A new city regulation on occupational safety should go into effect by the end of this year, Li Jianwei, director of the Beijing Production Supervision and Management Bureau said on Thursday.

Li said the draft had passed the first round of deliberation by the local legislature and would soon go for second round of examination. Once it is approved, the new regulation will be formally implemented, he said.

Li also disclosed the municipality's latest statistics on industrial accidents.

In the six-month period from January to June, a total of 76 accidents occurred, rising 16.9 percent from the same period in 2003. The number of resulting fatalities jumped 38.2 percent, to 94.

Thirty-six of the accidents occurred on construction sites, killing 41; another 15 involved coal mines, with a death toll of 24.

To improve the situation, the municipal government has mapped out specific objectives and is optimizing its management and supervision methods to conduct timely checks on the work environment in accident-prone areas.

In the second half of the year, priority will be given to the management of dangerous chemicals and coal mines. Every company will be required to designate people or departments to be responsible for improving occupational safety, said Li.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2004)