• The Interim Measures for Over-aged and Other Persons to Participate in Work-related Injury Insurance of Sichuan Province was jointly gazetted by seven (7)  departments including Human Resource of Sichuan Province, six (6) categories of persons including personnel who beyond the statutory retirement age and others, are included in the coverage of work-related injury insurance, providing them occupational injury security, and further extending the coverage of work-related injury insurance in Sichuan Province.
• The promulgation of the Regulation on the Management of Social Fire Protection Technical Services is of great significance to promote the socialization of fire protection work and improve the ability of social fire prevention and control.
• The State Council has gazetted the Regulation on Groundwater Management which sets out specific rules for groundwater in the areas of survey and planning, conservation and protection, over-exploitation treatment, pollution control, and supervision and management.
• Updated Minimum Wage Standard of Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, Hainan Province and Guangdong Province.

Labour
< Interim Measures for Over-aged and Other Persons to Participate in Work-related Injury Insurance > of Sichuan Province

Health and Safety
< Regulation on the Management of Social Fire Protection Technical Services >

Environment
< Regulation on Groundwater Management >

Minimum Wage Standard Update
Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, Hainan Province and Guangdong Province

Labour

1. < Interim Measures for Over-aged and Other Persons to Participate in Work-related Injury Insurance > of Sichuan Province (2021-11-01)

The Interim Measures for Over-aged and Other Persons to Participate in Work-related Injury Insurance of Sichuan Province (hereinafter referred to as the Measures) was gazetted jointly by seven (7) departments including the Human Resource of Sichuan Province on 14^th September 2021. It has been implemented since 1^st November 2021 with an effective period of 2 years.

1. The Measures extended the coverage of work-related injury to six (6) categories of personnel as below:

• Persons who have reached or exceeded the statutory retirement age but are aged 65 or below and do not enjoy employee basic endowment insurance benefits in accordance with the law;
• Students who are over 16 years old and participate in the internship organized by the school and paid by the internship unit according to regulations;
• Medical students who are during graduation internship and medical postgraduate students who are during standardized training for residents;
• Social trainees who participate in standardized training for residents;
• Personnel who participate in employment probation at the probation base;
• Volunteers and college graduates who are engaged in full-time working at grassroots level and selected in accordance with relevant national and provincial regulations.

2. The Measures clarify that the main payment body is the working unit, it shall participate in work-related injury insurance and pay it for the over-aged and other persons, individuals do not have to pay work-related injury insurance premiums.

3. The Measures specified relevant requirement for over age persons to participate in work-related injury insurance, such as payment base, premium rate, work-related injury determination, work ability assessment and treatment of work-related injury insurance.

Health and Safety

1. < Regulation on the Management of Social Fire Protection Technical Services > (2021-11-09)

The Regulation on the Management of Social Fire Protection Technical Services (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) was deliberated and adopted at the 27^th ministerial meeting of the emergency management department and has come into force since 9^th November 2021. The relevant contents of the Regulation are as follows:

1. The Regulation make systematic provisions on the working conditions of fire technical service institutions, social fire technical service activities, supervision and management, legal responsibilities, etc.
2. The Regulation strengthen the measures to facilitate the people and benefit enterprises. The working regional restrictions is removed and the fire protection technical service institutions can engage in its service throughout the country. It is stipulated that the conclusion document issued by the fire technical service institutions can be used as the basis for the fire rescue organization to implement the fire supervision and management and the unit (place) to carry out the fire safety management, and to play its full role in serving for the social fire safety management.
3. The Regulation specify that there are two types of fire technical service institutions, namely, fire facility maintenance and testing institutions and fire safety assessment institutions.
4. The Regulation also specify that fire technical service institutions shall be liable for compensation according to law when their violations cause loss to others. When a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to law.

Environment

1. < Regulation on Groundwater Management > (2021-12-01)

The Regulation on Groundwater Management, adopted at the 149^th State Council Executive Meeting on 15^th October 2021, will come into force on 1^st December 2021. The main contents are as follows:

1. Local water administration, natural resource administration, ecological environment administration and other competent departments shall conduct survey and evaluation on groundwater conditions. Comprehensively consider the needs of economic and social development, groundwater resource conditions, pollution prevention and control and other factors according to the result of survey and evaluation on groundwater conditions, and prepare plans for the protection and utilization of groundwater and pollution prevention and control at the same level.
2. Implement a system of total amount of groundwater extracted and groundwater levels under control. Define the conservation requirement for water use process, enhance the adjustment and control for groundwater conservation and protection through economic measure, specify the principle of taxation on groundwater resource. Except under special circumstances, groundwater that is difficult to renew shall not be exploited.
3. Standardize the designation of areas where the exploitation of groundwater is prohibited or restricted. Except under special circumstances, groundwater shall not be extracted in the areas where the exploitation of groundwater is prohibited, newly increased ground water extraction shall be prohibited and the amount of groundwater extracted shall be gradually reduced in the areas where the exploitation of groundwater is restricted. Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government authorities should make comprehensive treatment plans for local groundwater over-exploitation, define contents including treatment objectives, treatment measures and supporting measures.
4. Establish a customized system for key zoning of groundwater pollution prevention and control. Strengthen the management of groundwater pollution, prohibit the discharge water pollutants by the mean that evades supervision, transport or store the wastewater contained toxic pollutant by ditches, pond without anti-leakage measure. Refine the rules that prevent groundwater pollution caused by production and construction activities. Refine the rules that prevent groundwater pollution caused by soil pollution.

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