Repeated accidents suggest total disregard for human life

Of all high-ranking mainland officials, Luo Lin has the unluckiest and most tiring job. As the head of the State Administration of Work Safety, it is his duty to rush to the sites of deadly industrial and work-related accidents at a moment's notice, day or night.

Given that there are hundreds of accidents which kill thousands of workers each year, Luo's mileage should be quite substantial. As one of his primary responsibilities is to investigate and determine the causes of the accidents, his words usually receive extensive coverage in the official media.

However, the causes of the accidents - officials or mine operators breaching safety regulations, illegal use of unsafe materials, unqualified workers and lax oversight - might lead one to say he didn't need to be onsite at all.

That is more or less what Luo said on Wednesday last week, two days after a deadly high-rise fire, which killed 58 people.

Shanghai's deadly fire understandably caused concerns nationwide, not least because the country's biggest metropolis just successfully staged the six-month World Expo with the theme of 'Better City, Better Life', which has now sadly become a regrettable joke.

As expected, the central government has ordered nationwide fire-control and safety inspections and promised to crack down on laxity. But many mainlanders cannot help wondering if the inspections could have come sooner.