Unexpected incident
Occupational accidents arise from various sources, such as emergency incidents
Dec
In today’s increasingly complex work environment, workplace accident incidents not only come from industrial accidents but also include unexpected risks such as natural disasters and fires. This article, “Incidents can arise from many different sources, including natural disasters, fires, industrial accidents”, explores the diversity of accident causes, posing challenges to ensuring occupational safety and how we can prevent hazards from these different sources, providing guidance for a safe and sustainable work environment.
I. Causes of workplace accidents from unexpected incidents such as natural disasters, fires, and industrial accidents
According to a report by the Department of Work Safety, Ministry of Labor – Invalids and Social Affairs, in 5 years (2018-2022), there were 37,617 workplace accidents nationwide, injuring 38,607 people, including 7,545 deaths. Among these workplace accidents, 12,604 were caused by unexpected incidents, injuring 13,065 people, including 1,826 deaths.
Among these, natural disasters caused the most workplace accidents, with 9,783 incidents, injuring 10,272 people, including 1,526 deaths. Fires caused 2,821 incidents, injuring 2,793 people, including 299 deaths. Industrial accidents caused 1,000 incidents, injuring 1,000 people, including 201 deaths.
Workplace accidents from unexpected incidents often occur in production, business, construction, mining areas, etc., concentrated in the provinces of the Central, Central Highlands, and Northern regions. Occupations that frequently experience workplace accidents from unexpected incidents include: construction, mineral extraction, fishing, industrial production, etc.
Worker’s Responsibility
Each worker needs to raise their awareness and responsibility in implementing occupational safety regulations to protect themselves and those around them. Specifically, workers need to:
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Comply with occupational safety regulations at the workplace.
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Use personal protective equipment and gear correctly.
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Regularly inspect and maintain equipment, machinery, devices, etc., at the workplace.
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Promptly notify the responsible person when detecting risks of workplace accidents.
II. The impact of natural disasters on the work environment and how they can cause workplace accidents
Natural disasters can directly or indirectly impact the work environment, creating many potential hazards that lead to workplace accidents.
Direct impact of natural disasters
Natural disasters can directly impact the work environment, causing damage to facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, etc. This disrupts production and business operations, making it difficult for workers to perform their jobs. In addition, natural disasters can also pose direct dangers to workers, such as:
- Collapsed structures, workshops,…
- Being swept away, trapped in floods, storms
- Electric shock, lightning strike
- Falling, tripping, impact due to rain, wind,…
Indirect impact of natural disasters
Natural disasters can also indirectly impact the work environment, creating potential hazards that lead to workplace accidents. Specifically, natural disasters can cause the following impacts:
- Environmental pollution: Natural disasters can cause environmental pollution from wastewater, garbage, etc. This increases the risk of infectious diseases, affecting workers’ health.
- Shortage of food: Natural disasters can cause food shortages, leading to a decline in workers’ health and increasing the risk of occupational diseases.
- Increased stress, anxiety: Natural disasters can cause stress and anxiety for workers, reducing their ability to concentrate, causing errors during work, and leading to workplace accidents.
How to prevent workplace accidents due to natural disasters
To prevent workplace accidents due to natural disasters, businesses need to implement the following measures:
- Increase propaganda and education for workers about the risks of workplace accidents due to natural disasters.
- Organize training sessions on skills for preventing and avoiding workplace accidents for workers.
- Prepare response plans for natural disasters, including: evacuating workers, protecting assets, equipment,…
- Strengthen inspection and supervision of the safety condition of production and business facilities.
Preventing workplace accidents due to natural disasters is the responsibility of both businesses and workers. By implementing the above measures, businesses can minimize the risk of workplace accidents, protecting the health and lives of workers.
III. Fire risks in the work environment and safety measures to minimize incidents
Fire is one of the most dangerous types of workplace accidents, capable of causing enormous loss of life and property. In the work environment, incidents can arise from many different sources, including:
- Subjective causes: Due to workers’ lack of awareness in complying with occupational safety regulations, improper use of electrical equipment and machinery, unsafe workplace layout,…
- Objective causes: Due to natural factors such as lightning strikes, forest fires,… or due to technical failures during production and operation.
Fires in the work environment can cause serious consequences, including:
- Loss of life: Causing injury and death to workers.
- Property damage: Destroying factories, machinery, equipment,…
- Environmental damage: Causing environmental pollution, affecting public health.
To minimize fire risks in the work environment, the following safety measures must be well-implemented:
Measures before a fire occurs:
- Develop and strictly implement occupational safety regulations on fire prevention and fighting (FPF).
- Propagandize and educate to raise fire prevention awareness for workers.
- Arrange workplaces, equipment, and machinery to ensure FPF safety.
- Regularly inspect, maintain, and repair electrical equipment and machinery to ensure safety.
- Arrange adequate FPF equipment and firefighting tools at the workplace.
Measures when a fire occurs:
- Detect and report the fire promptly.
- Implement measures to evacuate people and property from the fire area.
- Use FPF equipment to extinguish the fire.
- Call the FPF force for support.
Properly implementing FPF safety measures is the responsibility of all agencies, businesses, and workers. Raising FPF awareness and strictly implementing occupational safety regulations is the best way to prevent and minimize fire risks in the work environment.
IV. Common causes of industrial accidents and effective measures to prevent workplace accident incidents
Industrial accidents are unexpected incidents that occur at the workplace, causing harm to people and property. The causes of Incidents can arise from many different sources, including:
- Technical factors: Due to equipment, machinery, and gear not ensuring safety; lack or absence of occupational safety measures; unclean, hazardous work environment.
- Organizational factors: Due to lack of occupational safety procedures and regulations; loose labor management; lack of coordination between departments during production and business.
- Human factors: Due to workers’ lack of knowledge and skills in occupational safety; poor awareness of complying with occupational safety laws.
Incidents can arise from many different sources, to prevent workplace accident incidents, the following measures must be implemented synchronously:
For businesses:
- Raise awareness and responsibility for occupational safety among workers through training programs, propaganda, and dissemination of occupational safety knowledge and skills.
- Strictly inspect and supervise the implementation of occupational safety regulations at the workplace.
- Regularly improve and upgrade equipment, machinery, and gear to ensure safety for workers.
- Build a safe and clean working environment.
For workers:
- Comply with occupational safety regulations at the workplace.
- Use personal protective equipment correctly and fully.
- Actively participate in activities propagating and disseminating occupational safety knowledge and skills.
V. Occupational safety strategies in preventing and minimizing workplace accidents
Incidents can arise from many different sources, to prevent and minimize this type of accident, a comprehensive occupational safety strategy is needed, including the following contents:
- Strengthen propaganda and education to raise awareness of workers and employers about the importance of occupational safety. Propaganda and education work needs to be carried out regularly, continuously, with diverse forms and content, suitable for each audience.
- Continue to improve the legal system and regulations on occupational safety. The legal system and regulations on occupational safety need to be completed, meet practical requirements, and ensure synchronization, consistency, feasibility, and effectiveness.
- Strengthen inspection and supervision of compliance with occupational safety regulations. Inspection and supervision work needs to be carried out regularly, strictly, seriously, and promptly detect and strictly handle violations.
- Invest in improving professional capacity and skills for officials working in occupational safety. The team of officials working in occupational safety needs to be trained and fostered to improve their professional qualifications and skills, meeting practical requirements.
In addition, there needs to be close coordination among agencies, departments, localities, businesses, and workers in implementing solutions to prevent and minimize workplace accidents due to natural disasters, fires, and industrial accidents.
Some specific solutions
For natural disasters:
- Develop plans for natural disaster prevention and control, responding promptly to natural disaster incidents, especially those that can cause workplace accidents.
- Strengthen inspection and supervision of occupational safety work in areas frequently affected by natural disasters.
- Fully equip workers with personal protective equipment when working in environments at risk of natural disasters.
For fires:
- Develop fire prevention and fighting plans, ensuring safe conditions for fire prevention and fighting.
- Strengthen inspection and supervision of occupational safety work in areas with high fire and explosion risks.
- Fully equip workers with fire prevention and fighting equipment.
For industrial accidents:
- Develop occupational safety plans, ensuring safe conditions in production and business.
- Strengthen inspection and supervision of occupational safety work at businesses.
- Fully equip workers with personal protective equipment.
VI. Learning from real-life situations of workplace accidents and improving the occupational safety system
To minimize risks and limit unfortunate consequences, businesses need to learn from real-life situations that have occurred, thereby improving the occupational safety system.
Learning from natural disaster situations
Natural disasters are abnormal natural phenomena, causing strong impacts on the environment and people. Common natural disasters in Vietnam include storms, floods, droughts,…
In natural disaster situations, businesses need to pay attention to the following issues:
- Develop a natural disaster response plan, including measures to protect the safety of workers, property, and facilities of the business.
- Regularly organize training sessions for workers on skills for preventing and responding to natural disasters.
- Prepare adequate equipment and supplies necessary to respond to natural disasters.
Learning from fire situations
Fire is one of the most common workplace accidents, causing serious damage to people and property. The causes of fire include:
- Due to electrical faults, gas leaks,…
- Due to worker negligence, such as using fire, welding, cutting,… improperly.
To prevent fires, businesses need to pay attention to the following issues:
- Implement good electrical safety and chemical safety practices.
- Organize periodic inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment, machinery,…
- Prohibit the use of fire, welding, cutting,… in flammable areas.
- Equip fully with fire prevention and fighting equipment, periodically organize training for workers on fire prevention and fighting.
Learning from industrial accidents
Industrial accidents are accidents that occur during production and business operations, causing damage to people and property. The causes of industrial accidents include:
- Due to improper design, installation, operation of machinery, equipment.
- Due to workers not being adequately trained in occupational safety.
- Due to lack of occupational safety measures at the workplace.
To prevent industrial accidents, businesses need to pay attention to the following issues:
- Strictly implement occupational safety regulations.
- Regularly inspect and supervise occupational safety conditions at the workplace.
- Provide adequate training for workers on occupational safety.
VII. Facing the risk of workplace accidents and proposing future directions for protecting workers
To protect workers from the risk of workplace accidents, there needs to be a joint effort from businesses, workers, and functional agencies.
On the part of businesses, they need to continue to raise awareness about the importance of occupational safety work. At the same time, they need to invest in occupational safety equipment and tools, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for workers.
On the part of workers, they need to raise their awareness of complying with occupational safety regulations. At the same time, they need to actively equip themselves with occupational safety knowledge and skills to protect themselves during work.
On the part of functional agencies, they need to strengthen inspection and supervision of occupational safety work at businesses. At the same time, there need to be strict penalties for violations of occupational safety regulations.
With the joint effort of businesses, workers, and functional agencies, the risk of workplace accidents will be minimized, contributing to protecting the health and lives of workers.
VIII. An Toan Nam Viet’s Occupational Safety Training Capacity
An Toan Nam Viet is a prestigious and high-quality center specializing in occupational safety training (in many different languages such as English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean….) in Vietnam today. With occupational safety training sessions held continuously at factories, plants, or construction sites across the country (63 provinces in Vietnam).
REGISTER FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY TRAINING SERVICE
Occupational safety training license
- An Toan Nam Viet has been inspected and granted a certificate of eligibility for occupational safety and health training activities by the Department of Work Safety of the Ministry of Labor – Invalids and Social Affairs. This further strengthens our capacity to conduct occupational safety training.
Documents and lectures
- Before occupational safety training materials are used in OSH training courses, they have been reviewed and censored to ensure that the lectures are always accurate in terms of knowledge and effective when applied.
- The teaching methods of the lecturers are standardized according to An Toan Nam Viet’s teaching standards, which is a method that experts in occupational safety and health training have researched and consolidated during the teaching process to bring the highest knowledge acquisition efficiency for students.
Facilities
- Controlling factors in the classroom that affect the training process will increase teaching efficiency and student knowledge acquisition.
- Our training course support facilities always provide spacious classrooms that meet standards for area, lighting, training equipment, etc.
IX. National center for occupational environment monitoring
Nam Viet’s occupational environment monitoring center is a professional unit for monitoring and measuring the quality of the occupational environment in all provinces in Vietnam. With a team of experienced monitoring specialists, the center uses modern measuring equipment, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
REGISTER FOR OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MONITORING SERVICE
In addition to providing monitoring services, the center also supports clients in planning, processing, and tracking occupational environment issues. With the motto “the customer is the center,” we always bring customer satisfaction, meet all customer needs, and commit to providing the best solutions for businesses.
With investment in techniques, technology, and human resources, Nam Viet’s monitoring center has become one of the reputable units in the field of occupational environment monitoring in Ho Chi Minh City with the following objectives:
- We always value our brand reputation and the quality of our products and services.
- We provide customers with the best and most suitable things possible.
- Along with a team of experienced and specialized Masters and Engineers with a desire to protect the environment and benefit businesses.
- Coming to the Nam Viet Environmental Monitoring team, your company will receive professional service from experts in the monitoring field. At the same time, you will get the best cost incentives.
The process of conducting occupational environment monitoring at Nam Viet includes the following basic steps:
- Before conducting occupational environment monitoring, our company always ensures that machinery and equipment for occupational environment monitoring are calibrated and verified in accordance with legal regulations.
- Correctly and fully implement the occupational environment monitoring process committed to the Department of Health.
- Truthfully report the occupational environment monitoring results to the employer.
- In case the occupational environment monitoring results do not ensure safety for employees, Nam Viet company will support in providing remedial solutions and the facility will implement the following:
- Implement measures to improve working conditions to minimize the impact of harmful factors and prevent occupational diseases.
- Organize health check-ups to detect occupational diseases and work-related illnesses early for employees in positions with unsafe working environments.
- Provide compensation in kind for employees according to the provisions of labor law.
