A State Council meeting presided by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday ordered that investigations into workplace accidents be strengthened and that harsher punishment be handed down for negligence.

The meeting discussed and in principle passed a draft regulation on the reporting, investigating, and handling of workplace accidents, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The meeting said that the handling process for workplace accidents is a "very serious matter."

"There will be no end until the cause (of an accident) is found out, the person responsible punished, and the redressing measures are carried out," the meeting said.

The regulation stipulates that the reporting of workplace accidents must be timely, accurate, and complete. An individual or unit will be considered negligent if the report is delayed, falsified, or not filed.

It also stresses that no one is permitted to intervene or hinder the investigation of an accident, and the result of each investigation should be made public.

On March 18 a coal mine gas blast in north China's Shanxi Province killed all 21 people working underground at that time. The mine owner covered up the disaster, which led to a delay of nearly two days before rescue work started.

The State Council has vowed to severely punish officials and businessmen involved in the cover-up of the accident.

Statistics from the State Administration of Work Safety showed that China lost 112,822 lives in more than 620,000 accidents last year, a year-on-year decrease of 11.2 percent.

The country's accident-prone coal mines also saw a drastic decrease in the number of deaths last year.

The meeting also discussed and agreed to pass another two draft regulations on water information and seaman management.

(China Daily March 29, 2007)