A new regulation was enforced Sunday to help improve the health of
employees working with poisonous and dangerous materials.
The regulation, issued by the State Council, is expected to reduce
the increasing number of diseases brought about by poisonous
materials in the workplace.
Officials from the Ministry of Health noted that China's
occupational diseases have become very "serious" and the issue of
this new regulation has provided workers with a new legal weapon to
protect their own rights.
Statistics from the ministry show that 756 acute poisoning cases
were reported in 2001, 110 of which died.
Around 1,166 cases of chronic poisoning cases were registered in
the country at the same time, with millions of employees working
with poor protection measures.
Last year, the ministry received 13,218 reports of cases involving
various occupational diseases, which represents a rise of 13 per
cent over the figure for 2000.
Chronic poisoning caused by benzene has become quite severe,
especially in firms making bags, toys, and shoes made with
leather.
Most of the poisoning accidents took place in small and
medium-sized firms and in particular private firms.
A
lack of awareness with regards to protection as well as a lack of
investment in this area is the "chief culprit" of the rising number
of poisoning cases.
The new regulation will not only force employers to improve working
conditions, but will also give workers more legal rights to prevent
occupational diseases and enabling them to receive
compensation.
Workers have the right to have complete understanding of the
dangers of their work and any employers found violating these
rights will be severely punished, -- the regulation states.
Employers are being asked to improve safety conditions and to
provide the necessary equipment to ensure the safety of their
workers.
The regulation also stipulates that health officials in charge of
supervising safety in the workplace face criminal charges if any
worker suffers ill health due to negligence on the part of the
officer.
Employers who have suffered from poisoning at work have the right
to seek compensation from insurance companies and from employers.
Under the new rule employers will no longer be able to sack workers
who have been exposed to poisonous substances before passing health
examinations.
Factories are forbidden to use poisonous materials which do not
comply with legal standards. Those that do so risk of close-down
and being fined between 50,000 to 300,000 yuan (US$6,000-36,000),
or face criminal charges.
(China Daily May 20,
2002)