Report: Welding sparked central China fire that killed 38
Washington PostNov 22, 2022
A massive fire at a factory in the city of Anyang in central China's Henan province killed at least 38 people on Monday, injured two others, and left two people missing.
The fire broke out on Monday afternoon at a factory of Kaixinda Trading Company, and was brought under control several hours later. Many of the victims are said to have been women manufacturing cotton-made winter clothing and pants.
This latest fatal incident underscores China's inability or unwillingness to successfully implement workplace safety standards given a spate of industrial accidents. Added to this corruption and immense cost pressures. Beijing must finally start valuing human life over competitiveness.
Those responsible for this tragedy must be held accountable. That said, China is taking great strides to increase workplace safety through strict, long-term measures at the administrative and corporate levels. And it has been successful: within a decade, the number of workplace accidents and fatalities has dropped drastically.