Approximately 50 attendees were from multinational companies such as Rohm and Haas, Dow, 3M, ORC Worldwide, Intel, GE, Alcoa Aluminum, Honeywell International and others. In addition, there were more than 150 attendees from U.S. and Chinese government agencies, academia, labor unions and domestic companies.
“This initial Sino-U.S. effort to collaborate in the initiative to grow workplace health and safety in this region of the world was a huge success,” said AIHA President Donald J. Hart, PhD, CIH. “Not only did we exceed our projected attendance, but we cemented our relationships with several critical partners in China.”
COSHA Vice President and Secretary General, Yi Lie, opened the workshop. Other speakers welcoming attendees included Sun Huashan, vice minister, State Administration of Worker Safety (SAWS); Donald J. Hart, AIHA president; Feng Changgen, executive secretary, China Association for Science & Technology; Zhang Mingqi, executive secretary, All-China Federation of Trade Unions; CDCNIOHPC Director Li Tao; and Bruce Ross, MA, MPH, Health Attaché, U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Even Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin G. Foulke Jr. made a surprise visit.
“China faces great challenges in dealing with the incidence and prevalence of occupational illnesses and injuries,” said AIHA’s Ambassador to China, Nick D. Yin, CIH, CSP. “Fatalities and injuries from acute exposures to chemical hazards, dust diseases, and noise-induced hearing loss are only a few of the significant challenges faced by China.”
U.S. and Chinese experts delivered keynote speeches and technical sessions. The conference agenda included the following presentations:
- A Survey of the Status and Strategy of Occupational Health Work in China (Ren Shukui, general director, Department of Coordination Office of SAWS)
- Collaboration Between Government, Industry, Academia and Workers – A Critical Success Factor (John Henshaw, president, Henshaw and Associates, Inc., and former OSHA assistant secretary of labor)
- China Occupational Disease Prevention Law System and Its Implementation (Su Zhi, vice general director, Health Supervision Bureau of Ministry of Health)
- Role, Capability and Experience of AIHA in Advancing Industrial Hygiene (Donald J. Hart, AIHA president)
- The Science, Principles and Practice of Industrial Hygiene (Frank Renshaw, senior EHS leader, Rohm and Haas, AIHA past president)
- Noise Hazards and Current Status in China (Ding Hui, director, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology)
- The Importance of Standards in Preventing Occupational Illnesses and Injuries (Frank A. White, senior vice president, ORC Worldwide)
- Occupational Health Surveillance in China (Li Dehong, senior expert, CDCNIOHPC)
- The Prevalence of Occupational Illness and Injuries (Marie Haring Sweeney, chief, Surveillance Branch, National Institute for Occupational Safety)
- Recognizing and Evaluating Workplace Exposures (Brian Daly, president, Hygiene Technologies International, Inc.)
- The Prevention and Control of Chemical Hazards (Fan Jingguang, secretary general, China Chemical Safety Association)
- Control of Health Hazards (Loren Andersen, corporate manager of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health Programs, PPG Industries)
- Personal Protective Equipment (Victor Liu, senior project director, EnSafe, Inc.)
- LA Mark of PPE (Liu Xurong, director, LA Mark Center of PPE, China Academy of Safety Science and Technology)
For detailed workshop information, visit http://www.aiha.org/content/sino-us.htm.