Chinese premier stresses importance of workplace safety, prevention of major accidents

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday urged efforts to ensure production safety and resolutely prevent serious and major accidents to protect people's lives and property.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, gave the instruction to a national video teleconference held by the Work Safety Committee of China's State Council.

Emphasizing that accidents have occurred in some regions and industries this year, Li urged local governments and related authorities to coordinate development and safety, and implement work safety responsibilities and measures at all levels to effectively eliminate grave safety risks.

He also stressed the need to strengthen safety supervision further. Solid steps should be taken to address any potential safety risks related to self-built commercial housing and the use of gas in urban areas, and the special administration of key industries such as transportation, mining, construction, hazardous chemicals, water vessels and fire protection should be strengthened.

Liu He, Chinese vice-premier and head of the Work Safety Committee of the State Council, attended the teleconference with State Councilors Wang Yong and Zhao Kezhi, who are both deputy heads of the committee.

The meeting underlined the importance of efforts to prevent serious and major accidents and comprehensively investigate and control major risks and hidden dangers.

Measures should also be taken to hold those responsible for accidents strictly accountable in accordance with laws and regulations, and to strengthen risk monitoring, early warning procedures and on-site supervision to implement production safety work well in the second half of the year, the meeting decided.