Watchdog chief points to safety challenges
A day after 13 people were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Hunan province, the chief of China's work safety watchdog identified safety challenges and called for improvements in emergency response systems at an international work safety forum on Tuesday in Beijing.
The blast on Monday afternoon at the Nanyang Export Fireworks Factory in Baofeng, near the city of Liling, occurred while 47 employees were working. In addition to the 13 fatalities, 33 people were injured, including three passersby. One person is missing.
Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, stressed the severe challenges in maintaining workplace safety and said outdated technology and equipment in China's small and medium-sized companies is one of the primary factors behind recent accidents.
