1st LD-Writethru: China coal mine deaths on the decline

Deaths resulting from coal mine accidents in China dropped 30.6 percent in the first half of 2015, said the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) on Tuesday.

Li Wanchun, head of the statistics department under the SAWS, said China has not had any coal mine accidents with more than 30 deaths for 28 months, and coal mine accidents that killed 10 to 30 people declined 83.3 percent from a year ago.

Last year's deaths represented a sharp decline from about 7,000 in 2002, the worst year on record for coal mine accidents, the administration's director said at a press conference in March.

SAWS spokesperson Huang Yi said mines are still dangerous and need to be more strictly supervised.

China has been cutting coal production, a move mainly aimed at curbing slumping coal prices, but one which has also had the effect of reducing the labor force and making accidents less likely. Huang called for this process to be accelerated.

China's Cabinet has demanded that the number of coal mines nationwide be cut to less than 10,000 by the end of 2015. It has ordered the closure of 1,052 mines this year, with nearly half of them closed already, the spokesperson said.

Total workplace accidents and resulting deaths shrank 10.9 percent and 5.3 percent respectively in the Jan.-June period, while accidents with three to 10 dead decreased 9.3 percent, according to the SAWS.

The number of workplace accidents and deaths declined in 19 provincial-level regions, 18 of which had no accidents with more than 30 dead in the first half.

Li said the lower rates indicated China's work safety situation has improved.

Meanwhile, the SAWS promised a campaign to protect workers from the summer heat. It will promote safety precautions and inspect workplaces to make sure they are being followed. Huang said. Endi