Chinese officials yesterday urged employers to take more
measures to protect workers against workplace diseases and
injuries.
Experts estimate that about 200 million workers face a potential
danger of occupational diseases and work-related injuries.
The majority of them are farmers-turned-workers who are working
in small or medium-sized firms.
One of the most serious workplace diseases on the Chinese
mainland is pneumoconiosis, a lung disease that is caused by
breathing in too much dust of coal, silicon, and cerement. It
causes serious breathing difficulties and can be fatal.
The disease killed 966 people in the country last year,
according to an official report released by the Ministry of Health
yesterday.
From the early 1950s until the end of last year, 607,570 people
were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis.
Among the number, 137,481 people died from the disease.
Chen Xiaohong, vice-minister of health, said the general level
of prevention and control of workplace diseases is still quite low
in China.
"Health authorities at various levels will do more education
work in the future to raise employers' awareness that they are the
first person responsible for any workplace diseases or accidents,"
Chen said.
He made the remark at a ceremony held by his ministry and other
relevant departments under the State Council to award prizes to 56
companies which have done well in protecting workers' health.
On the Chinese mainland, more than 16 million companies are
engaged in potentially dangerous sectors, such as coal mining,
construction, and those that use chemicals, according to the
Ministry of Health.
Although many companies, especially large foreign-invested and
State-owned ones, have done well in protecting workers' health,
many employees are still working in dangerous places with poor
protection and without any insurance support.
At least 90 percent of Chinese companies are small or
medium-sized organizations.
Many of these companies, especially private ones based in towns
and villages, do not want to spend their money strengthening
workplace protection against various diseases and injuries, or
buying insurance policies for their employees.
According to statistics from Chinese labour and social welfare
authorities, there are about 120 million farmers-turned-workers
working in Chinese cities. Less than 10 percent of them have
medical or injury insurance and many have no contracts with
employers.
According to Chinese law on preventing occupational diseases,
employers should establish qualified working conditions before
opening factories, buy insurance policies for their workers, and
provide regular health examinations for laborers.
However, according to a survey last year of 74,946 companies
that use chemicals or are based in "dangerous sectors," only about
50 percent offered health tests for workers.
(China Daily April 25, 2006)