Hanoi (VNA) – Lawmakers November 9 discussed a draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene.
Deputy Nguyen Vu Trung from Ho Chi Minh City proposed revising Articles 12 and 74 to protect whistleblowers and those who directly identify occupational safety and hygiene risks or incidents. He noted that Clause 1a of Article 12 prohibits obstructing the reporting and provision of information on occupational accidents and diseases, as well as the handling of such cases. While this provision was a step in the right direction, he said the law should also prohibit retaliatory treatment of those who report incidents.
Regarding provisions clarifying employers' responsibilities and the role of trade unions under Articles 7 and 10, Trung said Point e, Clause 2 of Article 7, which adds obligations to declare, investigate, compile statistics on and report incidents, should ensure that these duties are linked to responsibility for addressing the causes of accidents, providing truthful information and preventing the costs of safety measures from being shifted onto workers.
He also called for additional mechanisms for occupational health management under Articles 21, 37, 82 and 85, including further revisions to the provisions on workers' health examinations. While stressing the importance of regular check-ups, he said general health examinations could not replace monitoring specific risks arising from exposure to noise, chemicals, dust, microorganisms and other harmful factors.
On this basis, he proposed setting out a roadmap for connecting data from health examinations, occupational disease screenings and workplace environmental monitoring, ensuring that such data would be used solely for healthcare and prevention purposes and handled in accordance with confidentiality requirements.
Expressing strong support for the proposed amendments to the law, deputy Pham Anh Tuan from Ninh Binh called for additional provisions regulating remote and flexible working arrangements to meet the needs of the digital economy.
He proposed adding provisions on occupational safety and health standards specific to remote work, and suggested considering the addition to the list of occupational diseases of musculoskeletal disorders caused by prolonged improper working postures, as well as mental health disorders and psychological burnout arising from remote working environments.
Tuan stressed that these measures represented proactive steps to prepare for the digital future, ensure that legislation remained sustainable and inclusive, and provide substantive protection for workers in the new era.
Stressing that achieving double-digit growth required protecting the very people who generated that growth, deputy Tran Manh Huy from Da Nang said that connecting occupational safety data should go beyond collecting, storing and managing information. More importantly, it should help identify accident risks early and prevent them from materialising.
Huy therefore proposed adding provisions on using data to issue warnings, prevent occupational accidents and monitor the handling of safety risks. He also called for encouraging the use of automated monitoring equipment and artificial intelligence at high-risk workplaces, with implementation roadmaps suited to different business sizes and without creating unnecessary additional costs or administrative procedures.
Regarding Clause 4 of Article 37, Huy said occupational disease management should not stop at recording how many workers had contracted diseases. More importantly, it should focus on early detection of risks to workers' health.
He called for clarifying the health sector's responsibility for analysing and identifying abnormal signs, coordinating with labour management agencies to conduct inspections and issue warnings, and arranging examinations and early screening when necessary. Health information must also be kept confidential to prevent leaks, discrimination or the loss of employment opportunities simply because a worker has been identified as facing an occupational health risk./.
VNA
