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Enforce safety rules

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-18 07:57

We have recently been beset by a series of man-made crises:

We've learned that contaminated infant formulas have caused the death of three babies and left thousands hospitalized.

We still don't know exactly how many more lives were lost in the collapse of a dam in Shanxi, besides the 259 dead that have been recovered.

We heard that fifty-one people were killed in a crash of a packed bus in Sichuan.

We were relieved that there were no casualties from the contamination of a river in Hubei, and a gas leak from a Shanghai chemical plant.

These incidents, along with recent reports of mining accidents in Henan province, remind us that this is not the time to let down our guard. Rather, we should remain vigilant about safety.

The latest incidents show us how vulnerable we still are, even though the government instituted various rules and regulations after a string of industrial accidents and food poisoning scandals over the last few years.

At least this time, authorities have been efficient in addressing these crises. In a matter of days, Shanxi's governor and one of his deputies resigned; a vice-mayor of Shijiazhuang, Sanlu's home city, was fired; Sanlu's chairwoman of the board was sacked and subsequently detained along with 22 others, and investigations are underway to uncover the process of contamination.

The most impressive response to date is the nationwide endeavor to identify and treat victims of the tainted Sanlu baby formula.

In sharp contrast to the early days of the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) scare, authorities showed impressive crisis management skills this time.

Sophisticated public relations may assuage the pain, but offers no cure. It takes more than crisis management to cope with the lingering clouds of fear and suspicion.

As investigators dug deeper and broader into the baby formula case, for instance, Sanlu was found to be only one of many businesses selling contaminated milk based products. Since the roster of sinners includes some of the country's most popular brands of dairy products, widespread distrust of domestic labels appears to be inevitable.

The Sanlu incident has taught us the same old lesson: that it is dangerous to consign consumer safety to the manufacturer. It also reveals the powerlessness of existing safeguards.

We need rules that not only look good. We also need ways to enforce them.

(China Daily 09/18/2008 page8)