The city government 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)
|
