-- Building a Safer Future for Coal Miners and Their Families
BEIJING, March 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Coal miners and their families in five provinces will soon receive enhanced education and training while mine policies and regulations will be improved as part of a four-year United Nations project aimed at strengthening the safety capacity of the coal industry in China.
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Entitled "Strengthening Coal Mine Safety Capacity in China," the US$ 14.42 million project was launched today in Beijing. It is designed to improve current standards and regulations of mine safety and bolster their enforcement.
With a special focus on small-scale town and village mines, where the fatality rate is almost twice the national average, the project will also set up pilot training centers for over 1,000 miners and their families in an effort to raise awareness of mining dangers and safety issues in Anhui, Guizhou, Henan, Liaoning, and Shanxi.
"Being a coal miner in China is one of the world’s most dangerous jobs," said Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China, at the launch. "In addition to improving standards and mining methods, this project will work individually with miners and their families in finding solutions to safety challenges."
Spouses and other family members are in a unique position to provide daily support to miners in accident prevention and awareness, the initiative will, therefore, prepare families to cope with difficulties in mine accidents.
In addition to safety training and policy support, other project areas include pilot demonstrations in key aspects of coal mine safety and the transfer of new technologies for coal mine methane capture.
Peng Jianxun, Vice Administrator of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, said at the ceremony that this year, the government agencies will continue to strive for better coal mine gas control and process illegal mine closures. They will also strengthen efforts to bring coal mine safety management within international standards.
"This project therefore provides a good opportunity for China to draw on international experience and best practices in advanced management concepts and methods for mine safety, "he said.
China is now the world’s largest coal producer and consumer, with more than five million coal miners estimated employed in the industry. The coal sector underlies China’s economic and social development, providing 70% of the nation’s energy supply. However, the rapid growth of China’s economy has also contributed to a high level of fatalities from coal mine accidents. While the coal output of China accounts for one third of the total world output, the number of deaths and accidents in mines amounts to 80% of the world total.
The project is a joint effort between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange (CICETE) under the Ministry of Commerce.
About UNDP
UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men to build better lives in China. As the UN’s development network, UNDP draws on a world of experience to assist China in developing its own solutions to the country’s development challenges. Through partnerships and innovation, UNDP works to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society by reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting environmental sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS. http://www.undp.org.cn
