Building on more than a decade of cooperation and collaboration between the United States and China, OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels is in Beijing this week for a series of meetings with government officials, worker safety and health advocates, and industry representatives from both countries.

Monday, at a roundtable discussion on occupational safety and health in the supply chain, hosted by the China State Administration of Work Safety, he discussed the roles of government workers, employers, and non-governmental organizations in protecting workers through better understanding and collaboration. Yesterday he participated in an Occupational Health Symposium hosted by the National Center for International Cooperation in Work Safety and the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Throughout the visit, Assistant Secretary Michaels stressed the importance of instilling a culture of safety throughout a business' entire operation, including its supply chain, and the need to involve all the key players in a comprehensive safety and health management system.

"With supply chains and employment relationships that cross borders and oceans, worker safety is undoubtedly a global issue," said Assistant Secretary Michaels. "As such, it is imperative that each of us — every nation — does our part to promote safe workplaces in a collaborative and systemic way to effectively protect all of our workers."