Watching my housekeeper wash my 17th story windows enlightened me a great deal.  She was dangling out the window with a wet rag in one hand and a firm grip on the open window frame on the other.  In my mind, I was thinking a stiff breeze or a hiccup was all it would take for her to lose her balance, and from that day forward she had a long broom to work with.  She was not to dangle herself out of my window again.

To me, it was pretty clear, but to her it was just a normal part of doing the job.  A risk she was willing to take.

have been in factories where goggles and hearing protection were provided by management (sometimes even customers who were concerned), but they go unworn because they are uncomfortable or are not seen as needed “at that moment”

Whether you look at the coal industry, stamping, or dozens of other dirty jobs that exist, there are people who are willing to take those jobs and risk life or limb everyday as part of their jobs.  Some say it is due to the “it will never happen to me” attitude, while others say there is no other way.  That they have to take the job to pay bills, save for their child’s tuition, or take care of an ill family member

This recent article (warning: the first picture is GRAPHIC), highlights a recent case of a worker who was impaled by a piece of rebar on a construction site.

This construction worker underwent life-saving surgery after a 3ft-long metal screw fell from a bridge and speared his throat.

Now, were he wearing safety equipment (ropes), perhaps he would not have fallen from the bridge, but anyone who has been to a construction site in China will tell you that the ropes were probably 1 of 100 safety items that were missing, and his case is not all that uncommon.

It is interesting that only 10 months ago, China’s labor law came online, yet no where in the law does it address labor safety.  China’s union, All China Federation of Trade Unions, is as the only union in China supposed to be looking out for its members on issues of safety, but many will tell you that they do not fulfill that role to the level they should.

There are NGOs on the ground who are working on these issues, and of course there are plently of audit firms who will galdly inspect the conditions at facilities their clients need, but where is the larger policy piece.  Where is OSHA?

How much of workplace safety is part of vocational training?