For every million tonnes of coal, 12 workers die in China's notorious mines
Soaring demand for energy on the mainland and pursuit of profits by coal producers are to blame for lax safety standards and a rise in fatal accidents at coal mines, according to a top industrial safety expert and government officials.
'Many coal mines would rather not contribute a portion of their revenue to shore up safety systems,' said Zhou Xinquan , a professor from the Chinese Mining University, who also serves on an expert committee of the State Administration of Work Safety.
Small, illegal mines are notoriously dangerous workplaces, but some state-run mines also have poor safety standards.
'State-run mines are better than those privately operated one-man shops in terms of safety equipment ...but you still cannot say all of them are doing their best to raise safety standards to the national level,' Professor Zhou said.
The death toll in China's small mines translates into 12 fatalities for every million tonnes of coal produced, while in state-run mines the fatality rate is one miner for every million tonnes. In the United States, the rate is 0.03.
China's produced 1.6 billion tonnes of coal last year, making it the world's biggest producer.
