On Feb 28th, State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) issued Management Norms on Periodic Examination for Hazard Factors of Occupational Disease according to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases and Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Occupational Health at Work Sites (SAWS Order 47).
The periodic examination for hazard factors of occupational disease requires the employees to have their work sites inspected for occupational hazard factors by qualified occupational hygiene and health bodies. The Norms make the annual examination a mandatory requirement.
The norms stipulate some of the detailed requirements for the examination. Employees are forbidden to reduce or suspend normal production processes during the examination period. If there has to be any reduction or suspension in production, examiners must be informed in advance so that they can alter the sampling and examination methods. The whole examination should be photographed or video recorded.
If the examine result indicates that the concentration or intension of occupational hazard factors exceed the limits, then the employees are required to improve the work site condition immediately and inform the employers the examine results and precaution measures. The employees that fail to meet the requirements of the Norms will be punished according to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases and SAWS Order 47. Examiners found falsifying examination reports will be disqualified in severe circumstances.
