Hanoi, 23 December 2025
Under current Vietnamese laws, enterprise obligations regarding occupational safety and hygiene (“OSH”) are generally set out under the Labour Code and further detailed in the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene 2015 (“OSH Law”) together with its implementing regulations, including Decree No. 39/2016/ND-CP guiding the OSH Law, Decree No. 88/2020/ND-CP on compulsory insurance for occupational accidents and diseases, and Decree No. 44/2016/ND-CP (“Decree 44”) governing technical safety inspection, OSH activities, and workplace environmental monitoring.
Against this regulatory backdrop, enterprises should take note of the following key OSH obligations and responsibilities:
Ensuring workplace environment standards
Enterprises are required to ensure that the workplace meets standards on space, ventilation, dust, fumes, toxic gases, radiation, electromagnetic fields, heat, humidity, noise, vibration, and other hazardous or harmful factors as stipulated under the relevant technical regulations. Enterprises must also conduct periodic inspections and measurements of these factors, and ensure the availability of adequate washing and sanitary facilities in the workplace in accordance with the regulations issued by the Minister of Health.
Under the OSH Law, enterprises must conduct annual—or ad hoc where necessary—assessments and controls of hazardous and harmful factors in the workplace to eliminate or minimise such risks, improve working conditions, and protect employees’ health. Enterprises are further required to implement decontamination and disinfection measures for employees working in environments with exposure to toxic or infectious agents. Notably, with respect to harmful factors for which the Minister of Health has prescribed permissible exposure limits, enterprises are mandatorily required to conduct workplace environmental monitoring at least once per year.
Ensuring safety of materials, machinery, equipment, and substances
Enterprises must ensure that all machinery, equipment, and work tools are used, operated, maintained, and stored at the workplace in accordance with applicable OSH technical regulations. Accordingly, machinery, equipment, materials, substances, workshops, and storage facilities must be subject to appropriate periodic inspections and maintenance. In terms of machinery, equipment, materials, and substances subject to strict OSH requirements, the OSH Law mandates that enterprises carry out periodic inspections and maintenance, and prepare and retain technical safety records in accordance with the relevant national technical regulations. In addition, enterprises are required to display warning signs and instruction boards in Vietnamese and in the common language of the employees with respect to OSH requirements applicable to such machinery and equipment. These signs must be placed in locations that are clearly visible and easily readable at the workplace and at areas where such machinery, equipment, or materials are stored, maintained, or used.
Formulating and ensuring compliance with internal OSH rules and procedures
The OSH Law requires enterprises to develop internal OSH rules and procedures for each specific job or task, taking into account applicable laws, national and local technical standards and regulations on OSH, as well as the enterprise’s operational and labour conditions. Enterprises must disseminate, communicate, and provide training to employees to ensure that they understand and properly comply with these OSH rules and procedures when performing their assigned duties.
Conducting OSH training
OSH training is a critical process that enhances employees’ awareness and risk-identification capabilities, thereby minimising occupational accidents and diseases. According to Decree 44, enterprises are required to conduct OSH training in accordance with the prescribed training contents, frequency, and requirements applicable to each target group, including:
- Group 1: Heads of units, production or business establishments, divisions, departments, or branches; employees in charge of production, business, or technical departments; workshop managers or equivalent positions; and their deputies assigned to be in charge of OSH matters.
- Group 2: Employees responsible for OSH, including full-time or part-time OSH officers and persons directly supervising OSH at the workplace.
- Group 3: Employees performing jobs subject to strict OSH requirements as specified in Circular No. 06/2020/TT-BLDTBXH.
- Group 4: Other employees, including apprentices, trainees, and probationary employees engaged to work for the enterprise.
- Group 5: Medical staff.
- Group 6: Occupational safety and hygiene workers.
Enterprises are required to conduct OSH training internally and are responsible for the training quality for employees under Group 4, ensuring that such training is provided at least once a year. The training must equip employees with adequate knowledge and skills to ensure OSH compliance relevant to their assigned positions. Besides, enterprises must ensure that OSH training to update knowledge and skills is conducted at least once every two years. In addition, OSH training must also be provided when there are changes in job assignments; changes in machinery, equipment, or technology; or when employees return to work after a period of absence.
Ensuring labour protection measures and periodic health examinations
Enterprises are responsible for organising periodic health examinations at least once a year for employees, and once every six months for employees performing heavy, hazardous, or dangerous jobs; employees with disabilities; minor employees; and elderly employees. Enterprises must rely on the health standards prescribed for each type of job, as well as the results of the health examinations, to assign suitable work to employees.
For employees engaged in heavy, hazardous, or dangerous occupations, enterprises must ensure adequate labour protection measures and healthcare provisions. These include providing employees with appropriate personal protective equipment for use during work in accordance with applicable principles; providing in-kind allowances; ensuring working hours comply with the Labour Code; and ensuring that employees’ exposure to hazardous or harmful factors remains within the safe limits prescribed under the relevant national technical regulations and applicable laws.
Along with the above obligations and responsibilities, enterprises are also required to implement measures for responding to OSH incidents, occupational accidents, and occupational diseases. This matter will be discussed in detail in our next Weekly Debrief article.
