Daily lesson from Life 23 September 2008

"China bans fireworks in clubs 43 young revellers were previously killed in a fire at an illegal dance hall. --->
Tue, Sep 23, 2008 Reuters

BEIJING - CHINA banned on Tuesday fireworks displays in public entertainment venues, just days after 43 young revellers were killed in a fire at an illegal dance hall.

The fire in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong, broke out just before midnight last Saturday at the packed King of the Dancers club, sparked by a fireworks display.


'Any type of fireworks is banned in public entertainment places,' State Council's Work Safety Committee said in an announcement, pointing to Saturday's fire as an example.

The announcement also required local governments to improve the safety of such venues and to shut down those that do not meet the stricter standards."

It is China making the news for the wrong reason again or just the press picking on China to report incidents that could have happened anywhere in the world?

Well, it could be for both reasons!

Lessons for me are:

1. knowledge is passive while acting on the knowledge is the decisive factor in determining if a person is a success or otherwise. Playing with fire in an enclosed area is basic knowledge but went unheeded or ignored! How stupid or silly can human being be?;

2. does creativity has anything to do with this fire? firework in a crowed enclosed place is novel and innovative and fun as long as the fire is controlled! Maybe the safety and contingency plan were not well thought out! When you innovate and push the limit, you must account for the risk and take appropriate actions for damage control and recovery;

3. will this type of accident recur in the future? Definitely as long as people do not learn from the lesson or someone in the future believed that he or she can do it better and safer!

4. China cannot afford to keep having accidents like these on an on-going basis. Something fundamentally is wrong and nobody seems to believe that by doing the right thing themselves - one at a time - will change much. Well, if everyone believe they can change the whole culture by doing the right things themselves, change will happen. Are we ready?

Finally condolences to the family, relatives and friends of those killed in the fire.