City filled with high-rises is not equipped to ensure safety: Report

SHANGHAI - A senior work-safety administrator has warned of potential fire hazards in the city because its firefighting facilities are inadequate for a metropolis with an increasing number of high-rises.

A report issued by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Work Safety highlighted hidden problems following a blaze that gutted a 28-story apartment building at Jiaozhou Road of Jing'an district, killing 58 people and injuring 71 others on Nov 15.

According to the report, the inadequacy of firefighting facilities seriously challenges the city's ability to deal with fires.

According to Shanghai Fire Control Bureau statistics, 14,400 buildings in the city are more than 24 meters tall. More than 80 percent of the skyscrapers are residential buildings and many of them are more than 20 years old.

As of 2008, the city had at least 400 high-rises that were more than 100 meters tall.

"Shanghai has the most high-rise residential buildings in the world, which puts us under pressure and makes it difficult to ensure that each one is perfectly safe," said Zhao Zixin, director of the Shanghai Fire Control Bureau.

Zhao said that the bureau planned to inspect all of the buildings and renovate those with potential fire dangers.

The report says the city has 120 fire stations and 7,180 professional firefighters on duty.

The city of 23 million has a shortage of facilities, staff and equipment, compared with other major cities, like Tokyo and Hong Kong. The Japanese capital has 291 fire stations and Hong Kong has 2,000 more firefighters than Shanghai.

The report also cited the lack of supervision at construction sites and unqualified migrant workers as problems.

It suggested that more than 70 percent of victims at construction site accidents were migrant workers, most of whom had not received enough training before beginning job.

"We began training courses for migrant workers four years ago, and every migrant worker attends a four-hour lecture on work safety before starting on the job now," said Xie Liming, director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Work Safety.

Xie added that the major focus is to make all employers and supervisors aware of the importance of work safety by training them properly.

The report also said that residents have a poor awareness of work safety and know-how in dealing with emergencies.

Nearly 70 percent of people interviewed said they rarely pay attention to the safety information for emergencies or what to do in fires or subway accidents, the report said.

China Daily

(China Daily 06/11/2011 page4)