China's work safety conditions remained grim as the number of work safety accidents remained large, illegal production still posed challenges and safety management was still loose, a senior official said on Sunday.

Yang Yuanyuan, deputy chief of the State Administration of Work Safety, made the remarks at a forum on work safety in Beijing.

In the first five months this year, 499 people were dead or missing in 36 major workplace accidents such as coal mine flood and gas explosion, a rise of nearly 40 percent from the same period a year ago, Yang said.

Notably, five severe accidents, each with a death toll of more than 30, had happened so far this year, killing 181 lives, up nearly 70 percent year on year, he said.

Yang noted the grave picture reflected poor enforcement of safety rules, and enterprises' mere pursuit of output in sacrifice of work safety.

He said the government would make continuous efforts to bring those accidents under control.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2010)