Human factors, instead of natural disasters, are to blame for deadly production accidents, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

At a meeting on work safety held last week, Li Yizhong, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, said poor safety prevention work, instead of natural disasters, was to blame for the several deadly accidents that have happened lately. He made the remarks when some officials blamed natural disasters for the accidents.

Li angrily disputed this.

Last month, some 181 miners were trapped hundreds of meters underground without hope of survival in Xintai, East China's Shandong Province, as a result of rainstorms that broke a nearby river bank. Analysts pointed out that if preventive measures, such as building and harnessing a dam and digging a canal were taken, the accident could have been avoided. If mine operators ceased work during rainstorms, the lives of many miners could be saved.

Traditionally, mine companies pay more attention to internal details rather than external factors such as rivers and mountains. Related departments watch for seasonal climate changes but are ill-prepared for emergencies. Statistics show that there were 16 serious accidents in the past two months, in which seven were caused by natural disasters. On one hand it shows more accidents are being caused by natural disasters, and on the other, poor prevention measures and warning systems.

There will more extreme weather impacting on work safety. It is useless to blame nature. We must tighten our safety measures.

It is vital to set up a prevention system against natural disasters. It should include clear responsibilities, division of work and cooperation of all concerned departments.

Companies play import roles in the implementation of policies, they must watch for changes in the environment, pay attention to information provided by the authorities and take preventive measures.

(China Daily September 11, 2007)