Beijing has been conducting a year-long survey on occupational diseases in 12 sectors in the Beijing municipal area, according to the municipal bureau of work safety.

Targeted sectors include coal mining, mining and processing of metallic or non-metallic ores, leather-making, construction, news publishing and printing, according to Zhang Shusen, deputy director of the bureau.

The official said the society underestimated the seriousness of occupational diseases, and the damage they do, because they tend to be hidden and their period of latency is often long. Only 3,000 enterprises, involving 114,000 employees, had made reports about occupational diseases and related hazards for the year ending June 30, 2005, said Zhang.

Thirteen people died and 66 others fell ill in 29 cases of acute occupational poisoning between 2003 and 2005 in Greater Beijing.

"We intend to build an information database on occupational diseases and hazards in designated sectors and provide relevant government departments with information they can act on," said the official.

The survey began this month and will last until next December.