State Councilor Hua Jianmin said on Tuesday that the government will strengthen supervision to improve work safety and occupational health.

"The national situation of industrial safety is still serious although there are signs of improvement and the country, in the process of industrialization, has established a far too weak safety infrastructure," Hua said at the opening of the third China International Occupational Safety and Health Exhibition.

Hua, who is also secretary-general of the State Council, said the work safety accountability system at local government level and in enterprises should be improved and strictly enforced.

The death toll in industrial accidents was 13,600 in China in 2004 when the gross domestic product reached 13.6 trillion yuan (US$1.64 trillion), which meant every million yuan worth of GDP cost one person's life.

He also said safety equipment and labor protection and occupational health protection products should be updated.

The four-day exhibition is being held at the National Agriculture Exhibition Hall and will display the latest technologies, products and concepts in the field of work safety and occupational health.

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2006)