Chinese State Councilor Hua Jianmin said on Friday the country's record on work safety remains grim despite improvements made since the beginning of the year.

"Overall, the work safety situation was relatively good in the first quarter, with accidents and death toll both down, but in recent weeks a slew of serious accidents has occurred in the mining, metallurgical and transportation sectors", said Hua.

To prevent gas explosions and protect the environment, preferential policies must be implemented to support the exploitation and utilization of coal bed gas, said Hua.

He also urged local governments and enterprises to strengthen supervision, improve work safety in all sectors and ensure the accountability system is strictly enforced.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2007)