China unveils standard to strengthen safety in urban housing projects

BEIJING -- China has unveiled a standard on major hidden dangers in the urban housing projects to ensure workplace safety and prevent major accidents.

The major hidden dangers in the housing sector include highly hazardous problems that may cause death, injury, or major economic loss during the construction process, according to the standard issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Enterprises and workers constructing buildings without licenses should be identified as major production hidden perils, it said.

In recent years, China's work safety in the construction sector has been generally stable, with fewer major accidents reported, an official with the ministry said. However, the official warned that the total number of accidents still remains relatively high, and the risk of major accidents has not yet been eradicated.

The ministry called on relative departments to focus on safety inspections on major projects and high-risk operations, so as to eliminate major hidden dangers and ensure the risks at construction sites are controllable.