Hanoi works to ensure labour safety, hygiene

Hanoi (VNA) – The action month for labour safety and hygiene will start in Hanoi on May 1 as part of the city’s effort to raise public awareness of occupational safety as well as promote enforcement of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene.

The city will give a push to the labour safety and hygiene training in local businesses, helping them update necessary information to tackle labour accidents, fires and explosions at the workplace.

Enterprises are ordered to improve working conditions, take drastic measures to reduce workplace pollution and occupational diseases while carrying out detailed inspection of explosion prevention process at the workplace.

The action month also includes conferences and seminars on improving working conditions and medical healthcare for employees, especially those who are working in high-risk sectors.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Van Quy said that two inspection groups will be set up to examine 50 occupational accident-prone businesses and ten steering boards will be established to ensure labour safety and hygiene in districts and towns.

Relevant authorities must give harsh punishment to any violation of labour safety and hygiene, which leaves great damage to human and assets.

There were 169 labour accidents, killing and injuring 179 people in 2016, tripling the number in the previous year. In addition, 831 fires took place in the city, leaving 19 dead and 18 injured. Total damage was estimated at 80 billion VND (3.5 million USD).

Most of the accidents were recorded in the fields of construction and electricity.-VNA