Experts share experience in enforcing labour safety regulations

The two-day conference, themed “Sharing experience in effective enforcement of occupational safety and health regulations “, was held within the action plan of the ASEAN-Occupational Safety and Health Network (ASEAN-OSHNET) period 2016-2020. It is a crucial forum to respond to the action month for labour safety and hygiene, launched by the Vietnamese government for the first time.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep affirmed that enhancing cooperation with international organisations and foreign countries in labour safety and hygiene will be a key priority of Vietnam, especially when the country has a law on occupational safety and hygiene.

State agencies should promptly accumulate experience in effectively enforce the law on occupational safety and hygiene, build policies on the compensation fund for work-related accidents and diseases, he stressed.

According to Professor Le Van Trinh from the Vietnam Occupational Safety and Health Association (VOSHA), occupational accidents and diseases cause irreversible economic damage to workers, employers and society. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation estimated that economic costs of work-related injuries and illness are equivalent to 3-5 percent of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Trinh said.

Participants at the conference suggested that policies on operating the occupational accident insurance fund for workers should ensure flexibility in administrative procedures and compensation while financial supports for poor and near-poor households should depend on the country’s socio-economic development and state budget in each period.

In addition, due attention should be paid to training courses to raise public awareness of labour safety and hygiene, they recommended.