Inspectors convicted of negligence in fatal accident

Source:Global Times Published: 2014-4-20 21:48:02

Two safety inspectors have been found guilty for neglecting their duty after failing to report a problem with an electric hoist that led to a worker's death in Songjiang district, local prosecutors said Sunday.

The court decided not to sentence the defendants to prison because they turned themselves in to authorities, according to a press release from the Songjiang District People's Prosecutor's Office.

The defendants, surnamed Zhou and Qian, worked as special equipment safety inspectors who were designated by the Songjiang district government to regularly inspect mechanical equipment at local companies, prosecutors said.

On April 8, 2012, a worker at one company died after falling three stories from a malfunctioning electric wire rope hoist. The worker, who was standing in a basket hanging from the hoist, was fixing the equipment at the time of the fall.

The district's quality control regulator had discovered safety problems with the hoist as early as September 2009 and had ordered the company to stop using it.

However, the company kept using the equipment, which continued to pass regular inspections conducted by Zhou and Qian, prosecutors said.

The court determined that the inspectors' negligence led to the worker's death.

Global Times

Posted in: Society, Metro Shanghai

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