The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday announced a campaign to inspect construction sites in 2016.
As per the announcement, inspectors will carry out 100 inspections of labor safety and of employing cranes in construction sites. The inspection will in the year double compared to previous years.
At the same time, construction inspectors in 24 districts will pay visits to residents’ houses which are being built. Inspectors will focus on working hours, workers’ salary, labor hygiene, employment of electronic devices, personal protective equipment, cranes, scaffolding and such.
The city’s campaign is part of campaign “ Obeying labor regulation for safety in construction sites” launched by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, aiming to reduce the cases of construction-related work fatalities.
The Ministry’s deputy chief inspector Phan Dang Tho said that inspectors in each city and province must pay visits to at least 10 construction sites or companies while inspectors in two big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City should be over 10 inspections.
The campaign was launched because there has been lately mounting concern over the safety of construction workers in the country as the numbers of construction worker deaths and injuries have risen significantly. Construction worker deaths have reached alarming numbers with 70 accidents and over 200 deaths a year, accounting for more than 30 percent of labor-related accidents. The number of deaths in construction in HCMC is up to 65 percent.
Despite the strict safety regulations as prescribed by the government, disregard of construction worker safety by employers remains a significant concern. According to inspectors, 65 percent of construction-related work fatalities are due to improper neglectfulness and sub quality construction.
Since the beginning of the year, of 19 labor accidents in HCMC lately, 17 took place in construction sites as enterprises promoted construction in dry season leading to more likelihood of unsafe labor. Deputy Head of the Department Tran Ngoc Son said that by March, 2016, in addition to nearly 30,000 construction sites for private resident houses, the city has around 500 construction sites.
