How China enhances health protection of workforce

To better protect the health of its workforce, China has strengthened legislation and harnessed technology to prevent and control occupational disease hazards.

In a recent press conference, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced that the country has expanded its occupational injury insurance program to cover over 20 million workers engaged in new forms of employment.

Launched in 2022, the program has been expanded to 17 provincial-level regions. The ministry states the program will be expanded to all provincial-level regions across the country by 2026. This expansion will generally cover all platform companies in the ride-hailing, rapid delivery and intra-city freight sectors. By 2027, the initiative could include platform companies in other industries.

Furthermore, China has established a comprehensive legal framework for the prevention of occupational diseases, encompassing six laws and regulations and 10 departmental rules, said Li Jun, deputy head of the occupational health department of the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press conference in April.

"In recent years, the authorities have published more than 660 technical standards for occupational safety, including over 300 standards for monitoring and assessing occupational hazard factors, and nearly 100 for engineering controls. These standards provide crucial guidance for preventing and controlling occupational diseases," Li said.

China's law on occupational disease prevention and treatment guarantees multiple protections for workers. For instance, employers must arrange for workers with occupational diseases to receive treatment, rehabilitation, and regular checkups in accordance with regulations.

In 2024, China conducted on-site inspections of key occupational hazard factors in 500,000 high-risk positions. It screened five million patients with respiratory diseases for pneumoconiosis.

Monitoring results indicate gradual improvements in workplace conditions and a growing awareness among employers regarding their responsibilities in occupational disease prevention. However, challenges remain in addressing traditional occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis and noise-induced hearing loss.  

"While pneumoconiosis is currently incurable, standardized treatment and rehabilitation can slow its progression and improve patients' quality of life," Li noted.

With support from central government funding, the NHC has established 900 pneumoconiosis rehabilitation stations based on existing township hospitals and community health centers. These stations now provide full coverage in towns and communities with high concentrations of pneumoconiosis patients.

Noise levels exceeding standards in the mining and machinery manufacturing industries continued to be a prominent issue. Additionally, small, medium and micro enterprises – especially micro enterprises – still need to strengthen their occupational health protection measures.

To address these challenges, the NHC has introduced 64 intelligent, efficient and energy-saving protective technologies across industries such as mining, metallurgy, chemical production and machinery manufacturing, helping enterprises enhance their protective measures, Li said.

In addition, more than 3,000 technical teams visited over 60,000 small, medium and micro enterprises in 2024 to guide them in enhancing their occupational disease prevention and control capabilities, Li added.

In recent years, rapid economic development and evolving work patterns have led to an increase in physiological and psychological health issues among workers. Poor working postures and excessive work pressure are the root causes of these problems. This situation has prompted growing demands for an expanded scope of occupational health protection.  

China's updated catalog on occupational diseases, which took effect in August, now includes 135 types of occupational diseases across 12 categories. Notably, the catalog has added two new conditions: carpal tunnel syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).