A workshop on work accident insurance policies to strengthen the exchange of experience in the field between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) was held in Hanoi on June 4.

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI), the Republic of Korea Worker ’s Compensation and Welfare Service and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The VSI has solved procedures on insurance allowing 93,000 workers to receive compensation for work accidents and occupational diseases from 1995-2012.

Up to 5,500 people annually get support from insurance companies following work accidents and occupational diseases.

This number accounts for just 0.1 percent of people who pay for social insurance, which includes labour accident insurance.

However, several problems emerge from the implementation of insurance policies on labour accidents.

In particular, the number of labour accidents in Vietnam has increased over the past years, which damages workers’ health and assets.

VSI Deputy Head of the Social Insurance Policy Implementation Department Nguyen Hung Cuong said there is a lack of specific regulations on labour accidents and occupational diseases, meaning many cases have not been clearly covered by existing insurance policies.

There is no detailed guidance on investigative procedures into labour accidents in the fields of radiation, petroleum exploration, transportation and military enterprises, he added.

During the event, the two sides exchanged their experience in making and implementing work accident insurance policies, put forward measures to better implement compensation for workers in the time to come.

According to the RoK insurance agency, in addition to implementing the insurance premium collection act, the RoK focuses on popularising information on the field to encourage insurance participation among local people.-VNA