Implementing the policy of market-oriented economy with multi business sectors has brought about fruitful achievements for recent years. Parallel to that, occupational safety and health administration also has been deeply changed to meet the requirements challenged by the market oriented and integrated economy as the followings:
OSH has increasingly received more attention. Employers consider that good implementation of OSH is a necessary condition to maintain and develop their businesses. The Annual national occupation safety and health and fire protection (referred as the safety week) has been positively responded from employees, industries, social classes, production premises nationwide with plentiful and practical activities.
OSH administration has been promoted. The system of legal documents on OSH or related to OSH have been amended to solve problems challenged by the reality. Following the revised Labour Code in 2002, The Government issued Decree N0 110/2002/ND-CP dated 27th Dec 2002 amending some articles in Decree N0 06/CP dated 20th Jan. 1995 with some specific OSH provisions; Decree 109/2002/ND-CP dated 27th Dec. 2002 amending some provisions of Decree N0 195/CP dated 31st Dec. 1994 with specific provisions of some articles in Labour Code on working time and rest time. MOLISA has issued 4 new circulars providing guidelines on concerned issues such as: (1) working time and rest time. (2) Worker compensation and allowance. (3) Procedures of registration and examination of machineries, equipments, materials and chemicals with strict requirements on OSH. Procedures during the registration for use have been improved by removing licenses and the formal administration with no efficiency to the above objects. Therefore, the users take the direct responsibilities for their daily operation.
Reforming the national administrative structure on OSH with the establishment of Department of Occupational Safety (October 2003); integrating the Inspection of Occupational Health and Inspection of Occupational Safety to MOLISA is a sturdy and positive change in terms of ideology and action, which contributes improvement of OSH administration in open market and facilitates business activity under the best condition.
- Activities on OSH information and propagation and training, which aim at raising awareness of OSH, have been promoted. Especially, the working conditions have been increasingly improved with success and sufficiency. Activities providing OSH knowledge for private economical sectors such as traditional village enterprises and farms have attracted more public concern. Training programs and modules and methods for each object have been standardized. Action oriented trainings such as working improvements in neighborhood development in agriculture (WIND) or working improvements in small and medium–size enterprises (WISE) have brought about encourageous results. Typical and good examples were discovered and reflected by news reports and articles as well as pictures of visible accidents and diseases caused by regardless or unawareness of OSH, which has educated people’s mind. The National information network on OSH established by December of 1997, 7 years old so far, has transmitted and introduced significantly useful and necessary information of OSH to enterprises and employees though various channels.
- As the international cooperative relationship in OSH field has been expanded and developed, Vietnam has taken advantages of external technical support and experience and training of OSH staffs for enhancement of awareness of OSH. Vietnam has worldwide presented its official commitment on human right protection by its return to ILO as its state member and approval of conventions on OSH or related to OSH.
With above efforts, the OSH has kept up with the changes of the social-economical development, prevented occupational accidents and diseases and protected the environment. However, the OSH has shown some pending issues as the following:
1 – Working environment pollution of some industries is under the alarming status harming workers’ health. According to summary report of ministries and industries and localities from 1996 to 2000, the rate of tests which satisfied the exposured limits was 23% only. The main failures were heat, dust, toxic gases or vapors. Typically, polluted areas were industry zones as Viet Tri, Quang Ninh, Thuong Dinh, Mai Dong, Minh Khai, Van Dien, Dong Anh, Duc Giang, Sai Dong.
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