Lawmakers attending the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) started group deliberations yesterday on two draft laws: prevention of work-related accidents and treatment of occupational diseases, as well as the use of maritime areas.

When an employer opens a factory or a company in China, occupational health facilities and insurance for industrial injuries should be provided for employees at the same time, the draft law states.

To protect employees' health rights, the law should highlight prevention measures, said Wu Jieping, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

With the continuous social and economic development, occupational disease is becoming a buzzword in China.

Consider: An increasing number of workplace poisoning accidents have been reported in recent years, especially in small and medium-sized township enterprises where many farmers-turned-workers are employed.

Surveys by the Ministry of Health show that thousands of people have been poisoned and that several hundred of them have died each year for the past several years.

Hong Fuzeng, another member of the NPC Standing Committee, said that the masses should be educated about how to avoid occupational hazards.

The State also should encourage research on the mechanism and causes of work-related accidents, said Wang Tao, another lawmaker.

Regarding the draft law on the use of maritime areas, lawmakers agreed that the law is crucial to the rational exploitation of maritime resources and sustainable development of the maritime industry in China.

To alleviate the economic burdens of fishermen, the draft law authorizes the State Council to issue specific regulations regarding fee collection.

The lawmakers agreed that both draft laws, which were discussed in the previous two sessions, should be voted on and given final approval by the plenary of the NPC Standing Committee on Saturday.

(China Daily October 24, 2001)