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Shanghai pledges to improve work safety

By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-13 07:39

SHANGHAI -- Authorities in Shanghai have vowed to do more to improve safety at construction sites, a senior official said Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Xie Liming, director of the Shanghai administration of work safety, said authorities face a tough challenge on the approach to the 2010 World Expo, as the 170 billion yuan ($24.5 billion) being spent on new buildings is more than twice that of previous years.

The investment is part of the municipal government's efforts to stimulate domestic consumption in the face of the economic downturn, as well as the need to speed up investment for the Expo, he said.

Meanwhile, more accidents are likely to occur during the current industrial restructuring of the city, as firms are prone to reduce their spending on safety measures due to the economic situation, Xie said.

In response, the government will increase monitoring of key construction projects and promote technological and managerial innovation to enhance the capability to identify risks, he said.

Shanghai is home to more than 14,000 high-rises that are over 24 m high, and boasts the country's longest subway network at 234 km, with another 100 km under construction, Xie said.

Last month, two men were killed and six others were injured in two separate incidents at subway construction sites in the city, raising new safety concerns.

In response, Jiang Shujie, deputy director of the municipal urban and rural development and transportation commission, said authorities will continue to try to identify and eliminate hazards at subway construction sites.

"Meanwhile, the government will provide more education for workers to minimize the risks," he said.

Measures to improve traffic safety are also to be considered following an accident on Tuesday, in which a man was seriously injured when his car careened off a flyover that was under construction, Xie said.

Traffic accidents in Shanghai claimed the lives of 1,100 people last year, 70 percent of all unnatural deaths, according to the municipal work safety administration.

"Experience has shown us that we need to boost our risk control and safety monitoring efforts during times of high investment and accelerated development, as these are times when there is a higher risk of accidents," Xie said.