China sees less workplace accidents in January

BEIJING -- The first month of 2017 saw less workplace accidents after the government continued its efforts to curb illegal operations, official data showed Thursday.

The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) reported 2,174 workplace safety accidents in January, down 24.7 percent from a year earlier.

Those accidents involved 1,425 deaths, down 18.2 percent from same period last year, Su Jie, SAWS spokesperson, told a press conference.

The first month of 2017 saw 47 major workplace accidents, resulting in 189 deaths, down 16.1 percent and 15.2 percent year on year, respectively, according to Su.

In China, an accident killing over 10 people, injuring over 50 or resulting in more than 50 million yuan (about $7.2 million) in direct economic losses is classed as major.

Meanwhile, only one major accident occurred during the Spring Festival period from Jan 27 to Feb 2, resulting in the death of five people, the lowest death record in ten years during Spring Festival, according to SAWS.

Most of the accidents happened in building construction sites, coal mines and chemical factories, according to Su.

Despite regular calls by the government for more focus on work safety, tragedies still occur. A lack of safety awareness, poor regulation and lax implementation of safety measures are among the factors leading to the accidents.