Enhancing Fire Prevention and Workplace Safety

On 19 January 2024, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued an Instruction 003/24 on Strengthening Fire Prevention Measures and Improving Occupational Safety and Health of Workers-Employees (“Instruction 003/24”).

Recently, a series of fires in various enterprises led to loss of lives and impacted safety and health of workers-employees, business operations, securities and public orders. The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology also notified of the climate warming up to 41 degrees Celsius in April and early May, so the MLVT urges enterprise owners or directors to actively participate in fire prevention and enhance safety and health of workers-employees, aims to ensure a safe working environment, and prevent fire and faint in enterprises by increasing attention and seriously implementing the necessary measures as follows:

1. To increase regular monitoring of the power supply network, conduct heat testing of power supply equipment by following the safety and maintenance of power supply equipment and electrical components which are common causes of workplace fires, and regularly monitor the thermometer equipped within enterprises;
2. To monitor and promote the implementation of roles and responsibilities of the occupational safety and health committee or team in enterprises, especially monitor and update the occupational risk at workplace evaluation;
3. To educate and train workers-employee on safety signs, evacuation methods, and conduct regular drills;
4. To routinely monitor the first aid and infirmary operations of enterprises;
5. To regularly monitor and test fire protection systems and equipment, including fire extinguisher, automatic sprinklers, fire hoses, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and emergency lighting;
6. To usually monitor emergency exits for safe evacuation ensuring they are unobstructed, without barriers, unlocked, and equipped with automatic lighting during power outages;
7. To prepare an emergency response plan through evaluation on category workplace using chemical sustain and object or flammable material and response measures in keeping those sustain separately from work or production building;
8. To regularly monitor and maintain the ventilation system in the work building and turn on at least one hour before workers-employees commence working;
9. To open all windows and doors or add fans to ventilate the production building when the weather heats up placing materials and raw materials in an orderly and safe manner without blocking the air source;
10. To advise workers-employees to drink cleanly and hygienically water every 15 to 20 minutes and wear appropriate clothing according to the weather;

11. To monitor and take necessary measures to respond to the spread of hazardous substances to workers-employees caused by the use of toxic substances and pesticides from outside the enterprise premises; and

12. Enterprises using steam boilers shall regularly monitor the use of steam boilers in accordance with technical and safety specifications, and possess permits and trained operators from specialized ministries and institutions.

The owners or directors of enterprises who neglects and do not follow this Instruction 003/24, causing harm to lives, properties, securities and public orders, shall be punished under the Labor Law and other criminal penalties in accordance with Article 30 of the Law on Fire Prevention and Firefighting and other relevant laws.

If necessary, enterprise owners or directors and employees-workers can contact the MLVT through a hotline number “1297” or the telegram groups “For Employers” (https://t.me/EmployerChat) or “For Workers” (https://t.me/KhmerWorkerChat), or relevant authorities to assess the level of risk to employee safety during extreme temperatures.

For additional information, please contact our legal expert Antoine FONTAINE.

The content shared here is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a legal advice. Legal matters can be complex and may vary based on individual circumstances. For personalized guidance on specific legal issues, we recommend consulting with our qualified legal professionals.