Safety the priority; profits cannot come before lives

The explosion outside a chemical factory in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, which killed at least 23 people early on Wednesday, sounded another alarm for workplace safety nationwide.

A preliminary investigation by the local fire department and power supply company found the accident, which also left 22 people injured and dozens of trucks and passenger cars, as well as power lines, destroyed by fire, was caused by a truck carrying a combustible chemical exploding while waiting to enter the plant. Why it exploded is not yet known, though.

It followed a string of "serious accidents" in the country since October, each involving the deaths of at least 10 people. And although it will take some time to get the final results of the probe into what caused the tragedy in Zhangjiakou, failure to observe safety rules and procedures in handling hazardous materials is often the cause of such accidents.