Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-qlrfm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T04:49:32.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Death versus GDP! Decoding the Fatality Indicators on Work Safety Regulation in Post-Deng China*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2012

Hon S. Chan  and
Jie Gao
Hon S. Chan
Affiliation:
City University of Hong Kong.
Jie Gao*
Affiliation:
City University of Hong Kong.
*
Email: jiegao@cityu.edu.hk (corresponding author).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article examines how Chinese reformers have used a set of “fatality indicators” to deal with the serious work safety situation in the past two decades. It argues that the system of fatality indicators is a prudent strategy to tackle the responsibility deficiencies in the previous work safety regulatory system and strengthen the central government's supervision over local safety management. The primary purpose of implementing the fatality indicators is to shift local officials' focus from a GDP-centred growth mode to a new mindset of achieving a balance between economic development and social stability in local governance. The article also indicates that the decline in work-related fatalities in recent years is evidence of the effectiveness of the fatality indicators. These achievements aside, however, the introduction of fatality indicators is closely associated with an increase in local officials' dishonest reporting of real death tolls and the fluctuation in very serious accidents.

Keywords

Work safetyperformance measurementfatality indicatorsGDPwork-related accidentsaccountability
Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 210 , June 2012 , pp. 355 - 377
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

This study is funded by a grant from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong (project title “The capacity-building paradox of the Chinese Communist Party in the reform era: the case of performance measurement in Chinese local governments”).

References

1 The State Administration of Work Safety (ed.), Zhongguo anquan shengchan nianjian 2000–01, 2002, 2003 (China's Work Safety Yearbook 2000–01, 2002 and 2003) (Beijing: Meitan gongye chubanshe, 2002, 2003, 2004).Google Scholar

2 Ju, Huang, “Quanguo anquan shengchan gongzuo huiyi shang de jianghua (“Speech to the national work safety conference”), in the State Administration of Work Safety (ed.), Zhongguo anquan shengchan nianjian 2004 (China's Work Safety Yearbook 2004) (Beijing: Meitan gongye chubanshe, 2005), p. 3.Google Scholar

3 China's Work Safety Yearbook 2008.

4 See Wielander, Gerda, “Protestant and online: the case of Aiyan,” The China Quarterly, No. 197 (2009), pp. 165–82CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Cai, Yongshun, “Local governments and the suppression of popular resistance in China,” The China Quarterly, No. 193 (2008), pp. 24–42CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Cai, Yongshun, “The resistance of Chinese laid-off workers in the reform period,” The China Quarterly, No. 170 (2002), pp. 327–44CrossRefGoogle Scholar; O'Brien, Kevin J. and Li, Lianjiang, Rightful Resistance in Rural China (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

5 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Performance Indicators for the Road Sector: Summary of the Field Tests (OECD Publishing, 2001)Google Scholar, www.internationaltransportforum.org/Pub/.../01PerformIndicE.pdf, accessed 16 August 2010; The United States Department of Transportation, Transportation Performance Measures in Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, 2004, http://international.fhwa.dot.gov/performance/04transperfmeasure.pdf, accessed 16 August 2010; Gunningham, Neil and Johnstone, Richard, Regulating Workplace Safety: Systems and Sanctions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).Google Scholar

6 Wang, Shaoguang, “Regulating death at coalmines: changing mode of governance in China,” Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 15, No. 46 (2006), pp. 1–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

7 Wright, Tim, “The political economy of coal mine disasters in China: ‘your rice bowl or your life’,” The China Quarterly, No. 179 (2004), pp. 629–46CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Tu, Jianjun, “Coal mining safety: China's Achilles' heel,” China Security, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2007), pp. 36–53.Google Scholar

8 Wright, Tim, “State capacity in contemporary China: ‘closing the pits and reducing coal production’,” Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 16, No. 51 (2007), pp. 173–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

9 Homer, Andrew W., “Coal mine safety regulation in China and the USA,” Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 39, No. 3 (2009), pp. 424–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

10 Jin, Kezhi and Courtney, Theodore K., “Work-related fatalities in the People's Republic of China,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, Vol. 6 (2009), pp. 446–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

11 Zhang, Wei, Tsimhoni, Omer, Sivak, Michael and Flannagan, Michael J., Road Safety in China: Challenges and Opportunities, 2008Google Scholar, http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60474/1/100702.pdf, accessed 16 August 2010.

12 The State Council, “Guanyu jiaqiang anquan shengchan gongzuo de tongzhi” (“The notice of strengthening work safety”), 1993, http://www.chinasafety.gov.cn/file/fgmt/aqfg1.htm, accessed 17 August 2010.

13 Unger, Jonathan, “The struggle to dictate China's administration: the conflict of branches vs areas vs reform,” The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs, No. 18 (1987), pp. 15–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

14 Shaoguang Wang, “Regulating death at coalmines,” pp. 19–20.

15 Ibid. p. 20.

16 The People's Republic of China, “Zhonghua renmin gongheguo anquan shengchan fa” (“Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”), 2002, http://big5.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.gov.cn/ziliao/flfg/2005-08/05/content_20950.htm, accessed 15 August 2010.

17 Interviews with three leading officials of work safety bureaus in Foshan city, Guangdong province (May 2010) and Hu county, Shaanxi province (December 2009).

18 Li Qinliang, “Yetan anquan shengchan shudi guanli” (“Opinions on managing work safety on a locality basis”), 2005, http://www.people.com.cn/GB/paper2515/16602/1462086.html, accessed 16 August 2010.

19 Wright, “The political economy of coal mine disasters in China,” p. 632.

20 Ibid. pp. 641–42.

21 Shaoguang Wang, “Regulating death at coalmines,” p. 22.

22 The State Council, “Guowuyuan guanyu jinyibu jiaqiang anquan shengchan gongzuo de jueding” (“The decision on further strengthening work safety”), 2004, http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/PI-c/483862.htm, accessed 17 August 2010.

23 Interviews with three leading officials in Zhuhai city and Foshan city, Guangdong, May–June 2010.

24 It is notable that the road traffic accident is categorized as one type of work-related accident in China. According to the statistics of the China Work Safety Yearbook 2004–07, around 80% of work-related accidents in this period are road traffic accidents (coal-mine accidents only account for 4.3%). In 2004 when the WSC leaders initiated the system of the fatality indicators, they tended to exclude the road traffic accidents. The major reason, as explained by Wang Xianzheng, was because there was no proper way to add up road traffic accidents caused by different factors. However the national fatality indicators in 2005 contained indicators of road traffic accidents and this has continued. One interpretation is that the statistics on work-related accidents would be misleading if road traffic accidents were excluded. For example, many serious and very serious accidents are road traffic accidents caused by unsafe operation by transport companies. We thank the anonymous reviewer for pointing out the need to clarify this point.

25 Jianjun Tu, “Coal mining safety: China's Achilles' heel,” pp. 46–47.

26 Guangdong Province, “2009 nian Guangdong guomin jingji he shehui fazhan tongji gongbao” (“Statistical bulletin on national economic and social development in Guangdong province”), 2009, http://www.gd.gov.cn/govpub/tjsj/tjgb/ndtjgb/201002/t20100224_114449.htm, accessed 17 August 2010; Xinjiang Province, “2009 nian Xinjiang guomin jingji he shehui fazhan tongji gongbao” (“Statistical bulletin on national economic and social development in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region”), 2009, http://www.xinjiang.gov.cn/10013/10031/10041/2010/65364.htm, accessed 17 August 2010.

27 Wang Xianzheng, “Guanyu 2006 nian quanguo anquan shengchan kongzhi kaohe zhibiao de shuoming” (“The explanation on the 2006 work safety control evaluation indicators”), 2006, http://www.gov.cn/gzdt/2006-01/25/content_171305.htm, accessed 17 August 2010.

28 Ibid.

29 Shaanxi Provincial Work Safety Bureau, “Yao Ju tongzhi zai sheng anweihui kuoda huiyi shang de jianghua” (“Comrade Yao Ju's speech in the provincial enlarged meeting on work safety”), 2010, http://www.snsafety.gov.cn/admin/pub_newsshow.asp?id=1010626&chid=100064, accessed 17 August 2010.

30 Wang Xianzheng, “Guanyu jianli anquan shengchan kongzhi zhibiao tixi de yijian de shuoming” (“Explanations on establishing the system of work safety control indicators”), 2004, http://www.chinasafety.gov.cn/anquanjianguanjiancha/2004-01/19/content_1829.htm, accessed 17 August 2010.

31 This is an estimated number according to the statistics of the China's Work Safety Yearbooks which compile the annual reports of each provincial-level government on work safety issues. Localities that produce coal have a special report on coal-mine production and safety.

32 National Bureau of Statistics of China (ed.), Zhongguo tongji nianjian, 2004–08 (China Statistical Yearbooks, 2004–08) (Beijing: Zhongguo tongji chubanshe, 2005–09).Google Scholar The data can be accessed at the website of National Bureau of Statistics of China, http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj, accessed 18 August 2010.

33 Ibid.

34 The State Council, “Shengchan anquan shigu baogao he diaocha chuli tiaoli” (“The ordinance of reporting and investigating work safety accidents”), 2007, http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2007-04/19/content_588577.htm, accessed 18 August 2010.

35 Ibid.

36 Henan Provincial Government, “Guanyu jinyibu jiaqiang meikuang anquan shengchan gongzuo de ruogan yijian” (“Several opinions on further strengthening coal-mine work safety”), 2008, http://www.henan.gov.cn/zwgk/system/2008/11/14/010106285.shtml, accessed 18 August 2010.

37 Interviews with two leading officials of Zhuhai City Work Safety Bureau, Guangdong, May 2010.

38 “Qunian Zhongguo anquan shengchan shigu zeren zhuijiu chuli jin 3 wan ren” (“Around 30,000 people were investigated and received penalties for work-related accidents last year in China”), Xinhua News Agency, 19 January 2010, http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-01/19/content_12839599.htm, accessed 18 August 2010.

39 The State Administration of Work Safety, “2009 nian quanguo anquan shengchan kongzhi zhibiao shishi qingkuangbiao” (“The summary table of the implementation of national work safety control indicators in 2009”), February 2010, www.chinasafety.gov.cn/newpage/newfiles/20091-12kzzbjzqk.xls, accessed 18 August 2010; the State Administration of Work Safety (ed.), Zhongguo anquan shengchan tongji nianjian 2004 (China's Work Safety Yearbook 2004) (Beijing: Meitan gongye chubanshe, 2005), pp. 45–46.Google Scholar

40 The National Bureau of Statistics of China, “2009 nian guomin jingji he shehui fazhan tongji gongbao” (“Statistical bulletin of national economic and social development in the People's Republic of China in 2009”), February 2010, http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/ndtjgb/qgndtjgb/t20100225_402622945.htm, accessed 18 August 2010. Data in 2004 are calculated by the authors according to the data in 2005. See China's Work Safety Yearbook 2005, p. 79.

41 The State Council, “Guanyu yansu chachu manbao shigu xingwei jianjue ezhi zhongteda shigu fasheng de tongbao” (“The notice of seriously investigating and penalizing the behaviour of covering or underreporting work-related accidents and resolutely preventing occurrence of serious and special serious accidents”), 28 March 2007, http://www.zhuxi.gov.cn/htdocs/XXLR1.ASP?ID=10940, accessed 18 August 2010.

42 “Jinnianlai chuxian de dianxing manbao shigu huizong” (“A summary of typical cases of covering or underreporting work-related accidents in recent years”), 2010, http://www.aqsc.cn/101805/103325/145201.html, accessed 18 August 2010.

43 Bevan, Gwyn and Hood, Christopher, “What measured is what matters: targets and gaming in healthcare in England,” Public Administration, Vol. 84, No. 3 (2006), pp. 517–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

44 The State Council, “The notice of seriously investigating and penalizing the behaviour of covering or underreporting work-related accidents”; the State Council, “Guanyu jinyibu jiaqiang anquan shengchan gongzuo jianjue ezhi zhongteda shigu de tongzhi” (“The notice on further strengthening work safety and resolutely containing serious and special serious accidents”), 31 August 2007, http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2007-08/31/content_733622.htm, accessed 18 August 2010.

45 Zhao, Shukai, “The accountability system of township government,” Chinese Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 39, No. 2 (2007), pp. 64–73.Google Scholar

46 Perrow, Charles, Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies (New York: Basic Books, 1984).Google Scholar