BEIJING — China has started a four-month nationwide inspection on workplace safety to close loopholes and prevent major accidents, the country’s work safety authorities said on July 3.

The Work Safety Committee of the State Council said in a notice that the inspection, running from July to October, will cover all regions, all industries, and all types of enterprises, as well as crowded places across the country.

Safety conditions at workplaces have been generally stable this year, but still a number of major accidents have occurred, indicating a lack of safety awareness, poor regulation, and failure to solve safety hazards, said the committee.

To prevent major accidents, the inspection will severely punish those who violate work safety laws and rules, and at the same time will eliminate potential hazards and promote strict implementation of safety measures, it said.

Enterprises with irregularities or those considered unsafe for work will be shut down, while those who fail to take adequate safety precautions will be held accountable, it added.

In China, an accident killing over 10 people, injuring over 50 or resulting in more than 50 million yuan (about $7.37 million) in direct economic losses is classed as major.

China’s workplace safety record improved in the first five months of 2017, with the number of accidents dropping 25 percent year on year to around 19,000, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. These accidents left some 13,000 people dead, down 16.9 percent year on year.