger spots. As a result of the lack of safety measures, there were 26 deaths on the job caused by falling objects in 2000, double the number for 1999.
Accidents on the job will be investigated immediately, and those responsible will be punished according to the law, said the commission.
Firms that fail to institute proper safety measures will be the first to be held responsible in the case of accidents, officials said.
(China Daily 02/16/2001)
