Security museum a life saver
17/1/2006 7:20
Angela Xu/Shanghai Daily news
The chairwoman of
the Shanghai Women's Federation says the city should build a security experience
museum to teach local residents how to avoid accidents, and how to react in the
case of a natural disaster.
Meng yankun, who is also a member of the Shanghai
Committee of the National People's Congress, made the suggestion to lawmakers
yesterday.
She said it is necessary for people to learn how to protect
themselves as traffic and workplace accidents are taking a growing toll on
society.
Meng said surveys suggest Chinese people have less knowledge about
how to react to an accident or disaster than people from other
countries.
Traffic mishaps, accidents on the job and natural disasters cost
China 650 billion yuan (US$80 billion) a year, accounting for 0.6 percent of the
country's gross domestic product, according to Meng.
She added that
accidental injuries are becoming a leading killer of children in the city.
According to the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Center, 3.45 out of
every 100,000 children drown and 1.93 die in traffic accidents.
"If people
have received some relevant training, I believe the situation will be much
improved," Meng said, adding that museums have proven successful in offering
such training both domestically and abroad.
There is a security experiencing
museum in South Korea that uses multimedia displays to replicate earthquakes and
other natural disasters. After a little training in the museum, people are less
likely to panic if they face a disaster, Meng said.
A similar facility exists
in Beijing's Haidian District. All children in the capital are required to visit
the museum with their schools.
The shanghai Museum of Public Security has a
fire drill hall to teach people how to react in the event of a blaze.
"But it
touches only a small part of the public security. We need a comprehensive
museum," Meng said.
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