Continue to strengthen the Party’s leadership for OSH in the new situation

The work of caring and ensuring the safety, health and life of workers is one of the major guidelines and policies that the Party and State always pay attention and respect. Up to now, reality has proven that improving and ensuring occupational safety and health (OSH) not only contributes to improving labor efficiency, reducing the risk of occupational accidents and occupational diseases, but also motivates and inspires workers to work more and more enthusiastically, actively contributing to the sustainable development of units, businesses, organizations, as well as the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland.

After 10 years of implementing Directive No. 29-CT/TW, dated September 18, 2013 of the Secretariat on promoting OSH in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration, many positive results have been achieved, the rate of serious occupational accidents have been decreased. Awareness and responsibility of Party committees, Party organizations, agencies, organizations, businesses, workers and society have been raised. Policies and laws on OSH continue to be improved, expanding the scope of application to areas without labor relations. Prevention, risk assessment, control of dangerous and harmful factors; workers’ health care, improving working conditions and risk support mechanisms for businesses and workers are paid more attention. Strengthen State management responsibilities, assign tasks, decentralize and coordinate more closely between agencies, organizations and localities. Expand international cooperation and integration; promote socialization, develop training services, technical inspection of occupational safety and working environment monitoring.

However, OSH works have not met the requirements, the number of occupational accidents has not decreased, and occupational diseases have not received attention, especially in areas without labor relations. Some Party committees, authorities, enterprises, production and business establishments and workers do not attach importance to occupational safety and health; investment resources and State management are still limited; not paying enough attention to prevention, inspection, examination, supervision, detection and handling of violations. The awareness of compliance with the law among employees and employers is not strict. Research and application of advanced science and technology on OSH have not kept up with reality.

Besides, the current context poses many new requirements for OSH. Industry 4.0 continuously creates demand for new markets such as semiconductors and carbon credits. The process of promoting the mining, construction, mechanical, manufacturing, and assembly industries and the process of shifting labor from agriculture to industry also increases the risk of occupational accidents and occupational diseases. It is worth mentioning that the increasingly deep integration with the world requires OSH in Vietnam to be further improved, corresponding to developed countries.

Therefore, on March 19, 2024, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 31-CT/TW on continuing to strengthen the Party’s leadership for OSH in new situation, in order to promptly update the latest key goals, tasks, and solutions to meet the requirements of the new situation associated with the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the country’s socio-economic development goals. Specifically, Directive No. 31-CT/TW sets goals such as the rate of fatal occupational accidents reduces by at least 4% per year; the number of workers working in environments exposed to risk factors being examined and detected for occupational diseases increases at least 5%; the number of establishments detecting harmful factors and having their working environment monitored increases at least 5%.

Accordingly, Party committees, Party organizations, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations need to focus on leading and directing the successful implementation of many key tasks and solutions. Regularly propagate, disseminate and educate about OSH Law for leaders, managers, businesses, production and business establishments, employers and employees. Review, supplement and improve policies and laws, promptly overcome limitations and inadequacies in practice, focusing on policies to prevent, minimize and overcome risks of occupational accidents and occupational diseases; rights and obligations of employees, employers, trade unions and related organizations. Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of State management, decentralize powers, regularly check and inspect, ensure policies and laws are strictly implemented; well implemening the National Program on OSH. Focus on environmental impact assessment and control of harmful factors in the workplace; regularly review and supplement the list of occupations, jobs that are heavy, toxic, dangerous and occupational diseases. Strengthen the organizational structure, improve the quality of human resources, focus on training, transferring and updating knowledge and skills on OSH, prevention and control of occupational diseases. Strengthen State and business resources to invest in OSH in association with innovating financial mechanisms, improving the efficiency of resources use and prioritizing resources allocation to implement measures to prevent occupational accidents and occupational diseases for areas without labor relations.

Improve the effectiveness of coordination between ministries, branches and localities, especially the labor, health and environment sectors with localities, enterprises, production and business establishments according to assigned functions and tasks, focusing on areas without labor relations. Special attention should be paid to ensuring the rights of workers to work in safe and hygienic conditions; strengthen leadership, direction, guidance, inspection and supervision of the implementation of the Party’s guidelines, policies and laws of the State; raise the responsibility of leaders for OSH.

Occupational safety is a very broad field, related to many different areas of law such as resources management and saving, production and business process management, environmental protection, human health protection, occupational risk prevention, international standards, etc. Therefore, in the coming time, many new policies will be developed, aiming to create more profound breakthroughs in OSH work in particular and human security in general. Along with that, social criticism is also very important, ensuring to raise awareness and voice of workers, as well as relevant parties in the process of building effective policies that meet the urgent requirements in reality.