The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) has ordered 35,842 companies which failed to get safety licenses by the end of 2005 closed, warning it would ensure compliance by cutting off power and supplies.
The companies to be closed include 8,053 non-coal mines, 2,500 dangerous chemical companies, 350 fireworks makers, 24,923 construction companies and 16 explosives manufacturers, according to official news reports.
The SAWS will first revoke the companies' operating licenses, and then cut off electricity and supply channels, the reports said. The names of the companies would also be publicized.
The measures come amid growing concerns over the increasing number of industrial accidents. Similar closures have been ordered for thousands of coal mines, where some 6,000 people die annually, according to official statistics.
Local officials often fail to enforce such central government orders, and it was unclear how the central government intends to ensure they are followed.
Sources: Associated Press (15 February 2006), Xinhua News Agency (15 February 2006), China Daily (15 February 2006)
15 February 2006
The companies to be closed include 8,053 non-coal mines, 2,500 dangerous chemical companies, 350 fireworks makers, 24,923 construction companies and 16 explosives manufacturers, according to official news reports.
The SAWS will first revoke the companies' operating licenses, and then cut off electricity and supply channels, the reports said. The names of the companies would also be publicized.
The measures come amid growing concerns over the increasing number of industrial accidents. Similar closures have been ordered for thousands of coal mines, where some 6,000 people die annually, according to official statistics.
Local officials often fail to enforce such central government orders, and it was unclear how the central government intends to ensure they are followed.
Sources: Associated Press (15 February 2006), Xinhua News Agency (15 February 2006), China Daily (15 February 2006)
15 February 2006