Home / Government / Central Government News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Accident System Approved
Adjust font size:

The State Council has approved the establishment a cross-ministerial coordination meeting system to track down those responsible for severe workplace accidents.

Led by the Ministry of Supervision, the system incorporates the public security and justice ministries, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The system was set up to strengthen information sharing and coordination in identifying those responsible for serious workplace accidents, a statement on www.gov.cn, the official website of the central government, said.

The system will also help authorities to crack down on criminal activities such as trying to hide an accident, delaying the release of information about it or fleeing the scene.

One vice-minister from each of the six ministries have been named as lead participants of the meeting system, with Chen Changzhi, deputy minister of supervision as convener.

The six ministries will, in principle, meet once a year to discuss problems relating to work safety and as required in the event of an emergency.

It is already standard practice for an investigative team comprising officials from various ministries to be set up in the event of a serious accident.

After 64 people were killed last month when a bridge collapsed in Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, an investigative team comprising representatives of the SAWS, the ministries of supervision, construction and communications, and the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate was formed.

The State Council has already rolled out a regulation on the reporting of production safety, in which it stressed the establishment of a coordinated system between the work safety administration and judicial departments on dealing with those responsible for accidents.

The SAWS and the Ministry of Supervision also unveiled a regulation specifying the penalties for illegal activities detected in workplace accidents last year.

In an interview with the Southern Weekend last month, Huang Yi, a SAWS spokesman, said such a system is necessary, as it usually requires several departments to punish those responsible.

"People who violate criminal laws will be transferred to judicial departments and the supervisory department will hand out administrative penalties," he said.

"It is a joint effort, and thus requires cross-ministerial communication."

The system will ensure the implementation of the punishment, he said.

"We can't let those responsible get away with it when the cause of the accident is clear," he said.

The SAWS website said 62,557 people have been killed in workplace accidents between January and August.

(China Daily September 19, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- 193 Punished for Violating Work Safety Regulations
- Public and Media Urged to Report Accidents
- China to Close down 10,000 Collieries
- Watchdog Urges Supervision over Workplace Safety
- Fatalities Down in Major Accidents
- Improper Rescues Claim More Lives
Most Viewed >>
Questions and Answers More
Q: What kind of law is there in place to protect pandas?
A: In order to put the protection of giant pandas and other wildlife under the law, the Chinese government put the protection of rare animals and plants into the Constitution.
Useful Info
- Who's Who in China's Leadership
- State Structure
- China's Political System
- China's Legislative System
- China's Judicial System
- Mapping out 11th Five-Year Guidelines
Links
- Chinese Embassies
- International Department, Central Committee of CPC
- State Organs Work Committee of CPC
- United Front Work Department, Central Committee of CPC