· To undertake the work of the Office of the State Council Work Safety Commission, specifically, to develop proposals on major policies and measures regarding work safety; to oversee, inspect, direct and coordinate the work of relevant departments and agencies of the State Council and the people's governments of various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government in the field of work safety; to organize nationwide work safety inspections and specialized safety supervision activities as authorized by the State Council; to join the departments and agencies concerned in the deliberation of the work safety aspect of their industry policies, capital investment and technological development; to be in charge of organizing investigation, handling and conclusion of cases of major accidents as authorized by the State Council; to organize and coordinate emergency rescue operations for major accidents; to direct and coordinate nationwide administrative enforcement of law on work safety; to organize conferences and important activities held by the State Council Work Safety Commission and supervise implementation of resolutions adopted at these conferences.

·To oversee and administer work safety nationwide; to organize drafting of general laws and administrative regulations on work safety, to promulgate general regulations on work safety of industry, mining and commerce, and to develop work safety policies and standards and rules for work safety of industry, mining and commerce, and organize implementation; to be in charge of issuance and management of work safety licenses to non-coal mining enterprises within the scope of its duties and to enterprises producing dangerous chemicals and fireworks.

· To exercise, according to law, the functions and powers of the state to oversee and administer work safety, direct, coordinate and oversee the work of relevant departments and agencies on work safety supervision and give professional guidance to regional agencies of work safety supervision in light of the principles of assigning regional work safety supervision responsibility to various levels; to draw up national programs for the development of work safety; and to regularly analyze and forecast the nationwide work safety situation and develop solutions and coordinate efforts to solve major work safety problems.

· To be in charge of releasing information on nationwide work safety and exercise overall management of statistics of nationwide workplace injuries and fatalities and analysis of the situation of administrative enforcement of law on work safety; to organize and coordinate, according to law, investigation and handling of major accidents and oversee the outcome of accident investigation and treatment; and to organize, command and coordinate workplace emergency rescue operations.

· To be in charge of supervising and regulating safe production of dangerous chemicals and fireworks.

· To direct and coordinate work safety inspection and testing nationwide and in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; to organize and supervise management of the accreditation of intermediary agencies that perform inspection and testing, and/or safety evaluation of the operating conditions and relevant equipment (excluding special equipment) of industrial, mining and commercial operations, and/or provide safety training and consulting services.

· To organize and direct work safety education and publicity nationwide and in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; to be in charge of safety training and assessment of work safety inspection and management personnel; to organize, direct and oversee, according to law, the assessment of workers on special jobs and special equipment operators (excluding coalmine workers on special jobs and special equipment operators) and the assessment of the safety qualifications of principal operators and safety management personnel of industrial, mining and commercial operations (excluding the safety qualifications of coalmine managers); and to oversee the safety training at these enterprises.

· To be in charge of overseeing work safety of the industrial, mining and commercial operations administered by the central government and to supervise, according to law, their observation of safety laws and regulations and their management of the conditions for safe production and relevant equipment (excluding special equipment), materials and labor safety necessities.

· To oversee, according to law, synchronization of the design, construction and commissioning of safety facilities with the principal part of a new, reconstruction or extension project that is within the scope of duty of SAWS; to oversee and inspect industrial hygiene at the workplace of industrial, mining and commercial operations (excluding coal mining operations) and to be in charge of the management of issuance of occupational safety and health licenses; to oversee the monitoring, control and correction of major sources of hazards and to investigate and penalize those industrial, mining and commercial operations that are not equipped with proper conditions for safe production.

· To organize drafting of programs for the development of work safety technologies and to organize, direct and coordinate the efforts of pertinent agencies and institutions in the research and demonstration of major projects of work safety technologies.

· To organize implementation of the system of accreditation of certified safety engineers and to oversee and direct the qualification test and certification of certified safety engineers.

· To organize carrying out international exchange and cooperation activities with foreign governments, international organizations and NGOs in the field of work safety.

· To undertake other tasks as entrusted with by the State Council and its Work Safety Commission.