On 28 April 2026, China marked the World Day for Safety and Health at Work today with a high‑level event jointly organized by the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) of China and the ILO, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The event reaffirmed a shared commitment to people‑centred, preventive and participatory approaches to occupational safety and health (OSH), bringing together government officials, employers' representatives, workers and experts to exchange perspectives on promoting healthy psychosocial and safe working environments through full worker participation.
© MEM
The 2026 World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed under the theme "Let's ensure a healthy psychosocial working environment." The theme reflects growing recognition that the way work is designed, organized and managed has a direct impact on workers' safety, mental health and dignity. Psychosocial risks, such as excessive workloads, long working hours, limited autonomy and poor communication, can undermine well‑being and increase the likelihood of workplace accidents. Addressing these risks through prevention, dialogue and worker participation is essential to achieving safe, healthy and productive workplaces.
Speakers and participants at the event highlighted how the ILO's Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programme is translating these principles into practice across China, delivering tangible benefits for both workers and enterprises. Through SCORE, workers gain a stronger voice in workplace decision‑making, safer and healthier working conditions, improved communication with management, contributing to safer jobs, skills development and a stronger sense of dignity and belonging at work. Participating companies have recorded significant reductions in occupational injury rates, lower absenteeism and staff turnover, and improved quality and workflow efficiency. In some enterprises, worker‑led improvements under SCORE have contributed to substantial cost savings through reduced waste, energy efficiency gains and process optimization, while strengthening internal risk identification and prevention capacities.
© MEM
China's experience with SCORE also demonstrates how strong government guidance can enable participatory approaches to scale. By embedding the SCORE approach into national and local safety governance systems, mobilizing public institutions, and providing coordinated policy support, SCORE has moved beyond pilot projects to systematic implementation. At the event, a launching ceremony marked the expansion of SCORE to 10 additional provinces, bringing the total number of provinces promoting the programme to 20 nationwide.
China will continue to scale up the SCORE programme nationwide and work with the ILO to further promote SCORE in Belt and Road countries.
Xu Jia'ai, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management
In his address, Vice Minister Xu Jia'ai of the MEM reaffirmed China's commitment to a people‑centred approach to occupational safety and health and to scaling up SCORE both domestically and internationally. "China will continue to scale up the SCORE programme nationwide and work with the ILO to further promote SCORE in Belt and Road countries," he said. He stressed that China aims to support enterprises in achieving safe and sustainable development by transforming its SCORE experience into replicable and scalable international public goods, and by actively sharing practical lessons with Belt and Road partners.
Chang-Hee Lee, the Director of the ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, emphasized the broader development relevance of China's experience. "There is great potential to strengthen South-South cooperation and knowledge sharing. Such cooperation can advance the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Development Initiative, with Chinese stories to share," he said.
The event reaffirmed the long‑standing partnership between the ILO and the MEM-spanning more than two decades-in promoting preventive, participatory and people‑centred approaches to occupational safety and health, with China's SCORE experience increasingly contributing to international cooperation and shared learning.
