Spot investigations and work safety supervision tours are to be organized by watchdogs to try to improve safety in China's petroleum and chemical industries, officials said.

Hundreds of workers are still killed in the sectors each year in China.

The two industries were in the spotlight on Friday, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

"Safety at work is the most fundamental requirement for any worker," said Liang Jiakun, vice-minister of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

He was speaking at a seminar hosted by SAWS and the International Labour Organization (ILO) China Office.

About 500 petroleum and chemical accidents were reported annually between 2001 and 2004, causing the deaths of more than 700 workers each year, said Meng Quansheng, vice-president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association.

In December 2003, 243 people were killed in a deadly gas blowout in Luojia N. 16H gas well in Kaixian County, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The gas well is owned by China National Petroleum Corporation.

In March this year, a gas leakage in the Luojia No 2 well in Gaoqiao Town of Kaixian forced more than 10,000 people living nearby to evacuate.

"These disasters, together with many serious pollution incidents, were mainly caused by management regulation loopholes," Meng said. Pollution caused by heavy traffic and factories is rife in many parts of China.

Zhang Guanghua, director of SAWS' Department of Chemical Safety, said accident and casualty numbers during the first four months of this year were comparable to last year's figures.

But higher attention should be paid to work safety in the chemical sector because production will enter the "peak season" in the coming months, she said.

In 1992, the petrochemical industry began to adopt a "responsible care" system under the supervision of a third party, which highlighted workers' health and safety issues, Meng noted.

For example, China's two petroleum giants, the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, and the China National Petroleum Corporation have promised to regularly publicize their efforts to fulfil their social responsibilities, he said.

"Lessons drawn from such examples will be expanded to other companies in the near future," Meng added.

China will learn from foreign experiences in steering its petroleum and chemical industries down a safer road, said Liang from SAWS.

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