SDPC Plans New Coal Mine Safety Policies

The State Development and Planning Commission will implement new policies to eliminate coal mine gas explosions, reports the CSR Asia Weekly in an article written by Stephen Frost. Safety inspectors will visit 45 of the most dangerous mines and specialist teams will evaluate coal mines, according to the report. In addition, the Chinese government will spend 3 billion yuan (US $362.47 million) on mine safety, hold a national video conference on gas prevention, and circulate a document on gas management.

The article also reports that the Chinese Foundation for Coal Mine Pneumoconiosis Treatment has arranged for free medical treatment for some 320 coal mine victims of the disease. Sometimes called "black lung disease," coal miner’s pneumoconiosis is a respiratory disease caused by inhaling coal dust for prolonged periods. At the end of 2002, approximately 580,000 workers suffered from the disease, 46 percent of whom are coal miners.