The Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment has developed and issued 14 legal documents.

On the afternoon of January 10, the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment held a conference to evaluate the implementation of tasks in 2024 and the direction of implementation in 2025.

On the afternoon of January 10, the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment (Ministry of Industry and Trade) held a conference to review the work in 2024 and deploy tasks for 2025. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai attended and delivered a speech at the conference. Also attending the conference were Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment; representatives of a number of units under the Ministry, along with Deputy Directors, leaders, officers, civil servants, public employees and workers of the Department.

Complete many important legal documents

Presenting the report summarizing the work in 2024 and deploying tasks in 2025, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment (Department of Industrial Safety Techniques) said: Implementing the consistent and effective leadership and direction of the Party Committee, the Ministry's leaders and superior political and mass organizations, the efforts and determination of all civil servants, public employees and employees of the Department of Industrial Safety, in 2024, the activities of performing public duties according to the functions and tasks of the Department of Industrial Safety were all completed and exceeded, helping the Industry and Trade sector ensure technical safety and environmental protection, contributing to the sustainable development of the Industry and Trade sector in the past time, creating a premise for the completion of the planned tasks in the entire 5-year term 2020-2025.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai attended and gave a speech at the conference. Photo: Thanh Tuan

Regarding the development of legal documents, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan said that in 2024, the Department of Food Safety successfully completed the task of presiding over the development and promulgation of 14 legal documents, including: 1 Decree, 13 Circulars, of which 11 Circulars promulgated national technical regulations (accounting for 34.1% - 14/41 of the total number of Decrees and Circulars issued by the Ministry according to the plan set out at the beginning of the year).

In addition, in 2024, the Department of Environmental Safety was also assigned to preside over the development of Chapter VIII - "Protection of power works and safety in the electricity sector" in the revised Electricity Law; coordinate in the development of Chapter VI, especially Article 60 - "Safety, occupational hygiene and safety techniques in mineral exploitation" in the revised Law on Geology and Minerals. The above two Laws were officially passed by the 15th National Assembly at the 8th session at the end of November 2024.

“ Currently, the Department of Electricity Safety is urgently drafting to submit to the competent authority for promulgation 1 Decree detailing the implementation of the Electricity Law on the protection of electricity works and safety in the electricity sector and 2 Circulars: Regulations on the protection of electricity works and safety in the electricity sector; National technical regulations on electrical safety (expected to be completed and effective from February 1, 2025) ”, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan emphasized.

Mr. Trinh Van Thuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment, spoke at the conference. Photo: Thanh Tuan

At the same time, the Department of Environment Safety is coordinating with relevant units to develop contents on occupational safety and hygiene and safety techniques in mineral exploitation in the Decree detailing the Law on Geology and Minerals, Circular of the Minister of Industry and Trade regulating the establishment and approval of risk management plans in mineral exploitation (to be completed in May 2025).

Regarding inspection and examination work, the Deputy Director pointed out: In 2024, the Department of Environmental Safety completed specialized inspections at 4 units on compliance with legal regulations on electrical safety, safety management of dams and hydroelectric reservoirs; safety in mining, processing of coal, minerals and industrial explosives.

" Excellently completing the inspection task at 90 units according to the plan and topics assigned by the Ministry's leaders in Decision No. 3308/QD-BCT and the directive and management documents of relevant authorities ", Mr. Trinh Van Thuan clearly stated.

Reporting on the results of performing professional tasks, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan added: Regarding technical safety, occupational safety and hygiene, and fire prevention and fighting, in 2024, the work of appraising and approving Safety Management Programs; Risk Assessment Reports; Incident Response Plans, Emergency Response of enterprises in the fields under the management function according to the provisions of law, etc. is being carried out according to regulations.

Participate in the appraisal of basic designs and technical safety solutions in investment projects; participate in the Appraisal Council for Chemical Incident Prevention Plans and the Appraisal Council for Oil Spill Response Plans according to regulations. Coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to implement fire prevention and fighting regulations within the scope of duties and powers of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to ensure regulations.

Regarding the management of electrical safety, dam and hydropower reservoir safety: Implementing state management of electrical safety according to the Electricity Law and related regulations, the Department of Electrical Safety has directed units in the industry to strengthen the work of ensuring the safety of the national power system, increase inspection and guidance on safe use of electricity; update and report electrical accidents and violations of the safety corridor of high-voltage power grids nationwide.

In addition, regarding the management of safety of hydroelectric reservoirs, in 2024, the Department of Environmental Safety organized inspections and assessments of dam and reservoir safety at 40 hydroelectric projects under the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Trade according to the provisions of Decree No. 114/2018/ND-CP; Circular No. 09/2019/TT-BCT on safety management of dams and reservoirs...

Overview of the conference to review work in 2024 and deploy tasks in 2025. Photo: Thanh Tuan

According to Mr. Trinh Van Thuan, in the management of mineral and industrial explosive safety, the Department of Industrial Safety has advised the Ministry's leaders to promptly issue directive and management documents, specifically: Requesting the People's Committees of provinces with coal mining activities to coordinate in directing and strengthening safety in coal mining. Requesting the Department of Industry and Trade of provinces and centrally run cities to report on 5 years of implementing the management of industrial explosives and explosive precursors according to the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools; strengthening the management and use of industrial explosives and safety techniques in mineral exploitation.

Regarding environmental protection, the Department of Environment has developed and commented on legal documents in the fields of environmental protection, water resources management, marine and island environmental resources management, environmental incident response, etc.; Amended Law on Water Resources, Decree amending Decree 08/2022/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection, Decree guiding the implementation of the Law on Land, Sea and Islands, etc.

At the same time, implement the environmental protection tasks of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2024; develop a plan report and budget estimate for environmental protection and climate change response activities of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2025 and the 3-year period 2025-2027 and the List of environmental protection and climate change response tasks of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2025...

Regarding the development of environmental industry and circular economy, the Deputy Director reported that the Department of Environmental Safety has completed the draft Decision of the Prime Minister and reported to the Ministry's leaders for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval of the Environmental Industry Development Program for the period 2025-2035 in Submission No. 9871/TTr-BCT dated December 5, 2024.

“ Continue to implement the Project to promote the treatment and use of ash, slag, and gypsum from thermal power plants, chemical plants, and fertilizer plants as raw materials for the production of construction materials and in construction works. Develop and provide comments on legal documents, programs, projects, and strategies in the fields of environmental industry, circular economy, recycling, reuse, and technical standards for products and goods from the recycling process... ”, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan expressed.

Delegates attending the conference. Photo: Thanh Tuan

Regarding international cooperation, in 2024, the Department of Environmental Safety organized a working delegation to attend a workshop with the French organization Bureu Veritas to exchange experiences on industrial safety management in industrial plants; organized 3 working delegations according to the Decision of the Minister of Industry and Trade to participate in the negotiation sessions on the Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution.

Coordinate sending representatives to join working groups in Australia and Denmark to exchange experiences on capacity building for green energy conversion and storage in the electricity and energy sector. At the same time, research and apply to the development of general electricity safety regulations and wind power safety corridors to serve the development of the Electricity Law.

Regarding communication work, according to Mr. Trinh Van Thuan, in 2024, the Department of Environmental Safety presided over and coordinated with relevant units inside and outside the Ministry to effectively implement regular and ad hoc communication work on safety techniques and environmental protection in the Industry and Trade sector.

Efforts to overcome difficulties

Assessing the difficulties and shortcomings, the Deputy Director pointed out that in environmental protection work: The Law on Environmental Protection 2020 has taken effect since January 1, 2022, including many new regulations on environmental protection, especially for production and service establishments, industrial clusters... The Law on Environmental Protection 2020 currently does not stipulate the responsibility for environmental protection for ministries and branches and assigns it to the Government to regulate.

On the afternoon of January 10, the Department of Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment held a conference to review the work in 2024 and deploy tasks for 2025. Photo: Thanh Tuan

“ Therefore, environmental protection work has changed a lot. With the responsibility of being the focal agency for environmental protection of the Industry and Trade sector, the Department of Environmental Safety has been focusing on providing comments and developing documents guiding the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection, the system of national environmental standards and regulations as well as providing guidance for units of the Industry and Trade sector to ensure the implementation of regulations on environmental protection ,” the Deputy Director expressed.

In addition, funding for environmental protection activities and tasks is limited, while the field managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is very broad. These are the main difficulties and challenges in environmental protection work in the coming time.

In the field of mineral exploitation and industrial explosives: The scope of state management of mineral activities is not comprehensive, there is a lack of regulations on state management of minerals from the beginning of excavation, basic construction, production organization, processing until minerals become commodities, leading to difficulties in state management, confusion in management and production organization at enterprises.

For minerals, mining conditions are becoming more and more difficult, especially coal minerals, because they have to go further to the mine wings, deeper, so there are many potential risks. Propaganda and education on safety awareness for workers is still limited, some workers are not fully aware of complying with safety procedures, standards, and regulations, and still work haphazardly.

In addition, in the field of liquefied petroleum gas, Mr. Trinh Van Thuan said that the business areas of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) stores are still interspersed with residential areas, which still pose a risk of fire and explosion, and are unsafe. Violating regulations during use, there is also the situation of using LPG cylinders that have expired inspection; the situation of converting LPG cylinders such as: cutting handles, grinding logos, and appropriating cylinder shells, causing unsafety for gas users...

In the management of electrical safety, dam safety, and hydroelectric reservoirs, according to Mr. Trinh Van Thuan, electrical safety among the people is still complicated because a part of the people and business households are still not aware of the issue of safe electricity use. Current legal regulations mainly manage electrical safety in construction, operation management, transmission... and do not have specific regulations on electrical safety among the people.

“ Difficulties in operating hydropower plants include: telecommunications and internet infrastructure to small and medium-sized hydropower plants in remote areas is often interrupted; transportation infrastructure is difficult and easily cut off when there is heavy rain, flood, or landslide. Small hydropower plants almost do not have specialized staff in hydropower, irrigation, and construction to serve the operation and inspection of construction items, ” said the Deputy Director.

In addition, the development and approval of emergency response plans for 11 river basins and other river and stream branches is still incomplete, because the flood maps have not been provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development/Provincial People's Committee to the units as a basis for developing plans.

In the administrative procedure settlement work, in 2024, the Department of Traffic Safety resolved 541 records related to administrative procedures under its management authority. The settlement of administrative procedures ensures the process, procedures, and time according to regulations.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/cuc-ky-thuat-an-toan-va-moi-truong-cong-nghiep-xay-dung-va-ban-hanh-14-van-ban-phap-luat-368907.html