AIHA’s relationship with occupational health organizations and authorities in China has been developing since the mid-1990s. AIHA takes great interest in advancing the practice of industrial/occupational hygiene in one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies. Yang Yuanyuan, Deputy Director of China’s State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), graciously agreed to answer questions from The Synergist about the opportunities and challenges of occupational health in China. The transcript of this exclusive interview with Minister Yang appears below and will be published in the print edition of the May Synergist.

    1. 在美国，职业卫生工作的研究和实施由不同部门负责。美国职业安全和卫生管理局（OSHA）负责执法和制定法规条例，美国国家职业安全卫生研究所（NIOSH）负责相关研究为OSHA提供支撑。请问在中国有关研究如何进行？

      中国职业卫生监管职能经过了多次调整。根据2010年中央编办下发的《关于职业卫生监管部门职责分工的通知》和2011年新修订的《中华人民共和国职业病防治法》，由国家安全监管总局、卫生计生委等部门负责职业卫生法规标准的制定与实施工作，其中安全监管总局负责起草职业卫生监管有关法规、规章，组织拟订国家职业卫生标准中的用人单位职业危害因素工程控制、职业防护设施、个体职业防护等相关标准；卫生计生委负责会同安全监管总局、人力资源社会保障部等有关部门拟订职业病防治法律法规、职业病防治规划，组织制定发布国家职业卫生标准。

      在现行的职业卫生监管体系框架下，中国的职业卫生相关研究工作也呈现出国家与地方相结合，综合研究与行业研究相结合，社会团体、大专院校和科研院所共同参与并发挥支撑作用的多层次格局。国家层面，现有卫生计生委所属中国疾病预防控制中心职业卫生与中毒控制所、辐射防护与核安全医学所等国家级科研支撑机构；国家安全监管总局正在整合力量，成立“国家职业病危害防治研究院”，为国家职业卫生相关法规标准研究，引领职业卫生重大课题和技术的研发与推广应用，提升政府监管能力发挥重要的技术支撑作用。各地方的安科院所、疾控中心和职防院所也承担了大量的相关研究工作，为地方法规、标准和政策的制定提供了技术支撑。同时，一些行业部门的研究院所也积极承担了行业法规、标准、科学技术的研究工作，为国家政策法规的制定提供了重要补充。此外，我国一些行业组织如中国职业安全健康协会及高等院校也是一支重要的研究力量，特别是在基础研究、技术研发等方面发挥了重要的科技支撑作用。

1. In the U.S., different agencies are charged with enforcement and research related to occupational health. While OSHA manages enforcement and regulations, NIOSH conducts research to support OSHA. How is the research function handled in China?

The regulation of occupational health in China has been adjusted many times. The State Administration of Work Safety(SAWS), the National Health and Family Planning Commission(NHFPC), and other departments are responsible for the formulation and implementation of occupational health regulations and standards. The SAWS is responsible for drafting regulations and rules on occupational health supervision and standards concerning engineering control of occupational hazards, occupational health protection facilities, and personal protection by employers. The NHFPC works together with the SAWS, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security,and others to formulate regulations and plans on occupational diseases prevention and control, as well as to formulate and issue national occupational health standards. 

Research on occupational health in China is characterized by state-and-local cooperation, interconnectedness between comprehensive research and industry research, and support by social organizations, universities and research institutes. At the state level, there are Occupational Health and Toxicology Control Institute of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institute for Radiological Protection of CDC, all affiliated with the NHFPC and other research institutes.

The State Administration of Work Safety is now integrating resources to establish a “National Research Institute for Occupational Disease Hazards.”It aims to play a supportive role to the research on occupational health regulations and standards, the research on key projects and technological application as well as the improvement of governmentregulatory capacity. Safety research institutes, disease control centers and occupational disease prevention institutes in various regions also conduct comprehensive research, providing technical assistance to the formulation of regional regulations, standards and policies.

At the same time, some industry research institutesconduct research on industry regulations, standards and technologies, which supplementstate policies and regulations. In addition, some industry associations such as the China Occupational Safety and Health Association (COSHA) and institutions of higher education are an important force, playing their role in basic research and other R&D projects. 

2.为解决职业卫生问题，保护劳动者健康，中国已经建立了一个包括法律、法规和标准在内的全面的监管体系。中国计划如何进一步加强实施？

    职业健康事关广大劳动者的生命健康权益，中国政府对此高度重视，采取了一系列措施，推动和促进了职业健康工作深入开展。作为作业场所职业卫生监管部门，国家安全监管总局狠抓职业卫生监管法规规章标准体系建设，依据2011年修改《职业病防治法》，先后发布了《工作场所职业卫生监督管理规定》、《职业病危害项目申报办法》、《用人单位职业健康监护监督管理办法》、《职业卫生技术服务机构监督管理暂行办法》、《建设项目职业卫生“三同时”监督管理暂行办法》等5部总局规章，发布了《石材加工工艺防尘技术规范》、《家具制造业防尘防毒技术规范》等77项职业卫生技术标准，发布了《用人单位职业卫生档案管理规范》等22个规范性文件和37个职业卫生业务文件，包括“监管办法”（ZW-JB）、法规咨询（ZW-FZ）和信息通告（ZW-XT）。

       建立法律法规标准文件体系是职业卫生工作的基础，实施法律法规标准文件是做好职业卫生监管工作的重要举措。下一步，国家安全监管总局在做好宣传教育培训的基础上，将大力推进监督执法工作，把法律法规标准文件的要求落实到企业作业场所和作业岗位。依据中国目前作业场所职业病危害仍较严重的现状，从政府层面，一是强化日常监督检查，坚持检查与服务并重，推动企业落实职业病防治主体责任，全国各级安全监管部门日常检查企业数量每年不少于30万家。二是强化专项整治，国家和地方每年确定2-3个职业病危害严重的行业领域开展专项监督执法，每年不少于2万家，对不整改或整改不到位的企业，督促地方政府依法予以关闭。三是强化建设项目职业卫生“三同时”监管，严格职业病防护设施竣工验收，确保职业病防护设施符合要求，并与主体工程同时投入生产和使用。四是改进执法手段，规范检查内容和标准，采取不告知的检查方式，对职业病危害严重的地区、企业开展了重点检查，提高了执法效果。五是对违法违规企业依法严厉查处，对重大隐患和问题、典型违法违规企业进行公开曝光，强化震慑和警示作用。建立职业卫生违法违规企业黑名单制度，定期向社会发布。六是严肃查处职业病危害事故，做到“一厂出事故，万厂受教育；一地有隐患，全国受警示”，以事故教训推动职业卫生工作。 

2. China has set up a comprehensive regulatory system including laws, regulations, and standards to addressoccupational health concerns and protect worker health. How does China plan to further develop theseregulations?

The Chinese government attaches great importance to occupational health, which is a matter of ensuring the health rights of workers and taking a series of measures to deepen our work in occupational health. The State Administration of Work Safety, P. R. China, as a regulatory body of workplace health, has been making tremendous efforts to establish regulations, rules and standards in occupational health. Based on the revised Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases in 2011, we have successively issued five departmental rules including the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Occupational Health at Workplaces, Administrative Measures for the Report of Occupational Disease Hazards at Workplaces, Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Employers’ Occupational Health Surveillance, Interim Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Occupational Health Service Organizations and Interim Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the “Three Simultaneities” for Occupational Health at Construction Projects. In addition, we have also issued 77 occupational health standards such as the Technical Guideline of Dust Control for Stone Processing and Technical Guideline of Dust and Poison Control for Furniture Industry as well as 22 reference documents and 37 OH work documents.

Establishing laws, regulations, and standards is the foundation for occupational health, and their implementations are important components of occupational health regulation. The State Administration of Work Safety P. R. China will strengthen inspection and law enforcement in addition to promoting education and training, to ensure that legal requirements are fully implemented at workplaces and operational positions. Mindful of the fact that occupational disease hazards in China are severe, the governmentshould strengthen regular inspectionsand urge enterprises to fulfill their responsibility in occupational diseases prevention and control. The number of enterprises inspected by safety supervision bodies at all levels should not be less than 300,000 each year.

The government should also put more emphasis on an ad-hoc rectification campaign. Each year, two or three key sectors in which occupational disease hazards are severe should be identified and inspected. The number of enterprises in these sectors to be inspected should be no less than 20,000. For those who refuse to rectify or fail to fully rectify, local governments are empowered to close these enterprises in accordance with law. Third, we emphasize the “three simultaneities” regulation at construction projects:we must ensure that occupational disease prevention and control facilities are completed, their standards live up to requirements, and they start to be used at the same time with the main project. Fourth, we improve law enforcement methods by standardizing what and how to inspect. We have adopted unannounced inspections and increased inspection frequency for regions and enterprises with severe occupational disease hazards. Fifth, penalties are strictly applied to non-compliant enterprises. We also publicize enterprises with noticeable hidden hazards and typical violations to strengthen deterrence. Sixth, we investigate incidents derived from occupational disease hazards and punish those accountable to ensure that “one incident in one factory, 10,000 factories learning the lesson; hidden hazards in one area, the whole country being alarmed”.

 3. 中国目前有注册安全工程师专业资质(CSE)。您认为中国是否有必要建立注册工业卫生师或职业卫生师资质来促进专业人员的提升？

      专业技术人员无论对安全生产还是职业卫生都十分重要。建立安全生产和职业卫生专业技术人员执业资格制度，加强岗位准入控制，是加强专业技术人员队伍建设，提高专业技术人员队伍素质，提升行业工作水平和管理质量的重要手段。 当前大多数发达国家对涉及安全、健康和环保等领域专业技术人员执业都制定了严格的考试制度、注册制度和相应的管理制度。实践证明，这是一种行之有效的管理办法。一是职业卫生技术服务与安全中介服务都是保障劳动者生命安全和身体健康的重要技术保障，我们对安全中介服务已管理了十余年，尽管还有不少问题，我们总是比较了解的，而职业卫生技术服务对安监部门来说还是较新领域。职业卫生技术服务较安全中介服务的专业性、技术性、标准性和精密性要强得多，对比已经实施的CSE制度，建立注册职业卫生师制度既必要又紧迫。二是中国正处于经济快速发展时期，职业病防治形势十分严峻，而且随着经济体制、用工制度改革及对外开放不断扩大，职业病危害严重的态势仍将持续一段时期。三是中国职业卫生技术服务人才仍相对缺乏，技术服务覆盖率尚处于较低水平。因此，建立专业的、跨学科的职业卫生技术服务人才队伍是促进社会经济和谐发展的客观要求。

       建立注册职业卫生师制度，将职业卫生技术服务专业技术人员纳入职业资格管理，对提升职业卫生专业技术人员素质和职业道德水平，稳定和加强专业技术人员队伍，保证从业人员的专业能力和执业责任，全面提高职业卫生技术服务水平，保障劳动者健康，促进经济建设健康发展具有非常积极的意义。

       我们考虑建立中国的注册职业卫生师制度，还要做好几项基础工作：一是深入开展调查研究，学习借鉴发达国家注册职业卫生师制度，如美国的CIH、日本的职业卫生顾问、德国的事故预防监察员等经验和做法，为建立中国的注册职业卫生师制度提供参考。二是加快制度建设，研究建立起完善的选拔、培训、考核、注册、执业管理和监督管理体系，为推行注册职业卫生师制度提供制度保障。三是加强培训和管理，为现有的专业技术人员培训考核注册制度向实施注册职业卫生师制度过渡提供资源和桥梁，做到平稳过渡、有序衔接。未来，我们还将通过扩大国际交流，加强合作，不断完善我国的注册职业卫生制度，并逐步与国际接轨，努力推动我国职业卫生职业资格制度与国家互认。

3.China has a professional qualification for Certified Safety Engineer (CSE). Do you think it is necessary to set a Certified Industrial Hygienist or Occupational Hygienist qualification to promote professional development?

Professional technicians are of great importance to workplace safety and occupational health. To establish vocational qualification licensing system is an important method to improve the competency of technical staff and ensure management quality. Most developed countries have adopted strict test and registration system and related management system for professional technicians in areas of safety, health and environmental protection. It proves to be a workable and effective way based on current practice. Occupational health technical service is much more demanding than safety intermediary service. It is imperative to establisha certified occupational health technician system in China. Second, China is experiencing fast economic growth and thus faces daunting challenges in occupational disease prevention and control. Third, China lacksoccupational health technicians, and thus the coverage of occupational health service is limited. Therefore, establishing a professional and inter-disciplinary occupational health technician team is in line with the requirements of harmonious social and economic development.

Establishing a certified occupational health technician system and incorporatingan occupational health technical service into vocational qualification management is of vital importance to improving the technical competency and moral standards of occupational health professionals and enhancing the overall level of occupational health service. It is constructive to healthy economic development.

We need to do the following fundamental work. First, we need to conduct in-depth study to learn the certified occupational health technician system from developed countries, such as the CIH in the U.S., the occupational consultant system in Japan, and the accident prevention inspectors in Germany. Second, we need to accelerate system construction. We need to establish a selection, training, evaluation, registration, certification, and supervision management system through research, laying a foundation for a certified occupational health technician system. Third, we need to strengthen training and management. We need to ensure that resources are available to bridge the current training, evaluation, and registration system for occupational health professionals with the implementation of a certified occupational health technician system. We must ensure a stable and orderly transition. We will deepen and broaden international cooperation in the future to perfect China’s certified occupational health technician system. We endeavor to meet international standards and promote mutual recognition of the qualifications of occupational health professionals between China and other countries.

     中国当前职业卫生工作的重点是两个方面，即预防高危粉尘和高毒物质引发的职业病，这一点在《职业病防治法》中提出要实行特殊管理。近年来组织开展了这方面的专项治理行动，我们还考虑对高危粉尘、高毒物质职业病危害严重行业领域中的中、小企业采取政府补贴的办法促其改进。不欠新帐，逐步还清旧账，进一步加强了对传统职业病危害的防控。在抓好传统职业病危害预防控制的基础上，我们也注意到，随着新一代信息技术、生物、高端装备制造、新能源、新材料等战略性新兴产业的发展，一些新的职业病危害问题也随之而来。一是纳米材料研发导致的纳米职业危害；二是信息技术产业蓬勃发展的同时也出现了违背人体工效学原理而导致的腰背痛、颈椎病、鼠标手等“工作相关疾病”；三是劳动者在生产过程接触职业性生物危害因素导致的职业性传染病，如炭疽病、森林脑炎、布鲁氏菌病、艾滋病和莱姆病等。

      面对这些新情况、新问题，近年来我们也采取了一系列措施。一是扩大了职业性传染病的监管范围和力度，将艾滋病、莱姆病纳入我国法定职业病管理，将有明确病因、与职业病有明确因果关系、危害严重的工作相关疾病逐步纳入国家法定职业病范围；二是在推进纳米技术研究和产业化的同时，从科研立项等方面加大了纳米材料对劳动者职业健康影响研究的支持力度，并在目前重点针对纳米材料的毒性和危害性研究的基础上，逐步研究建立纳米材料监控体系和法规标准体系；三是积极推动人机工效学在职业健康领域的调查、应用与研究，借鉴国外经验和做法并结合我国的经济发展水平，不断强化用人单位和劳动者的认识，逐步加强劳动过程中职业健康相关问题的监管；四是组织开展针对新兴产业、新兴职业危害等多方面、多层次的国际性合作和技术交流，促进我国新兴职业危害防护技术的稳步发展。

4.  “Old” hazards like silica, benzene, and lead still cause most of the occupational diseases in China, and SAWS has put significant effortinto controlling these hazards. What plans does SAWS have to address emerging hazards like nanoparticles, ergonomics, and biohazards in the workplace?

There are two major aspects of work in occupational health in China. First, we prevent occupational diseases caused by hazardous dust and poisonous substances. In recent years, we have organized ad-hoc rectification campaigns directed against dust and poisonous substances. We are now considering giving subsidies to SMEs in sectors with severe occupational disease hazards caused by dust and poisonous substances to urge them to make improvements. The prevention and control of traditional occupational disease hazards has been strengthened.

In addition to the focus on the prevention and control of traditional occupational disease hazards, we’ve noticed that, with the development of strategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology, biology, high-end manufacturing, and new energy and materials, new occupational disease hazards are appearing. First, the research and development of nanomaterials brings about occupational hazards. Second, the flourishing IT industry brings about work-related diseases such as lumbago and backache, cervical spondylosis, mouse hand, etc. that are against right ergonomics. Third, workers sustain occupational infectious diseases such as anthracnose, forest encephalitis, brucellosis, AIDS,Lyme disease, etc. through exposure to occupational biohazards. 

To address these new challenges, we have taken a series of measures in recent years. First, we have enhanced, both in scale and vigor, our regulation of occupational infectious disease. We have incorporated AIDS and Lyme disease into statutory occupational disease management. We are making efforts to incorporate work-related diseases that have clear cause, that can cause occupational diseases, and that have detrimental effects into our national statutory occupational disease list. Second, we have increased support for research into the effects of nanomaterials to workers’ occupational health from the angle of establishingscientific research projects, while promoting the research and development of nanotechnology and its industrialization. We will take steps to establish the monitoring system and legal system for nanomaterials based on our current research on theirtoxicology and harmfulness. Third, we will promote the research and application of ergonomics in occupational health. We will learn the experience and practices from other countries and see what can be applied in China given China’s economic development. We will strengthen the understanding of ergonomics by employers and workers and the regulation of occupational health issues. Fourth, we will conduct international technical cooperation and exchanges at various levels on emerging industries and emerging occupational hazards to promote the development of protection technologies for emerging occupational hazards in China.

5. 您认为国际上的专业组织像美国工业卫生协会（AIHA）能提供什么帮助或技术支持？

     AIHA是一个具有七十多年历史的行业组织，经过几十年运作，形成了强有力的品牌影响力和号召力，其完善的工作运行模式、独特的工业卫生专业人士培养方式、先进的职业卫生检测检验技术和手段等多方面，都值得我们认真学习和借鉴。一是借鉴AHIA等专业组织的管理经验，探索如何发挥行业组织的技术支撑和服务作用，协助政府做好职业卫生监管工作。比如我们成立了职业卫生技术服务分会，这是一个类似AIHA的社会组织，政府目前加大支持，职业卫生技术服务机构专业技术人员的考核已交由其负责，并将逐步移交职责，使其成长为一个自我管理，自我完善，行业自律的社会组织，不断提高其地位和作用。二是借鉴美国注册工业卫生师（CIH）成熟的培训、认证和管理模式，促进建立中国的CIH制度。三是借鉴AHIA实验室认证体系、程序、方法和标准，研究制定中国职业卫生实验室认证行业制度和行业标准，并通过加强交流合作，进一步研究探索两国职业卫生实验室互认体系，加强资源共享，增进技术交流。四是进一步加强与AIHA在科学技术研究领域的合作，特别是在职业接触限值管理、监督执法、个体防护、工程技术措施等方面交流与合作，推动技术的研发和成果推广。五是加强职业暴露评估与管理策略领域的交流与研究，研究开发适合中国企业特征的职业暴露评估模式和管理策略。

5. What assistance or technical support do you thinkinternational professional organizations like AIHA can provide?

AIHA, with wide brand recognition, has a history of more than 70 years. It possesses a sound operational pattern, a unique way of training industrial hygienists, and advanced occupational health evaluation techniques, which are all worth learning.

First, we should learn the management experience from professional organizations such as AIHA to explore how we can play the supportive role of industry associations in government’s regulation of occupational health. For example, we have established the Occupational Health Service Branch of COSHA, which is a similar organization to AIHA. With strong government support, this organization has taken over the evaluation of occupational health technicians. It will grow to a social organization with self-management and self-discipline by gaining more functions. Its status and role will be incessantly improved. Second, we will learn the training, certification, and management of the CIH from the U.S. and endeavor to establish a CIH system in China.

Third, we will learn the laboratory certification procedures and standards from AIHA. We will conduct research to establish a certification system and standards for China’s occupational health laboratories. We will explore ways of mutual recognition of laboratory certification between China and the U.S. by sharing resources and enhancing technical exchanges. Fourth, we would like to strengthen cooperation with AIHA on scientific and technological research, particularly occupational exposure limit management, inspection and law enforcement, PPE, and engineering controls. Fifth, we will strengthen research and exchanges on occupational exposure limit assessment and management, to explore occupational exposure limit assessment mode and management strategies that are suitable to Chinese companies.