Have government regulations improved workplace safety? A test of the asynchronous regulatory effects in China's coal industry, 1995-2006
- Australian National University, Canberra, ACT (Australia)
Empirical studies on the effectiveness of workplace safety regulations are inconclusive. This study hypothesizes that the asynchronous effects of safety regulations occur because regulations need time to become effective. Safety regulations will work initially by reducing the most serious accidents, and later by improving overall safety performance. The hypothesis is tested by studying a provincial level aggregate panel dataset for China's coal industry using two different models with different sets of dependent variables: a fixed-effects model on mortality rate, which is defined as fatalities per 1,000 employees; and a negative binominal model on the annual number (frequency) of disastrous accidents. Safety regulations can reduce the frequency of disastrous accidents, but have not reduced mortality rate, which represents overall safety performance. Policy recommendations are made, including shifting production from small to large mines through industrial consolidation, improving the safety performance of large mines, addressing consequences of decentralization, and facilitating the implementation of regulations through carrying on institutional actions and supporting legislation.
- OSTI ID:
- 21212796
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Safety Research, Vol. 40, Issue 3; ISSN 0022-4375
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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