Worker in Zibo Zhoucun dies from electric shock in workshop; two public officials found guilty of dereliction of duty

Thread Content

This post was last edited by Yimi Lanhuazhi on June 15, 2015, at 11:04. The responsibility for work safety is of paramount importance; it cannot be emphasized enough. However, this in no way means that responsibilities can be arbitrarily assigned, nor that individuals bearing statutory duties should be made to assume additional, unlimited responsibilities. When Wang and Liu went to an enterprise in Zhoucun to conduct a safety inspection as required, they found no electrical hazards at the enterprise. Two months after the security inspection, a worker at this company in Zhoucun died from an electric shock in the workshop. Reporters learned today that the Zibo Intermediate People’s Court issued a final judgment, determining that Wang and Liu’s actions constituted the crime of dereliction of duty; as a result, they were exempted from criminal punishment for this offense. 　　On July 21, 2012, an electric shock accident occurred in the production workshop of a company in Zhoucun District. Employee Wang was electrocuted to death when his body came into contact with the exterior of a mixing machine while using it to mix plastic pellets. It was determined that the direct cause of the accident was the long-term erosion and aging of the motor lead connections in the mixing machine due to dripping lubricant, which resulted in the casing becoming electrified. The indirect causes are that the company fabricated records of safety training and education, failed to conduct thorough inspections for potential hazards in production safety, consistently used 63A relay protectors in place of 10A ones, and did not have full-time electricians assigned to the power distribution room. 　　It is understood that Liu is a clerk at the Office for Work Safety Supervision and Management, while Wang is a staff member of the Inspection Team of the Work Safety Supervision and Management Bureau. On May 28, 2012, Wang and Liu went to this enterprise in Zhoucun to conduct a safety inspection, focusing on whether there were any potential hazards in the safety production documents. Circuit safety aspects such as the need for relay protectors and large electrical equipment to be grounded were also part of the inspection scope. However, during their inspection of the company, Wang and Liu failed to detect or address these long-standing safety hazards. 　　In October 2014, the People’s Court of Zhoucun District rendered a first-instance judgment: The defendants Wang and Liu, as officials of **, failed to fulfill their duties properly in the course of their work, resulting in significant losses to the interests of ** and the people; their actions constituted the crime of dereliction of duty. The defendants Wang and Liu committed relatively minor crimes; considering the circumstances of this case, they may both be exempted from criminal punishment in accordance with the law. The defendant, Liu, disagreed and filed an appeal. 　　Today, reporters learned from the Zibo Intermediate People’s Court that, after examination, Liu, as a person performing official duties in accordance with the law, failed to identify potential hazards such as electrical safety issues during law enforcement inspections of the enterprise, resulting in a safety accident there; his actions met the criteria for the crime of dereliction of duty. Liu and Wang’s actions constitute the crime of dereliction of duty. 　　Based on this, the Intermediate People’s Court of Zibo rejected Liu’s appeal and upheld the original judgment. What do you think of this? Any ideas? How do you feel right now? ! What would you do? What will you do in the future? ! It’s right here beside me! !