Regulation of occupational exposures in China

The recent passage of the Occupational Diseases Prevention and Control Act of 2002 (ODPCAct) in China and the new occupational exposure limits signify the Chinese government’s commitment to improve the environment of the workplace and to eradicate preventable occupational diseases. The effectiveness of the ODPCAct, however, will depend on not only implementation and enforcement but also education and communication. For large industrial facilities, implementation of the new regulations can be enforced with periodic monitoring and inspections. The difficulty will come from small makeshift or crudely converted workshops in villages and small towns in rural areas. The challenge will be to reach out to these small workshop owners and workers, i.e., to communicate and inform them about the newly promulgated regulations, the business owners’ legal responsibility and liability, and the workers’ right to a safe workplace. Attention and resources should be focused on educating both shop owners and workers about the hazards of the chemicals that they use, basic requirements for a safe workplace, preventive measures, and controls to reduce exposures.