A fatal accident at Xingtai Iron & Steel (Xinggang) on 5 August plant caused the death of one worker, according to local media. A local work safety administration official has reported the event back to the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), which has been conducting regular inspection campaigns this year, Kallanish notes.

The No.2 sintering machine was undergoing maintenance when a worker's ear and head were dragged into the conveyor belt. Xinggang is a high-end wire rod steel producer, whiich over January to June produced around 1.26 million tonnes of crude steel, up by 5.48% year-on-year.

This year, in addition to high-pressure environmental inspections and related production restrictions, steel quality and work safety inspection campaigns have all influenced actual steel production. Producers found to be violating work safety standards have been ordered to shut down. Currently there are 16 inspection groups conducting such checks..

SAWS also recently updated a list of top performing facilities in terms of safety standards. The list included subsidiaries of Baowu, Shougang and Hebei Iron & Steel Group and is valid for three years. Only the top 1% of industrial facilities made the list. The last update was in 2015.