The working environment in the Yunfu stone industry is slightly improved under the influence of government policy. However, amidst the pandemic, this study may not represent the real situation of the industry, because the decrease in the number of workers and orders may also reduce the flying dust. What is more significant is that similar problems manifested in the past research can still be witnessed in the industry today, such as the absence of the protective equipment, and substandard wet dust removal system.
Loss of working ability and lack of motivation to work caused by health deterioration make most pneumoconiosis patients unemployed. But some patients still try hard to get employed again because of living difficulties. However, reemployment is also harsh to the patients. On the one hand, there are hurdles to their reemployment, “unable to work” and “nobody hires”. On the other hand, they suffer from low wages and further exposures to occupational hazards.
To understand more about the working conditions of mining workers in China, the research team undertook an online survey.
