Courts to get tough on workplace safety

People who neglect workplace safety should be "severely" punished, China's Supreme Court said yesterday.

The ruling follows the country's deadliest blaze in over a decade at a poultry processing plant where 120 people died.

Last week's fire at the Baoyuanfeng plant in northeastern Jilin Province renewed concerns over safety after it was reported that only one door was unlocked while workers were trying to escape.

The Supreme Court issued a notice yesterday requesting courts at all levels to deal severely with crimes that jeopardize safety at work, Xinhua news agency reported.

Major and sensitive criminal cases related to work safety may be handed over to higher level courts in accordance with the law, the statement said.

Courts at all levels should also harshly punish government employees whose corruption results in accidents at work, it said.

Severe penalties will also be given to those who allow work safety violations, as well as violators who do not effectively implement damage control measures after accidents or who fail to initiate rescue efforts in a timely manner, it added.

The court described several "particularly vile" scenarios, including "discovering safety risks but not eliminating them, not guaranteeing basic work safety, and not proactively rescuing workers after accidents happen."

It also urged appropriate punishment for bosses who order staff to work in risky conditions or pay bribes to avoid regulation.

When the poultry plant fire spread after an apparent chemical leak, workers were blocked from escaping because only one of the building doors was open, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. Other doors were locked to prevent workers taking toilet breaks, the national broadcaster CCTV said.

The chairman and general manager at the plant were arrested, the government said last week.

The fire was China's worst since December 25, 2000, when a blaze at a shopping center in Luoyang in central Henan Province left 309 people dead.

Fatal accidents are reported regularly at Chinese mines and factories, with critics blaming lax enforcement of rules.