Made in China: A Look at Chinese Factory Workers

October 04, 2007 | Pulitzer Center

Loretta Tofani, for the Pulitzer Center, China

A saw in a furniture factory in Ningbo (2005). It's a good example of a saw without any standard safety devices, like guards and guides, required by U.S. OSHA regulations and ILO conventions. As a result, the carpenter must move the wood himself while sawing, a practice that commonly results in amputations. In fact, the man in this photo was missing an inch or so (above the knuckle) of a finger. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Ho Yongjiang, 39, lost part of his thumb while making furniture that was exported to New York and California. Mr. Ho was using a saw that did not have a guard, which is required under International Labor Organization rules for factories. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Mr. Ho Yongjiang's thumb, after surgeons took fat from his arms and used it to fashion a new thumb above the knuckle. Mr. Ho says he does not have any feeling in his new thumb. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

The sign for Shenzhen Renan Hospital, where many factory workers with amputations go for treatment, including Mr. Ho Yongjiang. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

The hospital exterior. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Zhu Qiang, who lost his arm in an old, unguarded machine while making plastic bags for American supermarkets and department stores. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Mr. Li Xueping, 44, who lost three fingers while making kitchen and bathroom accessories for American companies. The metal cutting machine in the factory where he worked, Helixing, did not have a guard to keep his fingers away from the blade, a common problem in Chinese factories exporting to the U.S. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

The building with the red sign is the Helixing metal factory in Shenzhen where Li Xueping's three fingers were amputated in a machine lacking a protective guard or an automatic stop feature. Primitive machines without safety devices are standard in China. The sign says Globe Union, which is the large company that exports products from Helixing and other factories to many businesses in the U.S., including Restoration Hardware. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Yu Wanlin and his wife in their apartment in Shenzhen. Mr. Yu lost part of his index finger while making couches for America, a result of using primitive equipment while sawing. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Wang Suona lost his index finger in the same machine as Mr. Yu. It looks like Mr. Wang has an index finger because surgeons amputated one of his toes and attached it to his hand. The finger has no feeling. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

This is the machine that Mr. Yu was using while making couch frames for the U.S., when his index finger was amputated. Months later, Mr. Wang Suona took over Mr. Yu's job, and Mr. Wang Suona's finger suffered the same fate, also while making couch frames for the U.S. The couches went to New York and California, according to import documents. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

This machine was in the same factory where Mr. Yu suffered his amputation. It is somewhat more modern than the machine he was using when his finger was amputated, but it still causes grave risks for carpenters making goods for the U.S. Image by Loretta Tofani. China, 2007.

Photos of Chinese factory workers who are dying from occupational diseases or have been maimed as a result of making products for America.

China: Amputations From Unsafe Machinery