At the International Conference on Safety and Health in the Construction Sector being held in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Chinese labor specialists on Tuesday described China's efforts to improve work safety and curb occupational diseases. The conference is being held under the auspices of the International Association of Labor Inspection
Wu Xin, director general of the Second Department of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), said that the mainland has over 38 million construction workers, the largest industrial labor group in the world.
In 2003, the total output value of construction on the mainland reached 2.2 trillion yuan (US$272 billion), accounting for 18.7 percent of the country's gross domestic product. The growing construction industry has promoted national economic growth and absorbed excess rural labor.
However, Wu noted, the relatively low productivity and skills of laborers together with a weak supervision system in the construction sector made the work safety situation grim. About 1,000 construction workers suffer injury and death as a result of construction hazards every year.
According to He Qinghua, director of the Division of Public Health Supervision under the Ministry of Health, falls from high places account for 42 to 45 percent of construction work casualties.
Li Tao, director of the National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Center, said that the incidence of occupational diseases on the mainland has risen since 1997, with the pneumoconiosis, or black lung, topping the list of 115 diseases.
As of 2003, a cumulative 581,377 workers had been diagnosed with black lung disease, with 442,200 still living.
Li said that China has put 303,489 plants under special supervision for occupational hazards, and identified 599,069 that require professional health monitoring.
About 100 participants from 20 countries, in addition to various international labor organizations, attended the conference in Macao. The conference continued through Wednesday.
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2004)
