Premier Li Keqiang at the 11th Executive Meeting of the State Council

Key Speeches on Work Safety

(June 5, 2013)

　　On the morning of June 5, 2013, Premier Li Keqiang presided over the 11th Executive Meeting of the State Council.

　　The meeting heard a report from State Councilor Guo Shengkun, who, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, led a working group to Jilin to handle the particularly serious fire at Jilin Dehui Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co., Ltd., as well as a briefing by Yang Dongliang of the State Administration of Work Safety on the situation regarding work safety.

　　Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that, since the beginning of this year, thanks to the concerted efforts of all regions and departments, the overall situation regarding workplace safety has remained stable. However, in recent times there has been a spate of serious and extremely serious accidents, most notably the particularly grave fire at Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co., Ltd. in Dehui, Jilin Province, which resulted in heavy casualties—a deeply regrettable tragedy with profoundly sobering lessons. This starkly reveals that the current workplace-safety landscape is by no means optimistic; numerous hidden dangers and problems persist in the field of workplace safety, primarily stemming from weak safety awareness in some localities and enterprises, perfunctory identification and remediation of safety hazards, failure to implement safety responsibilities, inadequate safety oversight, and ineffective crackdowns on illegal and unlawful activities as well as insufficient rectification of violations and breaches of regulations. It is imperative to adopt robust measures to address these issues.

　　Premier Li Keqiang emphasized that workplace safety is the fundamental prerequisite for sustained and healthy economic development and a crucial lever for promoting economic transformation and upgrading. All regions and departments must adhere to the principle of people-first, safe development; keep workplace safety firmly in mind at all times; sound the alarm continuously; remain vigilant at every moment; redouble efforts in both prevention and addressing root causes; and resolutely prevent the occurrence of serious and extremely serious accidents.

　　 (1) Continue to effectively carry out follow-up work related to the handling of the particularly serious fire accident in Dehui, Jilin Province. Building on the work already carried out, Jilin Province must promptly establish contact with all survivors, accurately verify the number of fatalities, and promptly release relevant information to the public. It is essential to strengthen public opinion guidance, promptly address public concerns and dispel misunderstandings, and respond to societal anxieties. Furthermore, efforts must be intensified to provide medical treatment for the injured, prevent secondary disasters, and carry out post-incident relief and psychological support. The National Health and Family Planning Commission and other relevant departments should provide guidance and support in accordance with local needs. The State Council Accident Investigation Team must conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the accident, determine its nature and assign responsibility, and rigorously hold the persons concerned accountable in accordance with laws and regulations.

　　 (2) Promptly launch a nationwide comprehensive inspection of work safety. It is imperative to conduct a comprehensive inspection and remediation of safety hazards, leaving no blind spots and avoiding mere formalities. A “zero-tolerance” approach must be adopted for identified problems: detailed action lists shall be drawn up, corrective measures shall be implemented within specified timeframes, and the inspection results shall be made public. At the same time, efforts should be made to develop and establish a regularized mechanism for hazard identification and remediation. The State Administration of Work Safety, in coordination with relevant departments, shall promptly formulate and submit to the State Council a work plan for the comprehensive safety production inspection.

　　 (3) Cracking down with an iron fist on illegal and unlawful production, business, and construction activities. It is necessary to deepen the campaign to combat illegal and non-compliant activities, rigorously cracking down on unlawful, illegal, and rule-violating production practices while firmly preventing any resurgence. Those found guilty of illegal or non-compliant conduct, as well as those whose illegal or non-compliant actions lead to accidents, must be held strictly accountable in accordance with the law. Special supervisory inspections of the “combatting illegal and non-compliant activities” campaign should be conducted in regions with a high incidence of accidents, such as Jilin.

　　 (4) Effectively strengthen work on workplace safety in key industries and sectors. Carry out targeted efforts to address the root causes of coal mine safety issues, establish and improve a long-term mechanism for coal mine safety, and conduct thorough safety rectification in areas such as fire safety, hazardous chemicals, and densely populated venues. Implement flood-season prevention measures to strictly guard against safety accidents caused by natural disasters.

　　 (5) Strengthen the development of the work safety responsibility system. Effectively enforce the principal responsibility of enterprises, as well as the comprehensive regulatory responsibilities of the government and relevant departments, industry-specific regulatory duties, and local jurisdictional management responsibilities. Any failure to fulfill enterprise responsibilities, inadequate government oversight, or dereliction of duty shall be rigorously investigated and severely held accountable. With a firm hand, we will impose the harshest penalties on those responsible for major accidents and high-profile cases, showing no leniency. By establishing an effective accountability mechanism, we will enhance the government’s capacity for effective implementation.

　　 (6) Strengthen the foundational work of work safety. Innovate regulatory approaches, improve laws and regulations, increase investment in science and technology, implement refined management, and elevate the level of oversight. Strengthen safety education for workers, particularly those in high-risk industries, raise public awareness of safety across society, and consolidate the foundation for safe production.

　　 (7) Expedite the convening, in the name of the State Council, of a national teleconference on work safety. To implement the important decisions and requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, we will brief on recent serious and extremely serious accidents, draw lessons from these incidents, conduct an in-depth analysis of the safety production situation, and make comprehensive arrangements for launching a nationwide intensive inspection of safety production as well as for effectively carrying out current and future safety production work.

　　 (8) Uphold the principle that development is the top priority, safety is the primary responsibility, and “safety first, prevention foremost” is the guiding policy. Leaders at all levels must strengthen their sense of potential danger, safety awareness, and sense of responsibility; clearly define responsibilities, faithfully perform their duties, rigorously ensure implementation, uphold the bottom line of workplace safety, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of major, serious accidents.