China has picked up speed in constructing "international safe communities" in line with standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a leading Chinese association.

The country now has 64 such communities, according to a statement released by the China Occupational Safety and Health Association (COSHA) on November 21.

The WHO's safe community concept was formally launched at the First World Conference on Accident and Injury Prevention in Stockholm, Sweden in September 1989.

The Manifesto for Safe Communities states, "All human beings have an equal right to health and safety." Regarded as a costeffective way of injury prevention, a safe community can be a municipality, a county, a city or a district.

A total of 1,589 communities in 22 Chinese provinces have started efforts to build safe communities, according to the COSHA, covering a gross population of 120 million.

Safe community efforts in Chinese urban and rural districts, enterprises and campuses have led to fewer accidents in terms of production, traffic, fire and social safety, said Zhang Baoming, COSHA Chairman.