Safety And Vietnam’s Economic Growth Work Hand In Hand

Vietnam has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. With the surge in its development and with the country undergoing major infrastructural reforms, there is a growing strain on safety standards. In keeping up with an accelerated demand for manufacturing and production, Vietnam is experiencing a significant expansion of its labour force, which has contributed to a rise in accidents. According to Vietnam’s Department of Work Safety under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), fatalities in workplaces across Vietnam is increasing, with the construction sector currently making up more than 20 per cent of total incidents across the country.

National leaders need not sacrifice safety for prosperity. The reality is that safety and national growth can, and should, co-occur. All around the world, correlations exist between a country’s policies and their economic growth levels, and worldwide safety data has proven to be a useful resource for leaders to inform such policies. We are pleased to see, and fully support, the recommendations and programs in MOLISA’s National Programme on Occupational Safety and Health in the Period of 2016-2020.Some of the key focus areas in the program are to strengthen the culture of safety in Vietnam; increase the capacity of the government’s Occupational Safety and Health management system; and provide specific training and expertise to craft villages, cooperatives and Small/Medium sized Enterprises (SME).

The UL Safety Index™ - a global analysis of safety performance at an international level - is based on data-science and algorithms, designed to help policymakers, leaders and civic organizations make decisions that will help keep their citizens safe. The type of safety we focus on measuring is preventable. This includes any type of unintentional injuries, deaths and accidents, but excludes injuries or deaths related to disease, crime or violence.

It is empowering to see that in Vietnam, safety on a national level is showing vast improvements. The country now ranks fifth amongst the eleven countries in Southeast Asia. According to our 2017 UL Safety Index, Vietnam’s Safety Index score is 66 (on a scale of 0-100) - up from 62 a year ago.

As with the UL Safety Index, many other studies also draw a clear link between safety and economic performance. According to a recent World Bank study, improving road safety by reducing injuries and traffic deaths resulted in significant long-term income gains.The study also indicated that countries that do not invest in road safety miss out on substantial economic growth and performance, losing up to 1 percent per year in potential per capita GDP growth.

However, safety in Vietnam is more than just traffic and roads. It is also about keeping waterways and the surrounding waters safe for children and about keeping employees safe at work.

As someone who has been in close contact with the Vietnamese community-at-large – including clients, colleagues and friends – for more than a decade, it is my belief that Vietnam’s young, smart and industrious population makes it a special country.

While UL does not claim to have all the answers about how to keep people safe, we remain committed to helping ensure safety through our work across different industries around the world. Related to our core mission, the UL Safety Index is a tool to enable policymakers to see where major safety challenges exist and where they can prioritize their efforts.

Vietnam is in a great position today, as it is a star among countries in the ASEAN region and a favored investment destination. It is now up to policymakers and stakeholders to take the available safety data and work towards taking additional safety measures that can be implemented to ensure Vietnam’s sustained economic growth.

Anthony Tan is the Vice President and Managing Director for UL ASEAN Region. UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges.

To learn more about UL and the annual UL Safety Index, visit ULSafetyIndex.org