Occupational safety and health

Garment workers run for safety in 2012

Over 3,600 garment workers will run this Sunday 22th April at 6:30am at Binh Duong New City, Binh Duong Province. This is 3rd year, Better Work organize this event as part of a safety campaign to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Press release | 17 April 2012

HO CHI MINH CITY – (ILO News) – Over 3,600 garment workers will run this Sunday 22th April at 6.30 a.m. at Binh Duong New City, Binh Duong Province. This is 3rd year, Better Work organize this event as part of a safety campaign to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Many workers in garment sector from Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and other surrounding provinces will participate in the run. Participating workers will also have chance to raise their voice in promoting safety at the workplace through a series of performances.

This year’s Fun Run for Safety will emphasize health education and safety for workers through activities such as training, animated videos, a safety slogan competition, and quizzes. A range of supporting organizations will also participate and provide information and advice on breastfeeding, HIV, life skills, personal financial management, children's issues, health information in general and migrant worker issues.

Joining the event with the workers there will be representatives from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Binh Duong provincial Federation of Labor (FOL).

“Worker safety and health is a priority for Better Work Vietnam,” shared Tara Rangarajan, Program Manager of Better Work Vietnam.  “Our annual Safety Run focuses on teaching workers and their managers how to prevent injuries so that workers are protected and factories are productive and free from accidents.  We do this in a way that is fun and encourages ongoing workplace cooperation at factories.”

The Safety Run campaign is organized by Better Work Vietnam to raise awareness of occupational safety and health in the Vietnamese apparel industry. The event aims to give workers and their managers opportunities to enjoy themselves together with a focus on joint ways to promote safety through understanding risks and preventative measures inside their factories.

During 2011 alone, there were 5,896 accident of work, 6,154 people were injured at work in Viet Nam, 504 of which resulted in fatalities. The apparel industry in particular has a range of safety hazards that can be avoided through prevention and training. According to a recent report by Better Work Vietnam, occupational safety and health continues to be one of the largest areas of non-compliance with the law for participating factories (for further data related to occupational safety and health, please refer to data sheet attached). Better Work Vietnam is striving to promote an integrated and preventative safety approach in apparel factories through a series of activities including advisory, training and communications and events such as the Safety Run campaign.

Better Work Vietnam is currently funded by the Australian Government, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland (SECO), and the United States Department of Labor.

This year’s Fun Run for Safety is sponsored by Gap, PVH, Target, Coach, Levis, adidas, and The Levi Strauss Foundation.

Better Work Vietnam is part of the Better Work global program, a unique partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Better Work Vietnam seeks to improve working conditions and promote competitiveness in Vietnamese apparel industry. It does so through assessment of labor compliance, and advisory and training services for sustainable improvement. To learn more visit the Better Work Vietnam website.

For further information please contact:

Ms Nguyen Thi Hoa Binh
Training & Communications Coordinator
Better Work Vietnam
Email