Work safety is not just a slogan

The death of 7 workers and the injury of 3 others in a serious work accident in Yen Binh town, Yen Binh district (Yen Bai) on April 22, right near the 2024 Labor Safety and Hygiene Action Month, is truly worrying.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, in 2023, there were 7,394 occupational accidents nationwide, causing 7,553 victims, of which 1,720 were seriously injured and 699 died. In 2023, in Hai Duong, there were 145 occupational accidents causing 156 victims, a decrease of 6.5% in the number of accidents and 6.4% in the number of victims compared to 2022.

This is a significant number of work-related accidents that occurred in the past year nationwide as well as in Hai Duong. Economic development, modern machinery and production lines do not mean that work-related accidents do not occur if both employees and business owners do not take the initiative to prevent them. Serious work-related accidents like the one in Yen Bai will continue to occur if work safety measures in many places are only implemented to cope with the situation.

The story in the traditional carpentry village of Dong Giao, Luong Dien commune (Cam Giang) explains why this village is not rare for workers who have lost their arms or legs due to work-related accidents. Although they are exposed to dangerous equipment such as saws, chisels, planes, molds, etc. all day, many workers do not wear gloves, masks, or even the clothes they wear to work or at home. Some workers shared that wearing gloves only adds to the inconvenience. The hot, stuffy weather makes it difficult to breathe while wearing masks. But they do not know that if they do not wear protective gear, just a little carelessness can result in losing their hands to the sharp saw blades. Because of the stuffiness and difficulty breathing, they do not wear masks but are susceptible to lung diseases when they regularly inhale wood dust. Subjectivity and lack of knowledge about occupational safety and hygiene are among the main causes of occupational accidents in factories and production sites, although they can be foreseen thanks to adequate protective gear.

A safe working environment is also very important in preventing accidents for workers. Attending the occupational safety and hygiene training session for workers of Hyundai Kefico Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Dai An Industrial Park, I saw many people quite worried. Even though it was just a training session, they were also strictly tested and evaluated like an exam. The company attaches great importance to occupational safety training for workers. They also have a separate department to regularly monitor the working environment. When detecting any unusual signs of safety in production, they will warn and take immediate response measures. When a worker comes to work at this company, in addition to being skilled, they must also know how to escape. They are regularly trained to respond to fire, explosion or earthquake incidents...

Investing in a safe working environment is really expensive for businesses. However, the deaths and consequences of work accidents are much more expensive. If you are a business owner, think about basic safety measures for your employees because a safe business is also a brand to retain employees, attracting workers to come to work without having to spend time or money to recruit far away. If you are a worker, equip yourself with the minimum knowledge to ensure safety.

Ensuring labor safety must be followed from awareness to action, not just a slogan.