10: Lax Safety

Last week, I was taxiing home from Minzu University, and I stopped at an intersection where 4 pedestrian bridges were being built. There, I saw the most unsafe conditions I’ve seen by far in China. There were men welding stuff, with the white flame visible to pedestrians and onlookers. The sparks were flying down onto the street, with cars and pedestrians trying to avoid it.

This wasn’t the only time I saw incredibly lax safety standards (and it’s only been a month!). At my university, there are some buildings in construction. One building always had workers on it, day and night. I knew unions would shriek in horror if they ever saw that situation. Also, where the building was, and where the materials were actually were in different places, with a pedestrian walkway between the two areas. So the crane would pick up a load of bricks or whatever, and hoist it over the pedestrians into the construction zone.

There are buildings that extend stairs over the sidewalks. Often, they aren’t coordinated, so when you walk down the street, you have to go around or up and down. Cars are allowed to park anywhere they want on the sidewalk. I saw more than one apartment building next to a coal smokestack. There’s even one right by Beida. Also, the escalators are steep, and super fast. I haven’t seen an elderly person use an escalator, and I don’t know if it’s because of tradition or if it’s because they’re scared of them!

I am reminded of a book I once read, which was one of those weird books I read in high school. In the book, the mother was upset at how her family ate her food so fast without taking the time to appreciate the flavor. So, in an act of defiance, she started adding shards of glass or staples or whatever, forcing her son and husband to eat the food slowly (Ironically, I found a staple in my rice once). After a while, they learned to enjoy the food. This is how I’ve perceived China so far. With all these lax safety standards, I am forced to keep my eyes open, and forced to be alert. This has actually made my experience much more memorable.

Also, another dimension to this discussion is how China handles its safety issues when they become deadly or threatening to the economy. Remember the melanin milk scare? The head of the milk company, as well as the head of the Health Ministry in China (responsible for inspection of Chinese goods) were both executed. And the lead paint in toys? The CEO of that company was executed. It’s harsh, but if you compare it to America, where the government did quite literally nothing after the BP oil spill, it’s much better than ignoring the problem. They just waited until public attention shifted elsewhere. There’s still oil in the Gulf, and there have been no changes in policy regarding safety on those platforms.

(Lisette, this post is dedicated to you!)