On December 25th, China’s State Council’s Work Safety Committee called on the Heilongjiang provincial government to take decisive action to ensure production safety in the province. Wang Xiangxi, the committee’s deputy director and emergency management minister, emphasized the need for the government to address the frequent major accidents which have occurred in the province. These accidents include a coal mine gas explosion in Shuangyashan City on November 28th that resulted in 11 deaths, and a coal mine transport accident in Jixi City on December 20th which resulted in 12 deaths, both of which involved cover-ups and false reporting.
The committee stated that these incidents highlight the lack of learning from previous accidents and a lack of legal awareness among local businesses. It stressed the importance of the province taking on the responsibility to ensure the safety of the province’s development and coordinate efforts to implement safety measures. The committee called for a rigorous industrial overhaul on work safety to cover all mines in the province and to prevent further serious and major accidents.
Moreover, the committee will oversee the investigation into the coal mine transport accident in Jixi City.
