Some 165 people were killed in industrial accidents in Beijing in the first 11 months of 2003 according to official figures released by the Beijing Municipal Industrial Safety Bureau.

Out of the 165 dead, 143 were migrant workers – accounting for 86.7 percent – up 36.2 percent from the same periods in 2002.

These figures are likely to be conservative and exclude deaths of undocumented migrants and unregistered deaths from industrial disease.

According to a Xinhua report, Li Jianwei, the Director of the Beijing Municipal Industrial Safety Bureau, reported that the industrial safety in Beijing was alarming.

He also reported that there had been a 44.6 percent increase in the number of deaths in the construction industry over the same period last year, with a total of 81 deaths so far in 2003.

Coal mine accidents killed 53 people – twice as many as in 2002. Once again most of the victims were migrant workers from outside Beijing.

Li Jianwei stated that the main cause of these accidents was widespread violation of labour laws and the lack of safety facilities in private enterprises that prioritise profit before safety and he added, echoing CLB’s recommendations, that the government must strengthen law enforcement in regard to enterprises that violate industrial safety rules.

Sources: China Daily and Xinhua 11 December 2003