The year of 2011 marks not only the beginning of the 12th-5-year Plan Period but the start of realizing the fundamental turn for better of work safety situation, the strategic goal of work safety in China. The Chinese government continues opening up and urges the transformation of economic growth mode, striving to build a well-off society in an all-round way. Against this backdrop, the 5th International Mine Rescue Conference & the 3rd China International Forum and Exhibition on Workplace Emergency Management will be held in Beijing this year.

Beijing welcomes experts, scholars and friends in emergency management from all around the world to attend the conference with open arms. With the theme “Cherish Life, Work Hand in Hand to Build up a Better Future”, the Forum will focus on policies aimed at preventing the occurrences of accidents, minimizing losses of lives and properties. Mutual understanding and learning are expected to be strengthened based on the same objective of improving emergency rescue techniques and competency. Wisdom will be pooled together for better coordination in responding to disasters in order to ensure a safe, healthy, well-off and harmonious society.

Accidents due to poor prevention occur frequently such as gas explosion, hazardous chemicals spill, fire, traffic accidents, shipwrecks and large-scale power outage. Natural disasters such as strong snowstorm, rapid temperature drop, fog and typhoon also happen with high frequencies in many countries. All those accidents and natural disasters, partly attributed to fast industrialization and climate change, inflict great damages on people’s lives and properties and economic losses, which jeopardizes national security and social stability. Governance capability of our governments is challenged in face of protecting people’s lives and properties at maximum by preventing the occurrences of accidents and disasters.

Coordination efforts between different regions, industries or even different countries are needed in responding to major accidents and disasters that involve multiple regions, industries or even several countries. Disasters have no mercy, but human beings do. As long as we work together, we can overcome any disasters to make the world a better place.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to emergency management. As an important aspect of public service and governance capability, the Chinese government has come up with many initiatives and taken a series measures. President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have issued orders many times in strengthening efforts in work safety and capabilities in emergency management and rescue. Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang also made clear requirements on emergency management in terms of comprehensively strengthening emergency rescue teams, improving rescue equipment, ensuring technology applications and learning experience from the past accidents.

In the National Teleconference on Work Safety held on January 11th 2011, Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang reiterated that we should build responsive, flexible and effective emergency rescue systems, improving rescue and accidents treatment capabilities. Zhang also said that we should accelerate the construction of 7 national and 14 regional mine rescue teams as well as other rescue teams attached to industries, fully taking advantage of the technological outcomes in emergency rescue. Rescue teams should be professionalized with reliable and mobile emergency rescue equipment. Emergency rescue drills should be done well with improved management. He also emphasized that our government should further perfect relevant economic policies and make necessary regulations such as the Regulation on Emergency Management. Training that is practical, diversified in forms and fit for people at grass-roots level should be conducted to improve self-rescue and mutual rescue capabilities and practitioners’ competency.

Emergency management in China continues to progress with the efforts of the Communist Party, governments and various departments in different regions. The construction of national and regional mine rescue teams has been activated. Emergency rescue capabilities have improved as demonstrated in the following examples.

In 2010, mine rescue teams engaged in 4158 accidents, saving 11167 miners in danger. Chemicals rescue teams engaged in 8297 accidents, saving 17514 people. Fire police troops were sent to missions around 589 thousand times, evacuating and saving more than 160 thousand trapped people. Rescue conducted by the Maritime Search Center reached 2218 times, saving 24.5 thousand lives.

In the aftermath rescue of “3.28” Flooding Accident in Shanxi Huajin Coking Coal Company , over 6000 rescuers worked consecutively 8 days and nights and saved 115 trapped miners, which created a miracle in the history of mine rescue in China. In “11.21” Flooding Accident in Batian Coal Mine, Sichuan, all 29 trapped workers were saved. In the relief efforts after Yushu Earthquake, 26 mine rescue teams were mobilized by the Work Safety Committee of the State Council, 512 rescuers went to the quake-stricken area immediately and saved 46 survivors in debris, and displaced 241 injured people.

However, China still lags behind compared with other developed countries. Hence we need to learn the advanced technologies and experience in order to further improve emergency management in China, and to boost accidents prevention and treatment capabilities.

We’ve gained confidence from the previous editions of China International Forum on Workplace Emergency Management, successfully held in 2007 and 2009 respectively. We firmly believe that with the strong support of relevant government agencies, international organizations, civil service institutions and entities both at home and abroad etc, the Forum, along with the exhibition will yield better results.

The Earth is home for everyone. Let’s work together to make contributions to the safety and health of all human beings.