BEIJING — China is mulling delineating government roles in the handling of production related accidents, according to a draft regulation issued by the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council on May 6.

The draft proposes that local governments and production safety watchdogs initiate their emergency response mechanism upon receiving reports of accidents, and report the accidents to higher authorities.

They must also take measures including assessing damage, informing and evacuating organizations and people who might be affected, cordoning off accident sites, comforting those affected and their relatives and informing the public, among other tasks.

The draft has been released for public opinion.

The latest report by the State Administration of Work Safety said workplace safety improved in the first four months of 2016, as the number of production accidents fell 14.4 percent year on year.