On October 22, 2023, the Ministry of Emergency Management of China reported significant improvements in safety conditions across the nation during the first three quarters of 2024. According to the ministry, there was a remarkable decrease in the number of major accidents, with incidents and fatalities dropping by 53.8% and 54.5%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
During a press conference held by the Ministry of Emergency Management, spokesperson Shen Zhanli shared that the country’s overall production safety situation has shown stability and improvement in the past nine months.
He highlighted that the total number of accidents continued to decline, with 14,402 safety incidents reported nationwide, resulting in 13,412 fatalities. This represents year-on-year decreases of 24.5% and 18.4%. Notably, 30 out of 32 provincial-level units reported a “double decline” in both accident numbers and fatalities. Key industries such as coal mining, non-metallic mining, construction, and transport across various modes also saw similar improvements.
In terms of major accidents, only six high-impact incidents occurred in the first three quarters, resulting in 110 deaths, marking a substantial drop of 53.8% and 54.5% compared to the previous year.
As we approach the fourth quarter, traditionally a busy period for production and a time when safety accidents tend to spike, Shen expressed caution. He mentioned that while the overall safety situation is stable, certain regions and industries remain susceptible to typical risks, particularly in transportation, fishing vessels, hazardous materials storage and transit, and some areas of the cultural and tourism sector.
This year, the Ministry has implemented comprehensive safety inspections across 31 provinces and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps through three rounds of checks led by the State Council’s safety production committee. During the press conference, safety supervision commissioner Bian Weihua reported that inspections were carried out at 2,834 enterprises, uncovering 11,243 safety hazards, including 256 classified as major accident risks. The State Council’s office has therefore issued corrective action letters to provincial-level safety committees, detailing the issues and mandating accountability for their resolution.
As of now, 10,518 issues identified during inspections have been rectified, achieving a correction rate of 93.5%, and 235 major accident hazards have been addressed, with a correction rate of 92%.
