HONG Kong investors should apply local safety standards when they set up joint-venture projects in China, a unionist said last night.
The chief executive of the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, Chan Kam-hong, said the fire at the Zhili Handicrafts Company could have been avoided if more up-to-date safety measures had been enforced.
Mr Chan blamed Hong Kong investors for exploiting mainland workers by taking advantage of the lax safety requirements in China.
''One of the reasons that investors move their manufacturing factories to southern China is they do not have to follow the stringent fire prevention measures that are needed in Hong Kong,'' he said.
He added that after the disastrous fire in Thailand's Kader toy factory they had appealed to investors not to apply double standards when transferring their manufacturing to China, but they got a cold response.
He urged investors of the factory to compensate victims as quickly as possible.
Mr Chan further indicated that China should tighten its regulations on industrial safety, following a number of serious accidents.
