Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has said efforts should be made to improve work safety nationwide, in a move to create a stable work safety environment for the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China and relatively fast and steady economic development.

Zhang made the remarks during a coal industry work conference held in Nanchang, the capital city of eastern Jiangxi Province from Sept. 3 to 4.

He called on various governmental agencies to enhance their responsibility awareness and improve coal mine work safety, to prevent gas blast accidents in particular.

Zhang urged local governments to take more measures to improve coal mine safety supervision and management, crack down on illegal coal mines and close smaller ones, in an effort to effectively prevent severe accidents from happening.

Since 2005, China has closed more than 12,000 small coal mines whose annual output were below 300,000 tonnes.

He also pointed out that China's economy was in the crucial period of stabilization and recovery and efforts should be made both to ensure economic growth and improve industrial structure.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2009)