BEIJING — China saw improvements in production safety with fewer accidents and casualties in the first half of this year, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).

From January to June, the numbers of accidents and casualties nationwide decreased 19.8 percent and 18.9 percent respectively year-on-year, while the number and casualties of severe accidents also dropped 13.9 percent and 18.3 percent respectively from a year earlier.

Most areas and sectors saw stable production safety situations during the period and no severe or very severe accidents were reported during major public holidays.

The government will pay special attention to prevent severe production safety accidents, supervise key sectors and prioritize the work to crack down on the risks of hazardous chemicals, said the MEM.

China introduced a regulation on production safety emergency response in April this year and carried out special inspections in the fields of hazardous chemicals, mines and fire safety.