In recent years, many studies have examined the effects of economic development on the health and mortality of people. Many studies have found that growth in income has positive effects on improving health and reducing mortality in developing countries. However, the effects of growth on workplace fatalities in developing countries has been ignored.
Although the government alleges that workplace safety has improved, the number of workplace deaths has been increasing over the years. Mr. Andrew Kim said, “the frequent occurrence of serious accidents that claim hundreds of lives in China has aroused the concern of both the public and the government” (Kim). Many believe that rapid economic growth is the major reason for the exposure of Chinese workers to hazardous conditions. According to Mr. Daniel Yang, “China’s burgeoning industrial sector has seen both fast growth in labor productivity and a rapid expansion of the labor force, both of which add to the risk for workers” (Yang). In addition to these general reasons for death during industrial expansion, there are other reasons that are specific to China. The local government, employers, and workers’ failure to follow safety regulations has largely resulted in a rise in the workplace fatality rate in China.
The workplace fatality rate is defined as the number of workplace deaths per million workers employed in the industrial sector, which including the manufacturing, mining, and construction industries. Mr. Charles Edouard, the President Asia and Managing Partner of Greater China said, “the workplace fatality rate was as high as 128 per million workers, which is more than triple of the United States” (Edouard 9). In fact, the exhaust, pressure, and decreased capacity for self-protection that is associated with the increasing of workload and the demand for speed during the economic expansion lead to the risk for workers. For example, South Africa’s gold mines are