Increasing compensation pay outs for victims of mining accidents can be an effective way to curb the toll of pit disasters, said an article in the Beijing News. An excerpt follows:

The gas explosion at Sunjiawan coal mine in Liaoning Province on February 14 killed more than 200 miners.

It is notable that most of the serious accidents in the past year took place in State-owned large mines.

Inadequate input in the area of work safety is the main cause of such accidents. And serious dangers exist even in State-owned mines, whose safety measures are better than those of smaller, privately owned ones. The excessive pursuit of profit can easily result in accidents.

After decades of making little money, in 2003 the coal mining industry not only made up the deficit but went into surplus. The price of coal has increased much in the past two years, which in turn has pushed up pressure on mine owners to greatly expand production.

The effectiveness of administrative measures to curb cavalier attitudes to safety in the coal mining industry cannot be overestimated when there is an immense economic drive.

More efficient measures should be taken, such as increasing compensation levels for the victims of mining accidents.

The current compensation standards are generally low. Small privately owned mines normally pay 10,000 to 50,000 (US$1,210-6,050) for each miner killed at work. Large State-owned mines are only a little more.

Increasing the financial costs of mining accidents is one way of pressurizing mine owners to invest more in improving workplace safety and excessive production targets.

A new safety regulation which came into force at the end of last year in Shanxi Province states that compensation for each miner who dies in a pit accident should be no less than 200,000 yuan (US$24,180). Such a tariff may have a deterrent effect on lax safety standards within the industry.

And the new regulation sets only the minimum compensation standard. Victims families still have the right to seek higher compensation pay outs from firms and related government departments.

It may well prove an efficacious way to curb the problem.

Other measures such as improving technology, enhancing safety awareness and strengthening government supervision, however, should not be ignored.

(China Daily 02/19/2005 page4)