Better Work Viet Nam Safety Fun Run 2013
More than 3,600 garment workers have participated in Better Work Vietnam’s annual Safety Fun Run at Lucky Square, New City of Binh Duong Province on Sunday morning, 5 May.
HCM CITY (ILO News) – More than 3,600 garment workers have participated in Better Work Vietnam’s annual Safety Fun Run at Lucky Square, New City of Binh Duong Province on Sunday morning 5th May. This was the fourth time the programme have held the event, which was coordinated with both the Vietnamese National Week of Labour and Fire Safety and the International Labour Organization’s World Day for Safety and Health.
The main focus of the 2013 Safety Run was “Putting Fire Safety First,” with the goal of strengthening the connection between employees, employers, buyers, and the community to raise awareness of how to prevent fires in garment factories in the country.
In Viet Nam, there are roughly 1,700 fires each year, causing deaths and injuries for workers and major structural damage to enterprises. The most recent fire accident at a garment factory in Bac Giang Province, damaged the factory and thousands of workers’ vehicles. This fire should act as an alarm for action. The number of fires in garment factories in other countries also shows the serious risk to workers and property, with several large fires in 2012, including a fire in November in a Bangladesh factory that killed 120 workers trapped in the building.
In addition to the run itself, workers participated in a range of fun and interactive activities including watching animated videos, competing in quiz and slogan competitions, and creating practical solutions for use in factories. The event was also an opportunity for participants to exchange and share their experiences on how to take a preventative approach to fire safety. Workers received copies of a Better Work Viet Nam booklet on Fire Safety with basic instructions on how to prevent and fight fires at home and workplace.
Joining the Safety Fun Run were representatives from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Binh Duong provincial Federation of Labour.
The 2013 Fun Run was generously sponsored by Adidas, American Eagle Outfitters, Coach, Gap, Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., PVH Corp and Target (in the alphabet order).
Better Work Viet Nam is part of the Better Work Global Program, a unique partnership between the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Better Work Viet Nam seeks to improve working conditions of workers and promote stainable competitiveness of Vietnamese apparel industry. The Viet Nam programme is currently funded by the Australian Government, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland (SECO) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Funding for additional activities is provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and by the United States Department of Labor. To learn more about Better Work Viet Nam, please visit www.betterwork.org/vietnam.
For more information on the Safety Fun Run, please contact:
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
Better Work Viet Nam
2nd Floor, 149B Truong Dinh
District 3, Ho Chi Minh city
Phone: 08 3935 0363 (ext: 108) or 0919 003 336
Fax: 08 3935 0362
Email: thuynguyen@betterwork.org
The main focus of the 2013 Safety Run was “Putting Fire Safety First,” with the goal of strengthening the connection between employees, employers, buyers, and the community to raise awareness of how to prevent fires in garment factories in the country.
In Viet Nam, there are roughly 1,700 fires each year, causing deaths and injuries for workers and major structural damage to enterprises. The most recent fire accident at a garment factory in Bac Giang Province, damaged the factory and thousands of workers’ vehicles. This fire should act as an alarm for action. The number of fires in garment factories in other countries also shows the serious risk to workers and property, with several large fires in 2012, including a fire in November in a Bangladesh factory that killed 120 workers trapped in the building.
 The Fun Run attracts many workers from garment and textile factories in Binh Duong Province. ©ILO |
In addition to the run itself, workers participated in a range of fun and interactive activities including watching animated videos, competing in quiz and slogan competitions, and creating practical solutions for use in factories. The event was also an opportunity for participants to exchange and share their experiences on how to take a preventative approach to fire safety. Workers received copies of a Better Work Viet Nam booklet on Fire Safety with basic instructions on how to prevent and fight fires at home and workplace.
Joining the Safety Fun Run were representatives from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Binh Duong provincial Federation of Labour.
The 2013 Fun Run was generously sponsored by Adidas, American Eagle Outfitters, Coach, Gap, Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., PVH Corp and Target (in the alphabet order).
Better Work Viet Nam is part of the Better Work Global Program, a unique partnership between the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Better Work Viet Nam seeks to improve working conditions of workers and promote stainable competitiveness of Vietnamese apparel industry. The Viet Nam programme is currently funded by the Australian Government, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland (SECO) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Funding for additional activities is provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and by the United States Department of Labor. To learn more about Better Work Viet Nam, please visit www.betterwork.org/vietnam.
For more information on the Safety Fun Run, please contact:
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh ThuyBetter Work Viet Nam
2nd Floor, 149B Truong Dinh
District 3, Ho Chi Minh city
Phone: 08 3935 0363 (ext: 108) or 0919 003 336
Fax: 08 3935 0362
Email: thuynguyen@betterwork.org