Action month for work safety, hygiene begins on May 1 hinh anh 1Action month for work safety, hygiene begins on May 1. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A month to promote workplace safety and hygiene, the first of its kind, will begin on May 1, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs revealed at a press conference in Hanoi on April 24.

A ceremony to launch the event nationwide will take place in Hanoi Cultural Friendship Palace on May 6.

Speaking at the press conference, Director of the ministry’s Department of Work Safety Ha Tat Thang said national weeks for occupational safety and hygiene and fire prevention over the past 18 years along with the national programme on labour safety and hygiene have reduced work-related accidents and diseases and raised awareness of the issues among workers and employers.

The national week for occupational safety and hygiene will be replaced by the action month from 2017, he added.

This year, the event will focus on enhancing training on workplace safety and hygiene to prevent accidents and diseases.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will send three teams of inspectors to 69 enterprises and several construction sites in April and May while the ministries of Trade and Industry, Public Security, Transportation, and Health, and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour will also conduct inspections.

Last year, Vietnam had approximately 8,000 workplace accidents, injuring more than 8,250 people and costing over 179 billion VND.-VNA
VNA