Professor Doctor Le Van Trinh, head of the National Institute of LabourProtection, said there was still not an office in charge of controllinglabour accidents and occupational diseases in rural areas.
"Administrative offices are still ignoring these areas," Trinh said.
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was the only officeresponsible for monitoring workplace accidents, he said.
Official figures on the number of occupational accidents were notavailable because fewer than 10 percent of enterprises reported theirlabour accidents annually, Trinh added.
The NationalInstitute of Labour Protection, therefore, has no other alternative butto rely on hospitals for information about accidents and occupationaldiseases in rural areas.
By conducting a survey of about1,000 patients at hospitals throughout the country, the institute foundthat nearly 66 percent of labourers working in the agriculture sectorand craft villages had frequent contact with dust. About 60 percent hadregular contact with harmful chemicals.
Job site accidentswhich resulted in abrasions to hands or feet accounted for nearly 39percent of all agriculture production injuries. The figure was about 44percent for craft village accidents.
Labourers sufferingfrom respiratory, skin and gynaecological diseases made up 42 percent,39 percent and 35 percent, respectively, at agriculture productionsites; these figures were 54 percent, 46 percent and 38 percent in craftvillages.
A report released by the International LabourOrganisation said awareness and knowledge about labour safety andhygiene as well as environment protection among labourers in rural areaswas still limited.
The organisation said this lack ofawareness was one of the main reasons for the rising number of labouraccidents and occupational diseases in these areas.
FarmerNguyen Thi Quit of Thuan Hoa Commune in Hau Giang Province 's LongMy District finally went to the Hau Giang General Hospital toreceive treatment for her right eye when she could no longer stand thepain.
A leaf brushed across Quit's eye when she washarvesting sugar cane. It took a few days for the pain to surpass herthreshold, but by that point the doctors told her it was too late. Hereye was permanently damaged.
In another case, farmer TranThanh Quang of Dong Thap Province 's Lai Vung District lost aneye because he used water from a rice field to wash out his eye. The eyebecame infected and doctors had to remove it out of fear of long-terminfection.
Chac Ca Dao Channel, which links Chau ThanhDistrict in An Giang Province with Rach Gia City in Kien Giang Province,has been dubbed by many as a ‘crippled' channel; dozens of labourersworking at brick kilns along the channel have suffered damage to theirfingers, legs and feet in workplace accidents.
Another survey found an increasing number of women suffering from gynaecological diseases in the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta.
More than 17,300 women in Vinh Long Province have suffered fromgynaecological problems since early this year, an increase of 4,000cases compared with last year's figure.
In Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City, these figures were 12,413 and 24,000 women, respectively.
Doctor Tran Thi Lai, head of the Hau Giang Province 'sPopulation and Family Planning branch, attributed the trend to limitedawareness among the women, and the shortage of clean water and hygienicliving conditions.
Lai said many women were ashamed andhad never visited the doctor for an annual gynaecological exam eventhough many were married and already had children.
Trinhsaid agriculture was one of the sectors that exposed workers todangerous and harmful factors that adversely impacted their heath. Theuse of dangerous agriculture machines and tools, lack of control overagricultural chemicals and difficult conditions for work-related healthcare services were the source of many of the problems.
Hesaid legal documents concerning labour accidents and occupationaldiseases in rural areas had yet to be completed. The problem wascompounded by the shortage of inspectors to assess and supervise laboursafety and hygiene standards nationwide.
There are currently only 600 inspectors working in this area./.
"Administrative offices are still ignoring these areas," Trinh said.
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was the only officeresponsible for monitoring workplace accidents, he said.
Official figures on the number of occupational accidents were notavailable because fewer than 10 percent of enterprises reported theirlabour accidents annually, Trinh added.
The NationalInstitute of Labour Protection, therefore, has no other alternative butto rely on hospitals for information about accidents and occupationaldiseases in rural areas.
By conducting a survey of about1,000 patients at hospitals throughout the country, the institute foundthat nearly 66 percent of labourers working in the agriculture sectorand craft villages had frequent contact with dust. About 60 percent hadregular contact with harmful chemicals.
Job site accidentswhich resulted in abrasions to hands or feet accounted for nearly 39percent of all agriculture production injuries. The figure was about 44percent for craft village accidents.
Labourers sufferingfrom respiratory, skin and gynaecological diseases made up 42 percent,39 percent and 35 percent, respectively, at agriculture productionsites; these figures were 54 percent, 46 percent and 38 percent in craftvillages.
A report released by the International LabourOrganisation said awareness and knowledge about labour safety andhygiene as well as environment protection among labourers in rural areaswas still limited.
The organisation said this lack ofawareness was one of the main reasons for the rising number of labouraccidents and occupational diseases in these areas.
FarmerNguyen Thi Quit of Thuan Hoa Commune in Hau Giang Province 's LongMy District finally went to the Hau Giang General Hospital toreceive treatment for her right eye when she could no longer stand thepain.
A leaf brushed across Quit's eye when she washarvesting sugar cane. It took a few days for the pain to surpass herthreshold, but by that point the doctors told her it was too late. Hereye was permanently damaged.
In another case, farmer TranThanh Quang of Dong Thap Province 's Lai Vung District lost aneye because he used water from a rice field to wash out his eye. The eyebecame infected and doctors had to remove it out of fear of long-terminfection.
Chac Ca Dao Channel, which links Chau ThanhDistrict in An Giang Province with Rach Gia City in Kien Giang Province,has been dubbed by many as a ‘crippled' channel; dozens of labourersworking at brick kilns along the channel have suffered damage to theirfingers, legs and feet in workplace accidents.
Another survey found an increasing number of women suffering from gynaecological diseases in the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta.
More than 17,300 women in Vinh Long Province have suffered fromgynaecological problems since early this year, an increase of 4,000cases compared with last year's figure.
In Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City, these figures were 12,413 and 24,000 women, respectively.
Doctor Tran Thi Lai, head of the Hau Giang Province 'sPopulation and Family Planning branch, attributed the trend to limitedawareness among the women, and the shortage of clean water and hygienicliving conditions.
Lai said many women were ashamed andhad never visited the doctor for an annual gynaecological exam eventhough many were married and already had children.
Trinhsaid agriculture was one of the sectors that exposed workers todangerous and harmful factors that adversely impacted their heath. Theuse of dangerous agriculture machines and tools, lack of control overagricultural chemicals and difficult conditions for work-related healthcare services were the source of many of the problems.
Hesaid legal documents concerning labour accidents and occupationaldiseases in rural areas had yet to be completed. The problem wascompounded by the shortage of inspectors to assess and supervise laboursafety and hygiene standards nationwide.
There are currently only 600 inspectors working in this area./.
