Work safety

New project kicked off to improve occupational safety and health for young workers

Those aged 15-24 are more likely to become victims of occupational accidents and diseases due to their inadequate experience and awareness on safety and health at workplace.

News | 15 April 2016
HANOI (ILO News) – A new project was launched on 15 April to improve safety and health of young workers from 15 to 24 years and to develop a culture of prevention in the workplace in Viet Nam.

Funded by the United States Department of Labor, the project is piloted by the ILO in the country until December 2018.

According to ILO estimates, young worker are 40 per cent more likely to suffer from non-fatal occupational injuries than older workers worldwide.

“Due to inadequate job experience, young workers usually lack awareness on occupational safety and health regulations and do not know that they have the right to a safe and healthy workplace,” said ILO Viet Nam Director Chang-Hee Lee.

They are often less able to safely handle hazardous substances of job tasks and more likely to underestimate the safety and health risks associated with their job.

The new project is expected to improve the situation through strengthening occupational safety and health (OSH) data collection and use, improving OSH regulations and programmes, and enhancing the capacity of the Government, trade unions and employers’ organizations in promoting and enforcing OSH law compliance. The project will also help to raise knowledge and awareness of particular hazards and risks faced by young workers in the workplace.

Reports by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) showed that on average 6,000 work-related accidents occur a year in Viet Nam, claiming the lives of about 600 people.

“In reality, the number of occupational accidents is much higher because the rate of enterprises having work-related accidents reports remains low,” said MoLISA Vice Minister Doan Mau Diep.



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Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-26690-14-75-K-11. 100 percentage of the total costs of the project or program is financed with federal funds, for a total of 11,443,156 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.