China's Ministry of Emergency Management vows to stop the reoccurrence of serious and major accidents at a press conference on May 10, 2023. Photo: Ministry of Emergency Management

China's Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday vowed to prevent frequent serious and major accidents by screening and removing major risks nationwide and encouraged the public to tip off workplace accidents.

Targeted investigations and rectification will be carried out immediately across key industries such as coal mines, chemicals, transportation, construction, fire safety, gas, fishing vessels, and industrial trade, said Wang Chongxian, head of the security coordination department of the ministry.  

China has seen an overall decline in the total number of workplace accidents,  but the number of serious and major accidents has rebounded this year, according to the ministry.

Wang said China's current work safety situation remains complex, mentioning the April hospital fire in Beijing which killed 29 people, and the collapse of an open-pit coal mine in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in February, which resulted in 53 people missing, two dead and six injured.

Public whistle-blowing is an important way to enhance workplace safety, said Li Haowen, the ministry's work safety monitor, citing the public revealing of a fake accident report on the iron mine flooding in North China's Tangshan which killed 14 people but was initially covered up by local officials.

A large number of major hazards and illegal activities have been investigated and dealt with through reporting. 

In 2022, China has received more than 210,000 public tip-offs related to workplace accidents, with over 130,000 validated by related authorities. 

The Ministry of Emergency Management has developed a "safety production reporting platform" which the public could enter to report on safety issues through a WeChat mini-program. 

Global Times