Nghe An: Ensuring occupational safety and hygiene for workers

Thoroughly grasp and disseminate documents and work contents in a timely manner.

In order to create positive changes in the awareness of employers and employees, and strengthen the effective implementation of occupational safety and hygiene, the Provincial Labor Federation has regularly disseminated and fully disseminated the contents of Directive No. 29-CT/TW dated August 13, 2013 of the Central Party Secretariat on promoting occupational safety and hygiene in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration, the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene 2015, Resolution 10c/NQ-BCH dated January 12, 2017 of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (11th tenure) on improving the effectiveness of occupational safety and hygiene of trade union organizations in the new situation, Directive No. 04/CT-TLĐ dated March 3, 2017 of the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and documents related to occupational safety and hygiene.

Taking care of occupational safety and hygiene is considered one of the important issues of the Trade Union organization. Photo: Diep Thanh.

Direct trade unions at all levels to strengthen propaganda work on occupational safety and hygiene, coordinate with heads of agencies, units, and employers to develop and strictly implement plans to ensure occupational safety and hygiene, especially during the National Week on Occupational Safety and Hygiene and the annual Month of Action for Occupational Safety and Hygiene and Fire and Explosion Prevention and Control.

Every year, issue documents guiding the work of ensuring safety, preventing and fighting fires and explosions; launch and well implement the emulation movement "Green - clean - beautiful, ensuring occupational safety and hygiene", the work of checking, scoring emulation and guiding the rewards for emulation on the topic "Green - clean - beautiful, ensuring occupational safety and hygiene" is carried out regularly.

Every year, trade unions at all levels launch the Labor Safety and Health Month. Illustration photo: My Ha.

The Provincial Federation of Labor has directed all levels of trade unions in the province to include occupational safety and hygiene in their annual and full-term work programs and plans and assign staff to monitor the emulation movement "Green - clean - beautiful, ensuring occupational safety and hygiene"; Develop a program of occupational safety and hygiene, fire and explosion prevention and fighting suitable to the working conditions of each unit; Direct trade unions at all levels to step up propaganda work so that employers and employees strictly implement their rights, obligations and responsibilities regarding labor protection.

Proactively implement occupational safety and hygiene

Assessing the results of the work on occupational safety and hygiene implemented in the past time, Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Labor Federation shared: "Trade unions at all levels have proactively participated with the government and employers to effectively implement occupational safety and hygiene work, ensuring the harmony of interests of enterprises and employees. Actively coordinating in the monitoring of occupational safety and hygiene work, the implementation of labor protection policies and regimes, management and monitoring of the network of occupational safety and hygiene workers at units and enterprises have received attention. Focus on promoting training, coaching and propaganda activities to raise awareness of occupational safety and hygiene to each employee at enterprises, promptly encouraging and rewarding individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in occupational safety and hygiene work".

Occupational safety and hygiene issues directly affect workers' lives and health. Illustration: Diep Thanh

Promoting the role and responsibility, the trade union actively participates in building and supervising the implementation of laws, technical standards and regulations, regimes and policies on occupational safety and hygiene.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong - Head of Legal Policy and Labor Relations Department, Provincial Labor Federation said: Every yearProvincial Federation of LaborPropose to the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document directing occupational safety and hygiene during the National Week on Occupational Safety and Hygiene and the Month of Action on Occupational Safety and Hygiene, and at the same time, coordinate with relevant agencies and units to study solutions to effectively organize and implement occupational safety and hygiene in the province. Contribute comments to the draft Decision approving the Plan to implement the Program on Occupational Safety and Hygiene and plans and programs to ensure occupational safety for workers; participate in documents to complete the system of policies and laws and improve the capacity of inspection, examination, supervision, and provision of public services on occupational safety and hygiene.

At enterprises, the trade union recommends to employers to improve working conditions such as: Building and disseminating to employees regulations, safe working procedures, and incident handling procedures. Providing adequate personal protective equipment of appropriate quality to assigned tasks and duties. 100% of employees of enterprises with trade unions receive periodic health check-ups with thousands of people per year. The regime of registration for use and inspection of machinery, equipment, materials, and chemicals with strict requirements on labor safety has been seriously implemented by units according to regulations.

Every year, the grassroots trade union participates with the employer in developing and supervising the implementation of plans, regulations, processes, and measures to ensure occupational safety and hygiene, improve working conditions, organize self-inspections of occupational safety and hygiene, and investigate occupational accidents.

Working conditions, labor safety, fire and explosion prevention and fighting are also important contents for the grassroots trade union executive board to participate in dialogue, include in the Collective Labor Agreement, and then "legalize" to create a legal basis for implementation, ensuring safety and health for workers.

Labor safety and hygiene issues need to be ensured. Photo: Diep Thanh

Trade unions at all levels regularly coordinate with the review of the labor safety and hygiene team at units to promptly supplement and improve, ensuring that 100% of trade unions at all levels have staff to monitor labor safety and hygiene, especially enterprises with high risk of labor accidents, enterprises in the mining, hydropower, construction, transportation industries...

In 2 years (2020, 2021) and the first 4 months of 2022, businesses in the area have established rapid response teams, which are members of the occupational safety and hygiene network at the facility, who have been thoroughly trained in Covid-19 prevention and control. Organizing periodic health check-ups, ensuring working time, rest, and regimes for employees in accordance with legal regulations has been of interest to many units.

Officials of the Provincial Labor Federation visited and encouraged the families of union members who suffered losses due to the fire and explosion in Thanh Chuong. Photo: CSCC

In addition, information, propaganda, education and training to raise awareness, consciousness and responsibility for ensuring occupational safety and hygiene have also been innovated in many diverse, substantial and effective forms such as through banners, slogans, billboards; distributing thousands of leaflets, contributing to raising awareness and proactive consciousness to ensure occupational safety and hygiene for cadres, party members, employers and employees.

With the close attention of the trade union organization and the response of business owners, awareness of occupational safety and hygiene has been gradually raised. It can be affirmed that: Enterprises in the province basically meet the requirements of workers in occupational safety and hygiene, fire and explosion prevention and fighting./.