Situation of occupational accidents in the first six months in 2011 in Vietnam

Reports of 63/63 provinces and cities said that in the first six months in 2011, there were 3,531 occupational accidents with 3,642 victims in which, there were 233 fatal accidents with 273 deaths and 544 serious injuries comparing the same period last year, the number of occupational accidents and victims were sharply increased, namely 902 accidents, 926 victims, 19 serious injuries and 7 deaths.

The locals having the highest fatal accidents were: Ho Chi Minh city, Hanoi, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Son La, Quang Binh. The rise of occupational accidents in HCM city was alarming. In the first six months in 2011, the total number of occupational accidents reached 909 cases with 915 victims. Dong Nai provinces had the highest number of occupational accident in Vietnam with 973 cases and 978 victims ( increase of 37 cases and 41 victims over the same period in 2010).

The main reason leading to cases of occupational accidents were analyzed in three aspects:

– For emloyers: no OSH training for employees: 102 cases accounting for 2.9%; equipments were not safe: 64 cases accouting 1.8%, followed by no safety equipments, no safe procedures and measures, etc.

– For employees: violation of safe procedures and measures: 824 cases accounting for 23.9%; not use personal protective equipments: 87 cases accounting 2.5%; other violated occupational safety regulations: 72 cases accounting 2%.

– For the State management agencies: Inspection of occupational safety and health implementation in local enterprises did not meet the demand of the detection and prevention of serious occupational accidents; fine mechanisms were not strong enough for enterprises, employers and employees to comply with the legal OSH regulations.

Because the number of occupational accidents and victims in the first six month in 2011 increased more than the same period in 2010, the physical damage caused by occupational accidents were serious. Total physical damage (including medical expenses, burial, compensation for families of the dead and the wounded, etc) was 143,331,800,000 VND (2.62 times increase over the same period in 2010), property damage was 17,609,900,000 VND (7.89 times increase over the same period in 2010), total number of days off due to occupational accidents (including vocation mode) was 33,409 days.

Based on the situation in the first six month in 2011, it is necessary to solve some of issues to reduce occupational accidents in the future as follows:

1- To strengthen inspection from the central to locals to fully implement the OSH legal regulations of enterprises of all economic sectors. To stop operating for enterprises violating seriously safety regulations.

2- To organise OSH training courses for employers and employees.

3- Employers in businesses and enterprises have to sufficiently develop OSH procedures and measures as well as guide employees before working; to pay special attention to workers who do hazardous, hard and dangerous works. To well organized investigation of occupational accidents; timely learn from experiences and make report of occupational accidents.

4- To enhance propaganda of legal OSH regulations to raise awareness on occupational accident prevention for the employers and employees. /.

(Source: Compiled from reports of MOLISA)