Repeated censure of the mainland for failure to improve the deplorable safety record of its coal mines has become a tired lament. It appears to have made little difference, as we are reminded by the latest disaster at the state-owned Xingxing mine in Heilongjiang province, which claimed more than 100 lives. Officials have blamed the mine management for poor ventilation and a build-up of explosive gas.
Mainland authorities have acknowledged the mining industry's many problems. They have ordered an array of measures to pull it into the 21st century and bring down the toll, targeted at collusion between local officials and mine owners, and unsafe operations. But hopes that the nationalisation of many private mines would improve safety standards have yet to be realised, while officials frequently ignore orders to close unsafe mines. As a result, accidents continue to happen.
Mining deep beneath the surface anywhere remains a dangerous occupation that can exact a terrible toll. In this respect, modern China is often compared with an earlier era of rampant economic growth in the United States when exploitation of labour and dangerous working conditions were rife. China's official - if understated - coal-mine death toll last year, 3,215, was almost the same as America's in 1907 - its worst year.
By 2005 the US had reduced the toll to 23, or well under one per million hours worked. But that figure represented incremental improvements over a century, while tens of thousands more died because safety was sacrificed to insatiable demand and big profits, as it is on the mainland today. It was the result of repeated reforms to the regulatory regime, safety rules, accident prevention and training, driven by a powerful mineworkers' union.
On results so far, China faces a daunting task to make a real difference to the accident toll within a generation.
Despite the mainland's efforts to diversify its energy mix, no one seriously believes that it will not be consuming massive amounts of coal for decades to come. While most of the world is concerned about the contribution to greenhouse gases and potential impact on global warming, the coal industry continues to exact a grim toll on those who work in the mines, their families and the nation's image.
