Directive 31-CT/TW 2024 strengthen the Party's leadership for occupational safety and hygiene in new situation

DIRECTIVE

OF THE SECRETARIAT OF CPV CENTRAL COMMITTEE

On continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership for occupational safety and hygiene in new situation

After 10 years of implementing Directive No. 29-CT/TW, dated September 18, 2013, of the Secretariat on enhancing occupational safety and hygiene during the periods of industrialization, modernization, and international integration, significant positive outcomes have been achieved, with a decrease in the rate of serious occupational accidents. Awareness and responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, administration, agencies, organizations, enterprises, workers, and society have been elevated. Policies and laws on occupational safety and hygiene continue to be improved, extending their application to areas without labor relations. Risk prevention and assessment, control of hazardous factors, and care for workers' health, as well as improvements in working conditions and risk support mechanisms for enterprises and workers, have received increased attention. The state management responsibilities are strengthened; task assignment, decentralization, and close coordination are carried out between agencies, organizations and localities. International cooperation and integration are expanded; socialization is promoted; training services, technical inspection of occupational safety, and labor environment monitoring are developed.

However, occupational safety and hygiene efforts have not met requirements, with the number of occupational accidents not decreasing, and occupational diseases not receiving sufficient attention, especially in areas without labor relations. Some Party committees, administrations, enterprises, production and business establishments, and workers have not prioritized occupational safety and hygiene efforts. Investment resources and state management efforts remain limited, with insufficient emphasis on prevention, inspection, examination, supervision, detection, and handling of violations. Compliance with laws by workers and employers is lacking. Research and application of advanced science and technology in occupational safety and hygiene have not kept pace with practical needs.

To strengthen occupational safety and hygiene work in response to new requirements in line with the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, the Socio-Economic Development Strategy, the goals of industrialization, modernization, and international integration, the Secretariat requires Party committees, Party organizations, administrations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations to focus on leading and directing the effective implementation of several key tasks and solutions as follows:

1. Ensuring the rights of workers to work in safe and hygienic conditions and protecting the legitimate interests, rights and assets of the state, enterprises, organizations, and individuals. Raising awareness and responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, administrations, agencies, organizations, enterprises, and workers. Strengthening leadership, direction, guidance, inspection, and supervision of the implementation of Party guidelines, State policies and laws. Closely combining proactive prevention with detection and strict handling of violations. Raising the responsibility of leaders for occupational safety and hygiene, considering this regulars and long-term task crucial for socio-economic development, human security, and sustainable development of enterprises and the country.

Striving to reduce occupational accidents, particularly serious occupational accidents with the rate of fatal occupational accidents reduced by at least 4% per year. The number of workers working in environments exposed to risk factors being examined and detected for occupational diseases increases by at least 5% per year; and the number of facilities generating hazardous factors that are monitored for working environment increases by at least 5% per year.

2. Regularly disseminating and providing legal knowledge on occupational safety and hygiene to leaders, managers, enterprises, production and business establishments, employers and workers. Creating favorable conditions for workers, especially those who working in areas without labor relations, to access to information on occupational safety and hygiene, enhancing awareness, responsibilities and proactive prevention. Innovating and diversifying information dissemination methods suitable for different worker groups, with attention paid to industries and fields with high risks. Improving the effectiveness of safety and hygiene events, attracting participation from enterprises and workers in the Month of Action on Occupational Safety and Hygiene and Workers' Month on an annual basis.

Promoting the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, mass associations, and press agencies in advocating, propagating, and building a culture of occupational safety among members and HCYU members and People. Promoting dialogue and negotiation activities on ensuring occupational safety, hygiene and working conditions, contributing to building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations.

3. Reviewing, supplementing, and improving policies and laws, promptly addressing limitations and deficiencies in reality, focusing on policies on prevention, reduction and mitigation of occupational accident and disease; rights and obligations of workers and employers, Trade Union organizations, and relevant organizations; regimes for labor protection, and health care for workers; measures for prevention and response to occupational accidents; standards and technical regulations on occupational safety and hygiene, etc. ensuring consistency, coherence, feasibility, and compliance with treaties to which Vietnam is a contracting party, approaching world standards.

4. Enhancing the effectiveness of state management; implementing decentralization; conducting regular inspection and examination, ensuring strict compliance with policies and laws, and effectively implementing the National Program on Occupational Safety and Hygiene. Promoting administrative reform, particularly in administrative procedures in a practical, simple, transparent manner to save time and costs for enterprises and workers. Building specialized databases to improve state management efficiency, promoting information technology, digital transformation in management, receipt and reporting of information about occupational accidents and diseases. Proactively and actively integrating internationally in occupational safety and hygiene; enhancing the exchange of information, experience, cooperation in training and experts with other countries.

Paying attention to environmental impact assessment, especially for investment projects in exploitation, industrial production, and construction, where working conditions are heavy, toxic, and dangerous; controlling dangerous and harmful factors in the workplace. Regularly reviewing and supplementing the list of occupations, jobs that are heavy, toxic, dangerous, and occupational diseases. Strictly implementing declaration, statistics, reporting, and investigation of incidents causing occupational unsafety and unhygiene, occupational accidents and diseases. Paying attention to occupational safety and hygiene for groups of female workers, minors, people with disabilities, the elderly, domestic workers, apprentices, apprentices, probationers and subleased workers, Vietnamese guest workers. Effectively implementing policies on periodic health examinations, assessments, health care, rehabilitation, treatment, salaries, medical expenses, benefits, compensation, insurance and other policies as prescribed for people suffering from occupational accidents and diseases.

Strictly managing occupational safety and hygiene training services; monitoring the working environment; providing periodic health check, examination and detection of occupational diseases; inspecting machines, equipment, and materials with strict requirements on occupational safety. Improving the quality of medical facilities examining and treating occupational diseases; nursing and labor rehabilitation facilities; safety and occupational hygiene departments, health departments, and occupational safety and hygiene councils at production and business establishments to meet the requirements.

5. Improving the apparatus and quality of human resources, focusing on training, transferring, updating knowledge and skills related to occupational safety, hygiene, occupational disease prevention, especially for those responsible for occupational safety, hygiene, and healthcare at enterprises, production and business establishments; occupational safety and hygiene inspectors and labor inspectors, including areas without labor relation. Strengthening research and application of advanced science and technology in worker health care, ensuring occupational safety and hygiene.

6. Increasing state and enterprise resources for occupational safety and hygiene, aligning with financial mechanism reforms, raising the efficiency of using resources, prioritizing resource allocation for taking measures for occupational accident and disease prevention, particularly in areas without labor relations. Party committees, Party organizations and administration shall include occupational safety and hygiene contents in sectoral and local socio-economic development plans and programs; plans and projects relating to labor, health and environment.

Promoting socialization, mobilization and effective use of domestic and foreign resources for occupational safety and hygiene. Encouraging proactive investment by enterprises, implementation of preventive measures, self-inspection for the purpose of occupational accident and disease reduction. Closely managing and effectively using the Occupational Accident and Disease Insurance Fund in the direction of flexible contributions and benefits, increasing benefit levels and appropriate support levels for beneficiaries to ensure life stability and openness. Expanding and rapidly developing the number of participants in voluntary occupational accident insurance with support from the State.

7. Enhancing the efficiency of coordination between ministries, sectors, and localities, especially labor, health, and environment sectors with local authorities, enterprises, and production and business establishments according to the assigned tasks and functions, emphasizing areas without labor relations. Timely recognizing, disseminating and rewarding collectives and individuals with effective models and practices, and strictly handling violations, particularly organizations and individuals causing serious occupational safety and hygiene incidents.

8. Implementation organization

- Provincial Party Committees, City Party Committees, Party and HCYU Standing Committees, and Central Party Committees shall lead and direct the comprehensive dissemination, propaganda concretization and effective implementation of the Directive in accordance with their assigned functions and tasks, and practices of agencies, localities, and units.

- The Designated Representation of the National Assembly, the Government’s Party Central shall lead and direct the review, revision, supplementation, and improvement of related policies and laws, allocate resources, and enhance inspection, supervision, and evaluation of the implementation of this Directive.

- The Government's Party Standing Committee shall lead and direct the development of the Directive's implementation plan, effectively implement the National Program on Occupational Safety and Hygiene for the 2021-2025 period and subsequent years, and strengthen state management capacities for related ministries, sectors, and local authorities.

- The Designated Representation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Vietnam Farmers' Union, and other socio-political organizations and mass associates assigned by the Party and State shall strengthen mobilization, dissemination, monitoring, and social feedback to effectively implement the Directive.

- The Central Economic Commission shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Party Standing Committees of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and related agencies in, guiding, urging, inspecting, supervising, summarizing, and reporting to the Secretariat on the results of implementing the Directive.

This Directive shall be disseminated to grassroots party cells.