HÀ NỘI – The number of workplace accidents and worker deaths are on the rise in Việt Nam, and one third of them occurred on construction sites, said an official.

Nguyễn Tuấn Ngọc Tú, from the State Authority for Construction Quality Inspection under the Ministry of Construction (MoC), said the workshop, titled “Capacity enhancement in cost estimation, contract management, quality and safety in construction investment projects in Việt Nam,” held in Hà Nội on Friday.

There were 7,620 workplace accidents last year, killing 666 people, an increase of 911 accidents and 36 deaths compared with the same period in the previous year.

In the first half of this year, a total of 356 people were killed in 3,674 workplace accidents. 

Notably, the collapse of scaffolding at a construction site in the Taiwanese-invested Formosa Industrial Park in Hà Tĩnh Province’s Vũng Áng economic zone killed 13 Vietnamese workers and injured 29 others in March last year. 

Tú blamed the increase in accidents on inadequate safety management in the workplace, including a lack of safety training or inspections of machines and equipment. The penalty was not strong enough to deter violations, he said.

To reduce accidents in construction spaces, he said, it was necessary to produce legal documents on safety management at construction sites and to intensify inspections of everything from design to implementation of construction projects. The creation of a database on labour safety in the construction sector is needed to improve safety awareness among contractors and workers, he said.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Construction Bùi Phạm Khánh said the workshop offered an opportunity for participants to share their experience in project management. 

Thanks to cooperation from Japan, the capacity of staff and related organisations under the MoC that are directly involved in construction projects has been enhanced, he said.

Masafumi Yamauchi, an expert from Japan International Co-operation Agency, said the project’s ultimate goal was for public construction projects in Việt Nam to be managed in accordance with international standards and regulations.

The workshop, jointly organised by Japan International Cooperation Agency and the MoC, aims to introduce technical cooperation focus on specific laws and regulations on construction in Việtt Nam.

The workshop was held under the scope of a JICA-funded project, which has been in effect since April 2015 and will last until March 2018.

Similar training workshops will be held in Đà Nẵng and HCM City on December 2 and 8. — VNS