The interim regulation on disciplinary punishment of officials
responsible for industrial accidents is expected to strengthen
safety, but there are more knots to be untied before worksite
casualties can be substantially reduced.
The new rule, released by two central ministries, specifically
defines punishments for negligent and law-breaking officials, which
will assist the implementation of the Production Safety Law and
relevant State Council regulations.
But the devil will be in the detail. Although the Production
Safety Law and other regulations have clauses to this effect, they
seem too rough to work effectively.
The new rule is expected to fill the gap and help cut links
between corrupt officials and local mine owners.
The release of the rule is timely, as coal mine accidents are
mounting.
In the first half of this year, the death toll dropped over the
same period last year, with casualties down by 13 percent. However,
it is again rising with the latest string of accidents in the
coal-mining industry, which recently increased production to cater
for a surge in demand for winter heating fuel.
As an appalling footnote to that trend, four serious accidents
have occurred within eight days since November 5, killing more than
100 workers.
The nation continues to probe the causes of workplace accidents
and has, quite rightly, pointed to several major factors behind the
scourge inadequate safety input, lack of safety awareness, lax
management, loose regulation and corruption.
The state is pouring billions of yuan into technical upgrading
and safety promotion in mines. But money cannot buy safety unless
all concerned are made to truly care about it.
Investigations have netted several local regulators this year
colluding with mine owners to circumvent production safety rules.
They confirm public doubt that, in some cases at least, it is not
that regulators are unable to sense problems, but they simply turn
a blind eye to them.
With the new rule released, central regulators are equipped with
a powerful weapon to rein in corruption in the local mining
industry.
But we would be over-confident if we put all our hope in such a
rule. Market demand for coal and other resources is expected to
grow further in the coming years. As demand grows, coal producers
may try to circumvent regulations to make more profit. It will put
the new law to the test.
Without raising our resource efficiency to cut demand, the
situation will hardly improve.
Moreover, our administrative procedures also need to be made
more transparent to invite public supervision.
(China Daily November 23, 2006)