Occupational safety in China: possible contributions from the fields of safety culture and safety climate

The low standard of occupational safety in China is an issue of human rights and is an ethical concern at an international level. No country in history has industrialised at the same rate as China has over the past 20 years. This focus on production is reflected not only in the national culture, but also the organisational culture of Chinese businesses. Whilst it is important to appreciate China's developmental goals, it is necessary to achieve more balance between production and safety. This paper presents a review of occupational safety combining the research conducted in developed countries with the state of occupational safety in China. As a result of this review, it is argued that whilst a focus on legislation, regulation, and technology are vital, so to is the development of an understanding of safety culture and safety climate at the national and organisational level in China. The literature reviewed in this paper suggests that while China recognises the importance of such concepts their research agenda does not support such a focus.