BEIJING, March 30 -- Chinese authorities are conducting a work safety inspection across construction sites nationwide, a government official said Thursday.

"There is still much to do to improve work safety at construction sites," said Li Rusheng, an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Several serious accidents occurred recently, including the collapse of scaffolding at a central China park on Tuesday, which killed three and left six missing.

The number of accidents and fatalities have been linked to sites with incomplete building permits or unregulated construction units, Li said, adding that the inspection focuses on sites and projects deemed to be high risk.

This year, there have been 86 accidents at construction sites related to public housing projects, up 10.3 percent from a year ago, with 78 fatalities, an increase of 11.3 percent year on year, according to figures with the ministry.

The ministry will gradually improve safety standards, identify the parties responsible for production accidents and punish them, said Li.