Directive No. 13/1998/CT-TTg on Strengthening Guidance and Implementation of Labor Protection Work in the New Situation

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening Guidance and Implementation of Labor Protection Work

in the New Situation

In recent years, with the implementation of the Labor Code, the Ordinance on the State Management of Fire Prevention and Fighting, and labor protection work, there have been positive changes and certain results have been achieved. Working conditions have continuously improved, contributing to protecting workers' health, ensuring their right to work in safe and hygienic conditions, and reducing workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and fire incidents.

However, the enforcement of labor protection laws at various levels, sectors, employers, and workers has not been strict enough. Violations of technical safety and hygiene standards, fire prevention and fighting regulations are still quite common, leading to serious incidents. Investment in improving working conditions and implementing measures to prevent workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and fires has not received sufficient attention and importance, especially in private production and business establishments.

To strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of state management, the role and responsibility of all organizations and individuals in ensuring workplace safety and hygiene, maintaining and improving working conditions, and safeguarding workers' health and safety, the Prime Minister instructs the Ministers, Heads of relevant agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities to focus on directing and promptly carry out the following tasks:

1. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health:

Continue reviewing, perfecting, and supplementing guiding documents for the implementation of labor protection laws, particularly those concerning safety and hygiene; simultaneously gradually consolidate and enhance the effectiveness of the labor safety and hygiene inspection system in terms of organization, staffing, and professional expertise to ensure the quality of inspections and supervision of production and business establishments in complying with labor protection laws;

Coordinate with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in organizing the assessment and justification of measures to ensure labor safety and hygiene and environmental impact reports of investment projects;

Coordinate with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and related ministries and sectors in researching and drafting a national program on labor protection, safety, and hygiene as stipulated in Article 95 of the Labor Code; in the short term, draft and submit to the Government for approval targets and plans for labor protection implementation until 2000;

Annually organize summaries and evaluations of labor protection work, provide guidance, and organize rewards for this work.

2. The Ministry of Health shall take the lead in researching and amending labor hygiene standards; establish health standards and medical examinations for workers engaged in heavy, toxic, and dangerous jobs; direct health rooms and rehabilitation facilities to regularly care for, examine, treat, and rehabilitate workers in heavy, toxic, and dangerous jobs prone to occupational diseases; simultaneously organize and improve the efficiency of emergency response when workplace accidents occur.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall continue implementing Directive No. 237/TTg dated April 19, 1996 of the Prime Minister on strengthening measures for fire prevention and fighting; direct and inspect units engaged in fire prevention and fighting, especially focusing on areas prone to fires and explosions; plan to modernize firefighting equipment to enhance firefighting capabilities and efficiency; quickly and timely address incidents when they occur.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall consider and balance the annual budget for labor protection work of relevant ministries and sectors; simultaneously review and evaluate the effective use of funds for the purposes specified in this Directive to fulfill the tasks outlined herein.

The Ministry of Finance shall study tax exemption and reduction policies, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall study preferential credit policies to assist domestic production enterprises in replacing imported personal protective equipment and help enterprises effectively invest in labor protection work to improve working conditions for workers.

5. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall increase investment in scientific research on labor safety and hygiene; direct and organize a review of current technical safety and hygiene standards to amend, supplement, and develop new standards suitable for new technological levels; implement scientific topics based on orders from state management agencies in the field of labor protection; organize the transfer of scientific research results on labor protection to state management agencies in this field for application.

6. The Government Organizational and Cadre Department shall coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Health in researching organizational structures and staffing regulations for labor protection personnel in ministries, sectors, and localities to meet the needs of labor protection work during industrialization and modernization; in the short term, it is necessary to focus on resolving staffing issues for labor inspection agencies to match the number of enterprises in localities to ensure the fulfillment of labor safety and hygiene inspection and supervision tasks.

7. The Ministry of Education and Training shall coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to promptly direct the development of programs, textbooks, and scientific materials on labor safety and hygiene for teaching in universities, colleges, vocational high schools, and vocational training institutions; standardize teachers teaching labor safety and hygiene at all educational levels; coordinate with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to direct the improvement of the quality of occupational safety engineers' training.

8. The People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities shall direct the agencies responsible for labor safety inspection, occupational hygiene inspection, fire prevention and firefighting police to strengthen inspections and checks on the implementation of labor safety, occupational hygiene, and fire prevention at local levels, focusing on sectors such as mining, basic construction, transportation, and private economic zones; strictly handle units and individuals violating laws on labor safety, occupational hygiene, and fire prevention.

9. Central and local mass media agencies shall establish and enhance weekly columns on labor safety, occupational hygiene, and fire prevention to disseminate laws, regulations, standards, and experiences in preventing workplace accidents, occupational diseases, fires, and explosions, thereby helping workers and employers to be self-aware and proactive in complying with labor protection laws.

10. Directors of enterprises and heads of production and business establishments must strictly implement the provisions of labor protection laws, annually develop labor protection plans, allocate staff for labor protection work; cooperate with grassroots trade union organizations to promote, educate, and mobilize workers to strictly comply with regulations on labor safety, occupational hygiene, and fire prevention; organize networks of safety officers, hygiene officers, and accident prevention teams; improve working conditions, care for workers' health, and reduce workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and losses caused by poor working conditions.

11. The Ministry of Justice shall coordinate with the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Supreme People's Court to direct local People's Courts to promptly adjudicate civil and criminal cases in the field of labor safety, occupational hygiene, and fire prevention.

The Prime Minister requests that Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and agencies under the Government, Chairmen of provincial and centrally governed city People's Committees, and grassroots units within their scope of responsibility closely cooperate with corresponding level trade union organizations to promptly organize the implementation of this Directive, widely mobilizing the masses to ensure labor safety and hygiene, and fire prevention in production and daily life.

The Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall regularly monitor, urge, and inspect the implementation of this Directive, and report to the Prime Minister every six months./.