PPG and Me - My work in China

Yes, actually, I am doing work here other than blogging. As you might have gotten a gist of, I work with the Environmental Health and Safety team with PPG. PPG is an American multinational firm, but the plant itself is run by Chinese nationals. That's me on the left in front of the PPG facilities.

My experiences working here have been very uplifting and revealing as to how socially responsible industry in China can be. Working with EHS, I've been seeing firsthand the rigorous training procedures all employees must go through before being allowed to start work. I also had the chance to attend a training seminar for EHS managers. There were PPG EHS employees from all over China and we were taught by a fine fellow from America. It turns out as well that the young lady who was invited to translate was a Queen's Graduate (Wohooo Queen's Pride)! When work begins, there is a strict adherence to wearing the proper personal protective equipment. This means safety goggles, hard hats, lab coats and gas masks and chemical suits when needed. The generalization that China has low environmental and safety standards is quite an unfair stamp from what I've seen so far. Both American and other international firms are working hard to ensure that the same safety standards they use back home are followed here in China too. At the plant I work at, the international EHS procedures are followed to the letter.

In terms of the work I do, I'm trying my best to gain experience of the PPG life and assist the EHS crew whenever possible. I help the EHS team by translating Chinglish to English and also work on reviewing some of the EHS policies in place here. Often, I get the chance to tour the facilities here with my colleagues for spot safety checks or to assist government inspectors. You read that right - government inspectors. Environmental protection in TEDA is not lax from what I've seen. A government inspector comes quite often to check air and water emissions to make sure this factory and many others adhere to government regulations. This is why I've been saying, the environmental situation in China is brighter than it seems from the outside! I also get the chance to travel to banks, police stations, government bureaus and insurance offices as I shadow my colleagues from different departments working to file work visas, sort out bank anccounts and perform the other essential tasks that keeps a company running.

In terms of the work culture itself, this is what I've learned so far from my experiences. The Chinese people are very hard and diligent workers. It is not uncommon for people to work seven days a week in fact. My work day starts at 8 am and ends at 4:30 but many people arrive early for work and also work well into the night in overtime. My colleagues are committed to their efforts and the company, which makes for a very strong, inspiring and successful workplace. They have their cellphones on nearly 24/7 and are always prepared to take work related calls or to return to the factory for some quality overtime. There is a distinct family culture here at the PPG facility. Celebrations are held quite often to note recent successes and there is a PPG "Family" publication for China. As a foreigner, this really helps me to feel part of something much greater. Despite a minor language barrier at work, most of my colleagues can speak excellent English. They are always eager to talk to me and I do my best to help them transform that Chinglish to English! Sometimes though, its hard to correct them as some of the Chinglish sayings are either incredibly funny, unique or both and I think its a shame to lose that! My colleagues have been incredibly kind to me, I have a collection of gifts from them and countless memories of weekends and weeknights they took me to a restaurant, to a wedding or for a new cultural experience of China.

In short - the work at PPG is great and I adore it. Recently, some of those awesome Chinese exercise machines were installed at the plant for use by employees. This was an initiative proposed by EHS to help improve employee health. A lot of work went into finding the perfect machines to remedy hip, shoulder and neck ailments which appear to be prevalent in China from what I've been told. The cement is still drying for these incredible contraptions, but as soon as its all dry, you can be sure I'll be working out alongside my colleagues on-site!