Tougher penalties for work safety violations

Tougher penalties should be handed out to violators of work safety laws, a Supreme People's Court (SPC) spokesman said in an interpretation of a recently-unveiled regulation.

The SPC on Monday introduced a regulation to crack down on rampant work safety violations, creating tougher penalties for violations falling into 14 categories.

The spokesman said reprieves will not be granted to violators whose crimes fall into one of the 14 categories, generally speaking.

However, the court will give leniency to violators who effectively implement damage control measures after accidents occur and initiate rescue efforts in a timely manner, the spokesman said.

Work safety accidents, especially in coal mines, have been a headache for the Chinese government, as profit-driven bosses often turn a blind eye to substandard facilities and dangerous working conditions.

A total of 2,433 miners died in 1,403 coal-mining-related accidents nationwide in 2010, down 7.5 percent and 13.2 percent year-on-year respectively.