Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

A MANAGER and his subordinate with Shenzhen Deyingli Environment Protection Science and Technology Co. have been detained for being liable for the death of their employee in a traffic accident.

Liu, an investor and decision maker with the company, and Luo, head of the work unit which is responsible for street cleaning and sanitation in the Shatou area of Futian District, were detained in February for duty negligence and violation of work safety rules in the accident, which happened Nov. 26 last year.

In the accident, a street cleaner surnamed Liang was hit by a truck and fell from Shennan Flyover over Xinzhou Road in Futian District. Liang died at the scene.

The investigation showed the company had violated rules by failing to set up safety warnings or take preventative measures while assigning their employees to clean the street. The driver, Fu, is partially responsible for the accident for failing to pay full attention to the road situation.

Further investigation showed the company hadn’t followed the work safety protocol by deploying cleaner vehicles on Xinzhou Road, one of the 81 road sections that ban human cleaners from picking up litter and rubbish.

Although the company had passed employee safety training organized by the Futian sanitation authority, the company failed to take corrective actions in their work procedures. The investigation also showed the company, which was founded in November 2005 and has 1,000 employees in six districts, is profit-oriented and paid no attention to work safety.

Police statistics show a total of 15 cleaners were killed in Shenzhen between 2015 and 2017.

Shenzhen police launched an in-depth investigation into 411 cases to hold the employers responsible. Among the cases, 208 employers were administratively punished, while six employers were criminally investigated and punished.