Construction workers and workplace safety loopholes.

Workplace safety is always a crucial task for any construction site or factory throughout the production and construction process. Unfortunately, many factories, enterprises, and construction sites still experience regrettable consequences...

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Construction workers need to be equipped with the necessary skills and personal protective equipment.

In 2025, Lao Cai province recorded 37 labor accidents, resulting in 42 injuries and 17 deaths. Notably, the civil engineering construction sector accounted for 7 accidents, causing 5 fatalities.

However, these statistics are incomplete. In reality, there are many more minor accidents and injuries that occur silently at residential construction sites, with victims suffering only minor injuries or miraculously escaping unharmed.

Construction workers on building sites frequently face many risks.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, representing a group of construction workers in Yen Bai ward, shared: "Most of us construction workers haven't received formal training; we mainly learn from each other. We don't have personal protective equipment. Therefore, during work, we remind each other to be more careful to prevent accidents."

That seemingly simple statement hides a resignation to fate. Although they are aware of the consequences that will cause suffering to their family members, they use chance as a "protective charm" instead of demanding their rightful rights.

Mr. Tran Khac Manh, the leader of a construction, painting, and house repair team in Co Phuc, Tran Yen commune, frankly stated: "I receive the project and then delegate it to my team. I know that safety is the happiness of the workers, but we've always just reminded each other to be careful and avoid accidents. However, if an accident does happen, the workers bear the consequences themselves, because there are no contracts or binding agreements."

From the candid confessions of contractors like Mr. Mạnh, it is evident that the legal relationship between employers and workers, between contractors and laborers in the civil construction industry, is weak; their awareness of occupational safety is inadequate.

Working in harsh weather conditions.

Many construction contractors, conscious of workplace safety procedures, have provided their workers with helmets, clothing, gloves, and safety shoes; but after only a few days, the workers abandon them. The reasons given are often: it's hot, cumbersome, they're not used to it... They are willing to sacrifice their own safety for immediate comfort, failing to understand the value of a hard helmet when rocks fall, or safety shoes when they accidentally step on nails.

It is precisely such simplistic thinking and subjective mindset that has paved the way for numerous tragic accidents, leaving devastating consequences such as falls from heights, bricks and stones falling on heads from upper floors, electric shocks from touching exposed wires, and walls suddenly collapsing…

Many construction workers on civil engineering projects are untrained, lack personal protective equipment, and do not have employment contracts.

Therefore, closing this "gap" requires a synchronized and thorough effort from many sides, with awareness being paramount. Authorities need to tighten management, strengthen inspections, and conduct thorough supervision, especially in small-scale civil construction projects, which are currently being neglected.

The penalties need to be strong enough to ensure a deterrent effect. Investors and employers (contractors) must clearly understand their legal and ethical responsibilities. The lesson from the case of a business director in Lao Cai province who was recently prosecuted for lax management, leading to a fatal workplace accident, serves as a profound wake-up call. The legal consequences are not just sentences; they also leave behind lasting trauma and irreparable losses.

When building a house, families shouldn't only focus on the progress or quality of the construction but also prioritize workplace safety. The labor contract should include specific and clear safety clauses. The homeowner must supervise and monitor the entire process, from ensuring workers wear safety harnesses when working at heights to ensuring scaffolding is erected securely and according to proper techniques.

Workers must raise their awareness of workplace safety responsibilities. Because when unfortunate incidents occur, the first and greatest losers are the workers and their families. Consider wearing safety helmets, safety harnesses, safety shoes, and gloves as mandatory requirements when working.

Only when workers are self-aware of protecting themselves, combined with strict management from employers and relevant authorities, can the "gaps" in workplace safety in the construction industry be closed.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tho-xay-va-lo-hong-ve-an-toan-lao-dong-post899904.html