Government at all levels should work resolutely to curb severe workplace accidents and plug loopholes in workplace safety in key industries to better protect people's lives and help produce a higher quality economy in 2018, Premier Li Keqiang said.

Li emphasized the issues as part of instructions he sent to a national teleconference on strengthening workplace safety held by the State Council on Thursday.

Efforts in promoting workplace safety have shown progress in the past year, as the number of major and extreme workplace accidents continued to decline while the number of accidents has also fallen.

This has contributed greatly to stable economic growth and the protection of people's lives, Li said in the instruction.

He urged officials to firmly stick to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and work harder to improve the accountability system and regulations on workplace safety. At the same time, a better risk prevention system is needed, Li said.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, workplace safety has been improved across the country, and safety conditions in key industries and regions have improved. Yet, potential safety hazards in workplaces still exist and the foundation of workplace safety remains to be improved, the meeting pointed out.

Government at all levels should not allow any slack in workplace safety supervision because it is closely related to the country's overall social and economic development, Li said in the instruction.

In the first nine months in 2017, the workplace safety record continued to improve, with the number of accidents and fatalities both dropping, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.

Accidents fell by 26.3 percent year-on-year from January to September 2017, and fatalities dropped by 19 percent.