Draft Stresses Prevention Of Diseases
By Zhang Feng
China, 23 February 2001 -- Employers
in China must do more to prevent occupational diseases by a national law
expected to be issued by the end of this year.
When any employer opens a factory in China,
occupational health facilities should be constructed as well, the draft law
says.
"The law on prevention and control of occupational
diseases focuses on protecting workers' health rights," said Su Zhi, a division
chief of the Department of Law and Supervision of the Ministry of Health and a
co-author of the law.
In recent years, an increasing number of acute
workplace poisoning accidents have been reported, especially in small and
medium-sized township enterprises where many farmers-turned-workers are
employed.
Cases of acute poisoning in township firms reached
almost 36 per cent in 1999, according to official statistics.
The exact figure on poisoning cases over the past two
years are not available, but a survey of the ministry showed several thousands
of people have been poisoned and several hundreds die each year.
"According to the law, employers who cause the
poisoning accidents will be asked to pay for victims and will be punished," Su
added.
In South China's Guangdong Province, for example,
many private firms fire workers who are poisoned before they discover their
illnesses and hire new people to avoid paying for their workers' injuries.
To fight against this criminal activity, Su said, the
ministry will set up a health record this year for all workers. Firms must
regularly do health examination for workers with the help of legal occupational
disease control centres.
The records will follow the worker from job to job so
that when a poisoned worker's disease is found, health administrators can figure
out when it was acquired.
As China opened itself up to the outside world,
dangerous industries that were shut down in developed countries came here.
Foreign-invested firms accounted for more than 14 per
cent of all on-the-job poisoning incidents in 1999, official statistics
said.
"Certainly, branches of many multinational companies
also have set a good example in worker's health protection, which is laudably
and recommendable in China," Su said.
He urged foreign investors to study China's new laws
on worker safety before they invest in China.
The draft of the law has been sent to the State
Council.
Li Jinwu, official with the council's legal office,
indicated the council is discussing the draft before giving it to the National
People's Congress, the top legislature, for final approval.
Present laws on occupational disease prevention, all
of which were written more than three decades ago, are outdated.
He also warned that the western regions of China are
especially at risk of poisoning accidents.
Yet Su acknowledged it is a heavy burden for the
firms to bear all the cost caused by poisoning accidents.
The new law would call upon firms to entice insurance
companies to share the burden.
"This does not mean that firms can do nothing in
occupational disease prevention, which should be regarded as one of the top
priorities in their businesses," Su noted.
Source: China
Daily.com.cn
Note: News is
reproduced with the permission of China
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