Directive No. 07/2004/CT-BYT on Strengthening Guidance and Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health, and Health Care for Agricultural Workers

DIRECTIVE OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

On strengthening guidance and implementation of occupational safety and health, and care for the health of agricultural workers

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Implementing Directive No. 20/2004/CT-TTg dated June 8, 2004 of the Government Prime Minister on strengthening guidance and implementation of occupational safety and health in agricultural production, in recent times, the health sector has carried out activities to improve the health of agricultural workers through propaganda, training, guidance to improve working conditions, environmental monitoring, and health care at some key agricultural provinces, prioritizing female agricultural workers.

However, agriculture is an industry with many harmful factors affecting the health of workers due to the use of unsafe agricultural machinery and tools; uncontrolled use of plant protection chemicals; legal regulations on occupational safety and health care for agricultural workers have not been fully guided and implemented. Agricultural labor is a non-structural industry, lacking occupational safety and health officers in organizational structure, making access to occupational health services much more difficult than in the industrial sector. Therefore, the risk and rate of work accidents, the state of illness, and chemical poisoning among agricultural workers are increasingly high, and rural environmental hygiene is also alarming.

To strengthen and enhance the role of State management, the roles and responsibilities of organizations and individuals in ensuring occupational safety and health and caring for the health of workers in agricultural production, the Minister of Health requests the Departments, Bureaus, Institutes under the Ministry, Provincial Health Directors, Central City Health Directors, Health Center Directors of relevant Ministries and Departments, Heads of units to focus on directing and performing the following tasks:

1. The Department of Preventive Medicine and AIDS Control

a. Review, develop, supplement, and submit to the Ministry's leadership or competent authorities for approval and issuance of legal documents on occupational safety and health and care for the health of workers in agricultural production; supplement occupational hygiene standards and lists of occupational diseases in agricultural production; build models of health care systems for agricultural workers.

b. Develop and guide the implementation of national regulations on preventing occupational diseases, work accidents, chemical poisoning from plant protection chemicals, measures to improve working conditions and care for the health of agricultural workers.

c. Develop guidelines for labor environment monitoring, regular health check-ups, and occupational disease detection for agricultural workers.

d. Develop action plans for the sector on occupational safety and health, care for the health of agricultural workers, and guide their implementation

2. The Treatment Department:

Guide the development and promulgation of health standards for agricultural workers; guide emergency treatment, treatment, convalescence, and functional recovery for agricultural workers injured in work accidents, poisoned by chemicals, and suffering from occupational diseases.

3. The Reproductive Health Department:

Guide healthcare facilities to carry out reproductive health care activities integrated with occupational safety and health care for female agricultural workers.

4. The Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Hygiene and Regional Institutes:

a. Research, develop, and supplement occupational hygiene standards and health standards for different occupations and jobs for agricultural workers. Develop health care materials and programs for agricultural workers.

b. Organize supplementary professional technical training for labor environment monitoring and health care for agricultural workers for staff of provincial preventive health centers, occupational health and environmental centers, and agricultural and rural development ministry health centers.

c. Coordinate with related agencies to research and propose solutions to improve occupational safety and health conditions, supplement occupational diseases, and prevent work injuries in agricultural labor.

5. Provincial and Central City Health Departments:

a. Develop plans and guide the organization of occupational safety and health activities in agriculture, integrated with public health activities, prioritizing health care for female agricultural workers.

b. Direct provincial preventive health centers, occupational health and environmental centers, medical facilities at all levels, medical appraisal boards, health communication centers, and local agricultural production facilities to strengthen labor condition monitoring; organize health check-ups, emergency treatment, and treatment; organize information dissemination and propaganda to effectively implement work accident prevention, chemical poisoning from plant protection chemicals, and occupational-related diseases in agricultural production.

6. Health sector communication agencies

a. The Ministry of Health's Health Communication Center, Health and Life Newspaper, and Provincial Health Departments coordinate with functional agencies to disseminate information through mass media, popularizing knowledge on preventing work accidents, occupational diseases, chemical poisoning from plant protection chemicals  and rural environmental hygiene.

b. Organize information and propaganda on occupational safety and health care for agricultural workers integrated with the movement to build cultural-health villages.

7. Health Centers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

a. Coordinate with local health authorities to direct health centers of state-owned enterprises, companies, and agricultural production facilities, cooperatives to perform labor environment inspection, regular health check-ups, and occupational disease detection for agricultural workers.

b. Evaluate the  current health status of workers engaged in heavy, hazardous, and particularly heavy, hazardous, and dangerous jobs in agricultural production and collaborate with institutes to research occupational diseases and chemical poisoning from plant protection chemicals in agriculture.

Upon receipt of this Directive, it is requested that the Departments, Bureaus, Health Services, Directors of Institutes, subordinate units under the Ministry of Health, and the Center for Health of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promptly, proactively, and coordinate well with relevant Ministries and sectors to develop plans for effectively implementing occupational safety and health measures and healthcare services for agricultural workers.