Launching OSH action month in 2018
Attended the launching ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Minister of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs, Mr. Dao Ngoc Dung and along with representatives from ministries, industrial sectors, International Organizations, provinces, cities and over 600 participants represented for organizations and enterprises.
At the ceremony, Mr Dao Ngoc Dung said: in the last recent years, many policies, important documents were issued to strengthen leadership, directive, guideline to implement occupational safety and health with various content in order to take care for life of employees, especially open applied for those who work in non-contracted zone; regulation applied assist for prevention from work accidents and disease; identification and risk assessment, working condition improvement and building safety culture at workplaces.
In 2017, with great efforts of all levels of management, sectors and Vietnamese people Vietnam has achieved many good OSH results. The rate of wok related accidents has been reduced in some sectors that have high potential of risks; there were some models and excellent individuals who are good at OSH; many enterprises with thousands employees exposed to hazards have measures for prevention from serious work-accidents or casualties; sector of mining has sharply reduced number of deaths in comparison with previous years due to application of prevention measures.
Besides, Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and Federation of Labor in HCMC and trade union of all levels have many effective activities in promotion and delivering information on OSH. Million documents, leaflets, posters on OSH are printed and delivered; thousands of competition on OSH or good OSH activists were organized creating movements of competition: Green-Clean-Beauty, OSH corner, ensuring OSH in enterprises.
In addition to achievement, the state OSH management has shortages, the number of work accidents, work related diseases, serious incident is high. The challenges and new OSH potential increased; the number of businesses and employees entering to labor market also increased, new occupations, jobs with dangerous and hazardous factors accompanied by new technology, equipment, materials or chemicals also increased while many workers did not get vocational education or OSH training; safe knowledge and safe work skill are limited.
In order the OSH action month is implemented effectively Mr Dao Ngoc Dung required all ministries, sectors and authorities should implement effectively with the objectives to take care for and protect health and life of employees, security of citizens, for the sake of sustainable development of business and society. All businesses and provinces/cities focus on promotion, delivering information, training on OSH; enhancing quality of training on analysis skill, evaluation, identification and give measures to prevent hazards and risks on accidents and diseases. Mr Dao Ngoc Dung also required all state management agencies to strengthen directing, reforming, enhancing effectiveness in inspection, audits; strictly penalize the offense to the law; review and expending good models for OSH suitable with sectors, occupations or scope of business; the effective use of insurance fund for work accidents and disease. Minister confirmed that the Communist Party and government always put the benefits, health and life of employees foremost. “We do not develop economy with priceless. Economic development should accompany with ensure good working condition, health and life of employees. We should give hands to the action for the safety and health for me, for you and for all”.
Dor Chang Hee Lee, ILO director in Vietnam said with the theme “Proactive measures to prevent and control hazards at workplaces to reduce work accidents and diseases” the month for OSH action this year again emphasizes the importance of the prevention from accidents and diseases as said in the policies of Communist Party and Government as well as in the OSH law. Prevention is always better than cure. In order to push forward to build prevention culture on OSH and reduce the risks at workplaces, Vietnam should concentrate on 5 points: (i)enhancement of collection and analysis of data, information on OSH and young laborers; (ii)setting up, adjustment and implement of regulation, policy and guideline for better protecting health of young labors, employers, laborers; (iii)enhancing capacity to support state management agencies, employers, employees and their organizations to satisfy better requirement on OSH for young laborers; (iv)inserting OSH into education program and vocational training for young people in order to have new generation of labor with strong health and good OSH knowledge; (v) more promotion and raising awareness and research on the hazards and OSH risks that young laborers are facing.
In Vietnam, now there are more than 1 million of young laborers entering to labor market each year; most of them do not have OSH experience, work skill and training, especially shortage of experience to identify risks and how to control them at workplaces. Therefore, Vietnam should promote OSH for all employees of various ages focusing on young labors.
The aim at improvement of OSH for all employees including young labors can only achieve based on the efforts of everybody, from the government, state management agencies, employers, employees and their representative organizations as well as other social citizen associations. The businesses have responsibility and play an important role in ensuring safe and healthy workplace for employees.
At the ceremony, the Steering Committee of the month for OSH action presented Flag and Certificates of Merit of MOLISA Minister for 8 excellent units (including 3 units got Flag and 5 units got Certificates of Merit); Vietnam General Confederation of labor also presented Flag of Excellence for 3 units of good OSH. The organizing board also presented Challenge Flag for HCMC People Committee who is the host of the event in 2018 and presented Challenge Flag for Quang Nam province, who will be the host of the month of OSH action in 2019.
(Source: Vnniosh.vn)
