The Changzhi aniline spill wasn't the only safety incident to occur in Shanxi province recently. In the past 20 days, there have been four other major accidents, some of which resulted in fatalities.

On Dec 25, eight people were killed and five injured in a blasting accident at the construction site of a tunnel. Two days later, four people died and two were injured in an explosion at a coking plant.

On Jan 2, three workers repairing an underground pipeline fainted after a gas leak, and seven workers died after a gas leak at a mine owned by Yangquan Coal Group on Jan 7.

The provincial administration held a meeting on Tuesday to review the accidents and both Yangquan Coal Group and Tianji Chemical Coal Industry Group were ordered to suspend production or business for rectifications. Safety checks were also ordered at all chemical plants and coals mines known to have high levels of gas.

Li Xiaopeng, Shanxi's acting governor, said at the meeting that the incidents are being investigated and pledged to eradicate accidents. He added that safety is a top priority and said the government has zero tolerance for coverups.

(China Daily 01/11/2013 page6)