The health and safety of agricultural workers and the role of the Vietnamese Farmers Association were on the agenda at a seminar in Hanoi on Dec. 4. Working in an agriculture environment exposes many workers to dangerous toxic elements, said the seminar. Only one-third of recently surveyed households understood how to use electricity or chemicals used in agriculture, one-third only knew a little and the remainder knew nothing at all. Less than 10% of these households understood how to operate farm machinery due to the many different makes and models. In addition, farmers lacked understanding of how to prevent accidents and diseases. Local authorities and the whole of society have failed to pay due attention to ensuring their health and safety at work, said the seminar. There is no official data on farmers’ illnesses or the number of accidents, injuries, deaths and cases of poisoning by chemicals, it said. Dr Dinh Hanh Thung from Vietnam’s Occupational Health and Safety Association used the occasion to propose that the National Assembly incorporate health and safety policies and mechanisms for agricultural workers into the Labor Code or the Law on Labor Health and Safety and that the government issue a decree on health and safety for the agricultural sector and rural areas. Training on the issue should be combined with other professional training programs focusing on the dangers of operating machinery, using electricity and chemicals and knowledge of preventive measures, concluded the participants.
