Abstract

Western companies participating in production activities in China’s heavy industry meet many challenges when seeking to operate in a socially responsible manner. When heavy industry is rapidly developed by companies unfamiliar with this type of production in areas without industrial experience environment, health and safety (EHS) issues are often ignored or given low priority compared to activities necessary to get products to the market as fast as possible and to as low a price as possible. Faced with these challenges it is easy for western companies to either completely give up ambitions of operating in China and leave, or to lower their own standards and adopt what seems to be acceptable in China. Based on internationally accepted principles for corporate social responsibility, lowering the basic EHS requirements is not acceptable and western companies operating in China must do everything in their power to ensure safe and healthy working conditions through risk assessment and risk mitigation including sharing technology, buying equipment with adequate protection, supplying personal protective equipment and providing extensive training programs for employees at all levels of the organizations.