Chinese migrant workers in high-risk industries will be given
compulsory safety training, said an official with the State
Administration of Work Safety (SAWA) in Beijing Friday.
A survey by SAWA in nine regions showed that migrant workers
account for 56.02 percent of the workforce in the coal mining,
metal, dangerous chemicals and fireworks industries.
The survey shows that the educational level of 28.33 percent of
the workers in 64 state-owned coal mines is no higher than primary
school level, and seven percent of them are illiterate or
semi-illiterate. Only 13 percent of the workers went to senior
middle school or received higher education.
Many of the migrant workers lack basic safety knowledge and can
be the cause as well as the victims of accidents, said the
official.
SAWA statistics show that almost 80 percent of industrial
accidents occur in small coal mines, firework factories and
chemical industries where most employees are migrant workers.
"We will implement the new safety training procedures strictly.
Workers in high-risk jobs will need a certificate before they begin
work," said the official.
The official said that SAWA will design specific industrial
safety policies and regulations with input from the Ministry of
Agriculture, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of
Labor and Social Security.
The administration is also looking at ways to strengthen
supervision of occupational diseases and improve the distribution
of safety equipment.
(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2006)