The State General Administration of?Work Safety (SGAWS)
announced on Tuesday that all coal mines deemed to be vulnerable to
gas explosions will have to be equipped with a safety monitoring
system by December.
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The SGAWS has earmarked 50.2 million yuan (US$6.07 million) to 15
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities for the
construction of safety monitoring systems in 104 coal mines.
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The digital systems will be mainly used to monitor gas levels in
mines, as gas blasts have become a top killer in the mining
industry, said a SGAWS notice.
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By December, coal mines that haven't installed the system or whose
systems fail to work well will be closed. Coal mines whose
monitoring systems are not coordinated with local safety
supervision authorities will have to stop production to straighten
out their problems.
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The SGAWS warned that a nationwide initiative would soon be
launched to evaluate the operation of the new systems.
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According to the government, approximately 95 percent of coal mine
accidents with a death toll of more than 100 since 1949 have been
caused by gas blasts.
(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2005)