Scientific Research on Occupational Safety and Health: Opportunities and challenges in the new situation
The Vietnam National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (VNNIOSH), directly under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), is the leading national institute assigned with the task of conducting scientific research in service of state management for occupational safety and health (OSH). For many years, the institute has made positive contributions, confirming the role of the VGCL in the work of safeguarding OSH in our country. Due to the great development in science and technology, its impacts on many economic sectors as well as the environment and working conditions of many workers and laborers, new directions for scientific research in the field of OSH are also a necessity.
Implementing the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union for the 2013-2018 tenure on the scientific and technological research in the field of OSH, the National Institute of Labor Protection (now known as the Vietnam National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) has identified the key issues to focus its research, and based on which, constructed plans and implemented its research effectively.
Issues on which the Institute has focused its research efforts:
– Strengthening and supplementing researches in order to contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management for OSH and have a hand in the development of mechanisms and policies on OSH;
– Promoting the research on applying scientific and technological solutions for ensuring OSH and environmental protection, and putting the research findings into practice;
– Paying special attention to the study of measures to prevent occupational accidents and diseases; improving safety culture in the workplace;
– Paying special attention to research on OSH for professions with high risks of occupational accidents and diseases such as high-rise buildings construction, pit mining, chemicals and new materials related occupations, etc. At the same time, adequate attention must be paid to the problems of specific groups such as: female workers, workers with disabilities, fishermen, national defense employees, etc.
In addition, the Institute has also paid attention to improving working conditions in small and medium enterprises, in craft villages; studying the effective methods for raising public awareness, educating and disseminating knowledge on OSH in order to mobilize the public to participate in the movements on OSH, bring into full play the roles of trade union organizations in OSH.
Based on the scientific and technological issues on OSH identified, assigned by the VGCL as the liaison agency for the implementation of a coordinated program on science and technology by the Ministry of Science and Technology and VGCL, VNNIOSH has brainstormed, planned and conducted 09 researches under the coordinated program; developed and organized the implementation of 07 scientific researches under the “Program on key scientific and technological focuses on OSH in the period of 2014-2020”, a program which was held by the VGCL; carried out 39 researches and projects at Ministry level. In order to set the scientific basis for proposing to the Government on the organization of mid-shift meals for workers, the VGCL has proposed that the Ministry of Science and Technology assign the VNNIOSH to take charge of conducting the scientific and technological research at national level (DTDLCN.06-15): “Assessing the ergonomic burdens, nutritional needs and servings of food, and developing a set of criteria on nutrition and food safety for mid-shift meals of workers in chosen industries”. The outcomes of scientific and technological researches and projects on OSH conducted by VNNIOSH in the period of 2013-2018 is diverse, ranging from scientific basis for the state management of OSH to technological products and technical systems, etc.
Some outstanding outcomes, which have contributed to the task of state management are: The understanding of safety culture and a basic model of safety culture at work is the result of the project: “Research on theoretical and practical basis and development of safety culture model at work in industrial production in Vietnam”. The “Methodology for assessing, classifying labor conditions based on overall ergonomic burden VNNIOSH-2017” resulted from the research on “Investigating, evaluating and forecasting the working conditions in several sectors of industrial production up to 2020” has been handed over to Ministry of Labors – Invalids and Social Affairs to set the basis for developing the Circular on the criteria for the classification of workers under typical working conditions. Other applications such as: a list of standards and national technical regulations on OSH; drafted standards and regulations on personal protective equipment (PPE), weight limits for manually lifted loads for female workers, standards of natural lighting in industrial production, methods and procedures of analyzing environmental parameters, biological monitoring, etc.; methods to assess the safety level of technical – technological systems; methods of overall assessment of occupational health risks, the system of criteria for evaluating and rating enterprises in implementing the law on OSH and environmental protection; project on “Developing Atlas Ergonomics of working age Vietnamese in the present time”; toolkit for evaluating and proposing solutions to control occupational accidents in construction of tall buildings, etc. are effective tools in OSH management at work and in enterprises.
Many research outcomes are technical devices and systems which are highly effective in improving working environment and conditions. For example, the natural light illumination system that guide collected sunlight to the electrical and electric equipment manufacturing workshop of ABB, the Swedish electric transformers manufacturing factory located in Ngoc Hoi, Hanoi is the result of the “Research on the application of solutions for natural light illumination in industrial buildings in order to creating favorable lighting conditions for workers and contributing to the economical use of energy and the protection of environment”. Other technical devices and systems resulted from our researches are: small-scaled cluster of clean water systems in rural and mountainous areas; H2S treatment equipment for industrial gas emissions; modular wastewater treatment system using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), spray nozzles for dust suppression applied in rock mining and processing plants; catalytic oxidation process for total oxidation of toluene at low temperature; application of a non-thermal plasma technique for organic solvents treatment in printing shops, etc.
There are many researches resulted in PPE, such as: heat resistant safety helmets which are suitable to the outdoor working conditions in Vietnam; fuel, oil resistant shoe soles made from blended acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and polypropylene (PP); system for conformity assessment of dust filters of respiratory protective equipment; system for conformity assessment of filters of some safety masks and half-face masks; system for conformity assessment of personal fall protection equipment, etc.
Many researches have focused efforts on the detection of occupational diseases, assessing and forecasting the occupational hazards to workers’ health, developing preventive solutions and mechanisms to take care of workers’ health, such as: “Research on the current situation of formaldehyde poisoning among workers in wood processing industry, proposing to include the disease into the list of occupational diseases entitled to compensation in Vietnam”; “Research on the current situation of organic dust exposure and its relation to Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in workers of feed manufacturing and furniture making industries”; “Dental erosion in workers exposed to acids”; “Nickel exposure and typical pathological symptoms in workers in nickel plating plant”; “Thresholds for controlling organic solvents in blood and urine of female workers in footwear industry”; “Observation of the chronic effects of benzene, toluene, xylene in workers exposed to low concentrations by testing some hematological parameters, mRNA CYP2E1 and the mutation of CYP2E1 gene”; etc.
With the adoption for the first time of the Law on OSH (entry into force on January 7, 2016), the system of laws and regulations on OSH has been further improved. This not only creates favorable conditions for state management of OSH in general, but also contributes to promoting the scientific and technological research on OSH in particular. The increasingly intensive and extensive international integration through bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements has posed various challenges for Vietnam in the participation and full adherence to international conventions and standards on social responsibilities in ensuring OSH and workers’ health, etc. We have actively taken part in international programs on decent work, safety culture and culture of prevention, etc. and this represents both opportunities and challenges for our country in the work of ensuring OSH.
In recent time, Vietnam has made dramatic economic progress, production technology has been gradually innovated and outdated technologies have been replaced, many high-tech manufacturing industries have enjoyed FDI investment projects. On one hand, the rapid development in science and technology has helped to accelerate growth in labor productivity, improve working environment; automation has unleashed labor forces, eased the burden for labor; high technology has indeed bettered the working environment for workers; however, on the other hand, the negative consequences of line production and high level of automation are the monotony and tediousness due to the repetitive manufacturing rhythm, etc., new hazards appeared more frequently (nanotechnology, new chemicals which are considered the technological secrets of business have appeared and become hard to control due as they are not publicly unknown, etc.). This has posed challenges, the challenges which Vietnam is not the only country to face, in managing and reaching scientific and technological solutions for controlling OSH.
Hazard control in the field of OSH, prevention of occupational accidents and diseases stipulated in Vietnam’s Law on OSH have revealed many limitations. This not only requires the innovation and replacement of old and high risk technologies by eco-friendly technologies which use low-polluting materials and save energy; but also dictates the necessity of effective scientific and technological solutions for OSH in order to identify and control hazards, contribute to reducing occupational accidents and diseases, and protect workers’ health.
Following this trend, scientific and technological research on OSH have basically enjoyed favorable conditions with the attention of leaders at all levels. Especially, after the Law on Science and Technology and the Law on OSH entered into force, the Government adopted Decision No. 17/2017/QĐ-TTg on the organization and activities of the Vietnam National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (previously known as the National Institute of Labor Protection) which supplements the functions, responsibilities and rights in conformation with the Laws. In the past years, the Government has invested to improve the working conditions and research facilities of the Institute (the Institute currently has 05 laboratories in Vietnam Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (VILAS) system); research capacity of the staff has been strengthened. However, the number of researchers, especially highly qualified researchers still does not meet requirements. For nearly 20 years, major national-level programs have not been assigned to the field of scientific and technological research on OSH. This has created limitations in the mobilization of research forces from all governmental agencies to join the scientific and technological research on OSH.
Nowadays, the focal issues of scientific and technological research for the coming time include: research to propose the inclusion of diseases into the list of occupational diseases entitled to compensation, especially those related to new manufacturing industries and technologies; Research on solutions to control occupational hazards on safety and health, contributing to the reduction of occupational accidents and diseases; Implementation of safety culture, culture of prevention in the work place, etc.
In order to effectively implement the tasks aforementioned, some solutions should receive attention from related agencies: the Ministry of Science and Technology should consider to put the scientific and technological research program on OSH into the plan on Building strategy for national scientific and technological research in the period of 2020-2015 with vision to 2030 in order to mobilize extensively and effectively the forces from all governmental agencies to participate in the scientific and technological research on OSH.
Meanwhile, the Government should focused invest in agencies and organizations with scientific and technological research on OSH in order to improve facilities, especially in laboratories and experimental facilities, and strengthen the research capability of research staff, thus raising the capacity and helping the agencies to effectively carry out researchs in important fields.
The task of training, building a staff with highly-qualified researchers and leading experts in the field of OSH must receive attention. Moreover, policies and mechanisms must ensure the appropriate benefits of workers to attract the highly-qualified researchers to join the field of scientific and technological research on OSH.
Promoting international cooperation in order to take full advantages of experiences and resources from international organizations and experts in the field of OSH in general and in scientific and technological research of OSH in particular must not be neglected.
These solutions shall help to create favorable condition, create incentives and opportunities for the scientific research on OSH to continuously amplify its strength, approaching and addressing contemporary issues, serving the national management of OSH, contributing to securing workers’ safety and health and protecting the environment.
Dr. Do Tran Hai
Member of the Presidium of VGCL,
VNNIOSH Director
(Source: Vnniosh.vn)
