Nghe An: Ensuring safety and health for workers in industrial parks

IMPLEMENT AND DEPLOY IN A TIMELY WAY

Immediately after the Law on Labor Safety and Hygiene was promulgated and took effect from July 1, 2016,Nghe An Provincial Federation of Laborissued documents directing all levels of Trade Unions in the province to organize implementation, including widely deploying the contents of the Law on Occupational Safety and Health, Decrees, Circulars and guiding documents, instructions of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Provincial People's Committee on occupational safety and health work to all levels of Trade Unions, union members, and employees in the province.

Thanh Chuong District Trade Union cooperates with the government to learn about the working environment at the enterprise (photo taken before the outbreak). Photo: PV

Through the organizationWorkers Month, During the Month of Action on Occupational Safety and Health, trade unions at all levels promote propaganda, raise awareness and responsibility of businesses and workers on awareness and compliance with occupational safety and health, effectively implement the Law on Occupational Safety and Health and its guiding documents, identifying this as an important task in labor relations.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong - Head of the Department of Legal Policy and Labor Relations (Provincial Labor Federation) said: Every year, the Provincial Labor Federation has participated with state management agencies to contribute ideas and build draft legal documents on labor safety, especially effectively participating in the development of the Law on Labor Safety and Hygiene; organizing to collect opinions and propose many ideas on the development of laws and policies related to labor safety and hygiene, mainly contributing specific and practical issues in the labor safety and hygiene plan and at the negotiation and signing sessions of collective labor agreements between representatives of the labor collective and business owners such as: improving technological processes, adding suitable equipment, improving the working environment, ensuring light, vibration, noise, dust, and having fences to separate dangerous areas...

From the supervision of the trade union organization, the issue of occupational safety and health has improved significantly (photo taken before the outbreak). Photo: PV

In addition, there are also activities such as organizing launching ceremonies, distributing leaflets and pictures to promote occupational safety and health in many fields to workers, visual propaganda; propaganda on mass media; enterprises, production and business units hanging slogans, banners and slogans about occupational safety and health at agencies and units...

BUILDING A CULTURE OF LABOR SAFETY

AT WORK

Occupational safety at the workplace plays an important role in protecting workers - the decisive factor in productivity, quality and efficiency of production and business of enterprises. Every year, the Provincial Federation of Labor distributes leaflets to promote measures to ensure occupational safety and health with the following contents: Safety in mineral exploitation, electrical safety, construction safety and general safety. More than 10,000 leaflets have been sent to 29 District, City and Town Labor Federations and Industry Trade Unions to distribute to workers.

From 2015 to present, the Provincial Federation of Labor has deployed and organized 40 mobile legal consultations for enterprises with a large number of workers, with more than 7,000 workers participating, focusing on the content of the Law on Occupational Safety and Health.

Leaders of the Provincial Federation of Labor visited a factory of an FDI enterprise in the area (photo taken before the outbreak). Photo: PV

The Provincial Federation of Labor has directed and coordinated with units to organize training courses on occupational safety and hygiene to raise awareness among employers and employees about occupational safety and hygiene in enterprises. The training content includes general regulations, legal documents, technical standards on occupational safety and hygiene; focusing on application, transfer, and application of advanced technical measures and technologies to improve the working environment and conditions for employees, especially in industries and fields with high risks of occupational accidents and diseases; ensuring adequate essential personal vehicles, emergency and rescue equipment, and labor protection equipment for employees; focusing on training and improving the quality of officers on occupational safety and hygiene... 15,000 people at units and enterprises in various industries have been trained on occupational safety and hygiene...

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong added: Along with organizing training coursesat units, businesses,The Provincial Federation of Labor also coordinated with the Australian delegation and the Australian People's Health, Education and Overseas Development Organization (APHEDA) to organize 12 training courses for union officials at 30 enterprises, with 695 participants in implementing health care work to raise awareness and prevent occupational diseases, especially occupational cancer and the harmful effects of risks to human health when exposed to asbestos. Organized a competition for excellent safety and hygiene workers, with 17 teams from the Federation of Labor of districts, cities, towns, and industry unions participating in enterprises in the province and central units located in the area...

Occupational safety and health inspections are regularly coordinated by Nghe An trade unions at all levels (photo taken before the outbreak). Photo: PV

The Provincial Federation of Labor also coordinates with local functional agencies to inspect and supervise occupational safety and health at 10-15 enterprises/year. Through inspection, 90% of the inspected establishments organize periodic health check-ups for workers. The units provide full personal protective equipment such as clothes, shoes, hats, gloves, masks, glasses... some places even provide more than the state standards to meet production requirements. The hazardous allowance and 3rd shift allowance regimes are all implemented in kind by the establishments in accordance with regulations. Basically, the units implement the regime on working hours and rest hours in accordance with regulations, many enterprises have implemented a 44-hour work week.

Overtime work is reasonably guaranteed, with agreement between employees and trade unions. In many units, the content of occupational safety and health is specified, beneficial to employees, negotiated by the Trade Union and included in the Collective Labor Agreement as a basis for employers and employees to implement together, contributing effectively to occupational safety and health work.

In addition, the Provincial Federation of Labor monitors fire prevention and fighting at workers' dormitories in industrial parks. As members of the labor accident investigation team, the Union representative is present in a timely manner to reassure employers and employees, participate in the investigation, resolve the regime for occupational accident victims according to regulations, coordinate with employers to overcome the consequences of incidents and occupational accidents, visit and give gifts to encourage families of occupational accident victims, stabilize production and life for the victims' families.

Over the past 5 years, the Provincial Federation of Labor has participated in investigating 50 fatal labor accidents, coordinated with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Provincial Social Insurance to thoroughly resolve complaints about the settlement of labor accident regimes for workers in Nghe An province.

In conditions of guaranteed occupational safety and health, workers will minimize occupational accidents or health risks. Photo: PV

In addition, research and application of science and technology on occupational safety and health, promotion of initiatives, technical innovation, improvement of working conditions, and increase of labor productivity are always of interest to trade unions at all levels. Every year, there are 15 to 20 initiatives and experiences that are effectively applied to typical industries, production and business fields.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Federation of Labor said: The Law on Labor Safety and Hygiene has had a great impact on labor safety and hygiene; created a strong change in the awareness of all levels, sectors, employers and employees about labor safety and hygiene; raised the sense of responsibility of employers in ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of labor safety and hygiene for employees, ensuring safe working conditions,health protectionfor workers at the workplace; contribute to reducing occupational accidents, creating motivation and attachment of workers to the unit, enterprise...