Their comments were made at a Dec. 5 meeting organised by the WorkSafety Bureau under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and SocialAffairs to unveil a five-year plan (2011-15) under which the propagationof labour safety and hygiene information will be strengthenednationwide.
The plan will particularly focus on employeesand employers in industries that carry a higher risk of labour accidentslike construction, chemical production and mining.
Itaims to each out to more than 1,000 trade villages, 5,000 cooperatives,and 30,000 small and medium-size enterprises by 2015.
Labour safety and hygiene issues relating to their area of study will beincluded in the curricula of vocational schools and universities, saidDo Thuy Nguyet, deputy head of the Work Safety Bureau.
Close cooperation is needed between local authorities and trade unionsas well as other associations including the association of small andmedium enterprises, women's associations and farmers' associations toimplement the plan effectively, she added.
Ha Tat Thang,head of the bureau, said raising awareness of labour safety and hygieneamong employees and employers was key to achieving the Government's aimof stable socio-economic development.
According to areport by the National Scientific Research Institute for Labour andSocial Protection, the working environment in general is polluted bydust, noise and toxic gases.
In the first six months ofthis year, 3,531 labour accidents occurred nationwide, an increase of920 compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry ofLabour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.
The accidents killed 273 and injured 544 people.
Ten provinces and cities with a high number of fatal labour accidentsare Dong Nai, HCM City, Binh Duong, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nghe An,Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Son La./.