First Phase Report from China National Work Safety Inspection Indicates Huge Improvements in Work Safety

The first official statistics have been revealed from the work safety inspection program rolled out nationwide following the Tianjin disaster. From late August to early September, law enforcement activities have been carried out 861 thousand times with more than 1 million hidden dangers identified and issued with rectification notices. Among the enterprises which failed to pass the inspections, 10269 were forced to suspend production for rectification, 2550 were banned and shut down, 5798 were subject to license revocation or suspension, and 926 persons will be further investigated for criminal liability. In September 2015, the number of large and severe accidents and the death toll dropped by 40.3% and 27.9% respectively (year on year comparison).