Safety production officials of Shanghai municipality said key industrial and power plants were generally safe and only a few flaws need to be addressed.

Dozens of officials from the Shanghai Administration of Work Safety teamed with security experts, visited about 10 factories at short notice yesterday.

Divided into four groups, they inspected Baosteel Group, Jiangnan Shipyard Group and Shidongkou Power Plant. They also examined several dangerous chemical manufacturers in Fengxian District.

The checked safety regulations and emergency response capabilities among workers.

Zhang Shengjun, vice director of the Shanghai Administration of Work Safety, was part of a group that checked three power plants. He said the facilities were crucial to the city.

"Electricity is essential to everyone so nothing can go wrong, especially during the holiday period," Zhang said.

At Waigaoqiao Power Plant in Pudong New Area, Zhang held a fire drill.

Later, Zhang's team checked Waigaoqiao's coal site, where an average of 100,000 tons is stored daily. The tour ended with a check of the Intensive Control Room, referred to by employees as the heart of the power plant.

Zhang said the overall condition was satisfactory. Plant officials placed considerable emphasis on safety and a sound security system worked smoothly, Zhang added.

But inspectors did observe some minor flaws.

"For example, some significant documents on safety have not been passed on to all workers," Zhang said. "We also discovered some waste material in the Distribution Room."

Zou Jun, manager of Waigaoqiao Power Plant, promised to improve the shortcomings quickly.

"The security condition tomorrow must be much better than that of today," said Zou.

(Shanghai Daily January 27, 2006)