ABSTRACT
The way the fatality quotas were established and distributed in the hierarchy greatly reduced the discretion and flexibility that local leaders had in bargaining with their superiors in setting the performance targets. This chapter shows that although the fatality quota system had a weirdly rigid management design, it was a sensitive and expedient political instrument that reduced work-related deaths during a specific historical period. The first striking feature of the fatality quota system is that all indicators were expressed in extremely precise numbers. The second feature of the fatality quota system was that it took regional disparities and sectoral differences into consideration when assessing a locality's performance on fatality control. The third striking feature of the fatality quota system is that it links measurable performance to clearly defined responsibilities of local leaders. To begin with, the fatality quota system provided a consistent and clearer understanding of how the veto power should be applied in assessing work safety performance.
