A new national campaign, aimed at improving work safety awareness, was launched Sunday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

The theme of the campaign is "Abiding by Rules and Laws, Caring for Life," said Li Yizhong, director of the General Administration of Work Safety (GAWS), at a special ceremony to mark the start of the campaign, the fourth of its kind.

"I hope that, through the campaign, society will develop a sense of law that combines safety as well," Li said.

The campaign this year is jointly sponsored by five organizations including GAWS. It will focus on Guangdong, Hunan and Hubei provinces and will conclude on June 29.

Apart from the campaign, the Chinese government has also named June as the "Work Safety Month," in order to step up public awareness in this regard.

Statistics show that work-related accidents across the country killed over 130,000 people and injured 700,000 others last year.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2005)