Southern Metropolis Daily:

In recent years, China's production safety has been kept stable and continued to become better. However, serious and major accidents sometimes occur, making people feel less secure. Under such circumstances, could you please provide the measures and arrangements that the MEM has taken to prevent serious and major workplace accidents? Thank you.

Song Yuanming:

As you mentioned, a serious accident usually involves 10 or more deaths, while a major accident refers to an accident leaving 30 or more people dead. A serious or major accident will surely weaken people's sense of security. Hence, it is a major task for the MEM to prevent such accidents, and we have constantly attached great importance to this major task. In the past decade, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the number of serious and major accidents dropped to 17 in 2021 from 59 in 2012, or 1.4 per month from five per month on average, registering a decrease of 71%. In particular, since the MEM was established in 2018, we have set a record for the longest duration without serious or major accidents since the founding of the PRC, which is 29 months. Since the beginning of this year, there have been five serious and major accidents up to now, dropping by seven or 58% compared with the same period of last year. We have made our continuous efforts mainly in the following four aspects.

The four aspects can be summarized as a red line, a responsibility system, a series of special campaigns, and a new capacity level.

First, we have made great efforts to publicize and safeguard "a red line." Early in June 2013, the general secretary clearly pointed out that "we can never pursue development at the cost of people's lives. This is a red line that cannot be overstepped." He also emphasized that the idea must be followed clearly, adamantly and resolutely. His instructions have become major standards for our efforts to coordinate development and safety. Over the past years, we have firmly held to this red line and adopted various methods to widely publicize the principle, leading to the formation of an environment focusing on workplace safety while pursuing development.  

Second, we have made great efforts to push ahead with establishing a responsibility system, which includes three aspects. The first focuses on local Party and government leadership's responsibility, ensuring that both Party committees and governments assume responsibility as required by the general secretary. For instance, the State Council has carried out a workplace safety assessment on provincial governments for six consecutive years, and implemented one-vote-veto practice for provinces where major accidents happened. The second focuses on the regulatory responsibility of government departments. This will ensure that the requirement of being responsible for both industrial development and workplace safety can be implemented. The third is the primary responsibility of enterprises. These three responsibilities have constituted a set of responsibility systems for workplace safety.

Third, we have taken decisive actions to implement a series of special campaigns to ensure workplace safety. We have carried out special campaigns to eliminate major potential dangers that easily lead to a large number of deaths and injuries. This is an effective method with Chinese characteristics that integrates administrative, economic, legal, sci-tech tools as well as industrial structure adjustments. For example, we have launched a three-year-long special campaign to treat hidden dangers in hazardous chemicals, mines, fire safety, traffic and transportation, fishing vessels, and industrial parks. Meanwhile, we have promptly studied and judged new risks that emerged from some new situations and business forms. We have promoted special actions regulating self-built houses for commercial purposes, gas, electric bicycles, electrochemical energy storage and offshore wind power, among other fields.

Fourth, we have made great efforts to improve our capacity and level of the rule of law in production safety. In the past decade, we have made amendments twice to the Law on Workplace Safety , promulgated the 11th amendment to the Criminal Law, and constantly adjusted and revised the Criteria for Determining Major Hidden Dangers in different industries to make the laws and regulations more stringent and precise. At the same time, we have also accelerated the reform of comprehensive administrative law enforcement for emergency management, and vigorously enhanced the authority and professionalism of workplace safety law enforcement teams. We have also strengthened law enforcement inspections, and stepped up efforts to crack down on violations. At the same time, we have established a reporting system, encouraged and rewarded whistleblowers, seriously investigated and handled accidents, and further enhanced the deterrence of workplace safety law enforcement.

Next, we will continue to focus on preventing major and severe accidents. We will coordinate economic development, epidemic prevention and control, and work safety, and take concrete actions to welcome the 20th CPC National Congress. Thank you.