Phoenix Satellite Television:

We have learned that the MEM recently sent joint law enforcement teams to some regions. Can you describe the characteristics of this kind of law enforcement? Thank you.

Song Yuanming:

Thanks to this reporter for your question. Around the May Day Holiday this year, the Party Committee of the MEM, drawing lessons from major and serious accidents that occurred recently, made the decision to send joint law enforcement teams to some regions to carry out coordinated law enforcement. We dispatched six teams in two batches to make unannounced visits and investigations to 96 enterprises and units across 28 districts in six provinces. A group of major risks and problems were identified and transferred immediately to local regulatory authorities to be placed on file for investigation and prosecution. Local governments have also been urged to learn from their experience. All these have formed a powerful deterrent and accelerated the launch of the special national campaign to identify and address major accident hazards.

This campaign focuses primarily on the following features:

First, joint law enforcement has been carried out. The MEM and the National Fire and Rescue Administration have collaborated to form joint law enforcement teams. They have selected key personnel at the community level who are skilled in both workplace safety and firefighting law enforcement. The teams visit enterprises and utilize both the Law on Workplace Safety and the Fire Protection Law as tools for law enforcement. They also encourage local governments to enforce punishments in accordance with articles of the law, enhancing the deterrent effect of law enforcement.

Second, local authorities have followed the lead of the MEM. When building joint law enforcement teams, the MEM has required all provinces to take coordinated steps simultaneously. According to statistics, departments of emergency management and fire and rescue institutions at all levels have also followed the lead of the MEM and built 13,000 teams to carry out joint law enforcement in different regions.

Third, significant attention has been paid to major risks and individuals. A primary focus has been given to the major safety hazards of enterprises and on the individuals who are chiefly responsible for the oversight of these enterprises. These major safety hazards include violations of regulations in electro-gas and electric welding, and operations without proper licensing, disorganized safety management of outsourcing and rental services, as well as congestion and obstruction of emergency exits and evacuation passages. After detecting these problems, investigations have been initiated to trace back to the individuals who hold principal responsibilities within these enterprises, aiming to understand why they failed to perform their legal obligations concerning workplace safety. After the unannounced visits, local governments punished both 52 enterprises and the individuals in charge, who are primarily accountable for their enterprises. Additionally, eight individuals with direct liability have been transfered to public security organs and in administrative detention..

Fourth, warnings have been amplified by publicly exposing cases. The process of unannounced investigations and visits has been documented through video recordings. Six feature-length movies have been released on the official website and social media platforms of the MEM. This has attracted wide attention and media attention, serving as a strong signal to society that workplace safety law enforcement is underway.

The MEM will continue to dispatch joint law enforcement teams to various regions for overt and covert inspections. The special national campaign has now entered a stage where enterprises conduct self-examination and rectify their own problems. The unannounced visits will examine whether enterprises know about the five key tasks, whether their major executives have studied the criteria for major accident hazard identification, and whether these hazards have been identified and addressed in accordance with these criteria. Enterprises that fail in the above inspections will be listed as key subjects of strict law enforcement. Meanwhile, for governments of the regions where enterprises are identified with problems, we will send warnings or letters to urge rectifications in the name of the Office of the Work Safety Committee of the State Council. By adopting a multifaceted approach, including more unannounced visits and sending warnings and letters urging rectification, we will address difficult problems in workplace safety where local governments and enterprises fail to fulfill their safety obligations. The ultimate goal is to enhance the efficiency of identifying and addressing potential safety hazards.

Thank you.