VietNamNet Bridge – The Centre for Protection of Labour's Health and Working Environment under the Department of Health this year will conduct tighter inspections of labour safety and hygiene as well as health care for company workers around the city.

Workers process food in Dongil Vina Co Ltd in HCM City's District 12. The city's Health Department has planned to conduct more inspections of labour safety and hygiene and health care for company workers city-wide. (Photo: VNS)

The checks in 2010 showed that workers at 128 companies out of the 177 checked, were in danger of occupational diseases.

Last year's occupational disease examinations revealed that cases of work-related deafness rose to 354 last year from 116 in 2009.

There were 34 cases of work related skin discoloration.

The workers at industrial and export processing zones were still to access their right to not work in an environment that is harmful to their health, Tien said.

He said only a third of companies sent their workers to occupational disease health checks.

For many companies the checks were just nominal or they cooperated with health clinics that weren't licensed to check for occupational diseases.

Tien said the centre has a VND630 million (US$32,307) budget this year to continue improving work environments at companies and enterprises, and advocating for better migrant labourer health.

As part of the programme the center would co-operate with district level preventive health centres to raise awareness of worker safety and hygiene and provide worker safety training courses for employees, Tien said.

There are around 500,000 labourers in the city's 13 industrial and export processing zones.

Last year, the centre worked with the city Centre for Nutrition, the Centre for Reproductive Health, Dermatology and Venereal Disease Hospital, the Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Authorities to improve work environments.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News