Top work safety body to conduct nationwide assessments and inspection tours after Spring Festival holiday

China's top work safety watchdog will, when appropriate, organize workplace safety assessments and inspection tours nationwide through both open inspections and unannounced spot checks, an official said on Friday, as industries across the country are resuming work and production after the Spring Festival holiday.

Wang Chongxian, head for safety coordination at the Ministry of Emergency Management, made the remarks at a news briefing in Beijing.

According to him, inspections conducted by the Office of the State Council Work Safety Commission will focus on safety conditions during the resumption of work in high-risk industries, and local authorities will be guided to pay particular attention to key regions and sectors facing heavy safety tasks and higher risks.

"After the Spring Festival holiday, companies tend to resume operations in a concentrated manner, with large flows of workers returning to their posts. This has historically been a period when accidents are more likely to occur," Wang said.

He said the watchdog has urged companies to reasonably arrange production schedules and to firmly prevent any "rush to start" that leads to overload operations.

Enterprises have been asked to carry out comprehensive pre-operation risk identification and carefully examine facilities and equipment before restarting operations, the official said.

Wang added that the office will also urge businesses and institutions in various regions to strengthen pre-work training, with a particular focus on newly hired employees, workers transferred to new posts, and those engaged in special operations.

He said companies and institutions have been asked to further improve reward mechanisms for reporting hidden hazards.

Wang also stressed the need to accelerate equipment upgrading to prevent facilities from operating with "hidden illnesses" and to stop companies from resuming production with unresolved hazards.