Negligence caused a fatal fire in northeast China's Jilin Province that killed 120 and injured 77 others on Monday, the country's top work safety official said Thursday.
A fire that occurred at a poultry processing plant in the city of Dehui was caused by negligence by company management and supervisory authorities, according to Yang Dongliang, director of the State Administration of Work Safety.
He made the remarks at an investigative work team meeting held in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.
"The company must not shirk its responsibility to maintain safety, nor can the government shirk its management and supervisory responsibilities," said Yang, who also led the work team.
An initial investigation by the team showed that work safety management at the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company was a "total mess," according to Yang.
He said the company failed to implement an accountability system for workplace safety and thoroughly eradicate work safety hazards.
The company also failed to conduct safety drills and offer safety awareness education to its employees, according to the investigation.
The investigation indicated that evacuation efforts were hampered due to the blocking of emergency exits.
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