China issues guideline to improve work safety

BEIJING -- China issued a guideline Sunday on improving work safety, seeking to plug the holes in its supervision mechanism, laws and safety standards to effectively prevent accidents.

The country vowed to optimize its supervision and management mechanism as well as laws and regulations to "significantly" reduce workplace accidents by 2020, according to the guideline, jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and State Council.

China will not sacrifice safety for development, it said.

The guideline clarified the definition and division of responsibilities concerning workplace safety.

The country planned to amend its criminal law to include workplace malpractices that easily lead to major accidents, according to the guideline.

It noted the country would increase financial input to enhance workplace risk control and prevent work-related illness, while improving management and auditing to make sure the money would be wisely spent.

China's work safety has been improving, it said, but more efforts would be needed as many problems remain.

The guideline came after a series of deadly accidents, ranging from mining disasters to power plant collapse. In one of the accidents, 74 people were killed last month when a platform for a cooling tower being constructed as part of a power plant collapsed in East Jiangxi province.