Crowds on the Great Wall in Beijing on May 1, 2021 File Photo:VCG

The Office of the Work Safety Commission under China's State Council and China's Ministry of Emergency Management have jointly ordered nationwide safety inspections to defuse the risk of major accidents during the coming May Day holidays.

During a video conference held on Tuesday, the authorities made an in-depth analysis of the current security situation and deployed a special investigation and rectification campaign against major accident risks and the safety precautions during the May Day holidays.

According to the authorities, a series of major accidents recently and a highly concerning security situation have exposed issues such as paralysis in thinking and dereliction of duty, a failure to learn from past accidents, and poor quality safety hazard investigation and rectification.

The authorities ordered to promptly organize a special investigation and rectification campaign for potential major accidents, and resolutely reverse the situation of frequent occurrence of such accidents.

Multiple measures including assessments and inspections, regulatory talks and notification, public exposure will be adopted to encourage relevant departments to strictly comply with their responsibilities.

Besides, the authorities order to perfect the mechanism and enhance the sense of responsibility to address both symptoms and root causes of the problems and to constantly improve the quality of safety.

As the May Day holidays are approaching, the authorities ordered to exercise precise prevention and control of risks to assure the safety and stability of the holidays.

Such requirements include strengthening safety supervision and on-site law enforcement over transport safety of chartered tourist buses, long-distance buses, hazardous chemical transport vehicles, passenger boats and cruise ships.

The authorities also ordered to strengthen the supervision of key tourist attractions, and strengthen the supervision of high-risk amusement facilities, undeveloped scenic spots, and popular tourist attractions.

Besides, early warning against disasters and guidance on prevention and avoidance of disasters will be strengthened to assure the safety of outdoor tourism.

Inspections on and prevention to all kinds of risks of floods and forest fires should be strengthened, said the authorities, noting to ensure emergency response to disasters with risk assessments and work deployment during the holidays.

A couple of major accidents that claimed multiple lives across the nation has sparked public concerns for security awareness over the past few days. A fire disaster which was caused by modification work at Beijing's Changfeng Hospital last Tuesday has claimed 29 lives. In another tragedy, a female acrobat fell to her death during an illegal performance in East China's Anhui on April 14.

Global Times