Construction ministry orders revamp of all master plans

The Construction Ministry has ordered a total revision of construction master plans across the country to ensure better coordinated planning.

Construction master plans have been made and approved for about 98 percent of Vietnam but their implementation has revealed numerous weaknesses, said Construction Minister Nguyen Hong Quan

A ministerial document sent to people's committees identifies a breakdown between construction master plans and local development goals, he said.

"Many investment projects were based only on industry planning and not construction planning," explained the minister.

The result was many disparities and heavy economic losses.

Some industrial zones and new urban precincts added to already approved masterplan transgressed provincial transport, electricity, water and environment infrastructure, he said.

"The major reason for this is the shortage of clear regulations for coordination between master plans," said the minister.

Socio-economic development planning is intangible but construction planning that links tangible space with specific sizes is a tool to maintain urban development.

The ministry document sent to the people's committees requires construction planning to now include urban and rural residential systems, industrial zones, tourism sites and infrastructure that accords with local socio-economic development.

Cushman & Wakefield , Vietnam ’s general manager Andrew Peak said it is important that master plans include such infrastructure provisions as land for public transport.

He also agreed with the Construction Ministry's House Management and Real Estate Market deputy director Vu Xuan Thien that any changes in construction planning could affect real estate markets.

"Any changes in plans will have an impact on land values and building values," said the Cushman&Wake-field representative.

For example, Hanoi 's Cau Giay district has many on-going development projects because of plans to transfer some Government offices.

But the situation might be different if there were changes to the master plans, he said.

But Century Real Estate Joint-stock Company deputy general director Pham Thanh Hung said the revision of construction master plans would make little difference to the real estate market unless it was for places undergoing massive changes, such as Ha Tay which had been merged with Hanoi./.

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Building workers can refuse unsafe jobs

Workers can refuse to work in conditions that do not meet safety standards, according to the Ministry of Construction's new regulations.

Specifically, if workers report unsafe conditions and do not receive responses, they can choose to stop working. The regulations also stipulate that they can resist work if not provided with adequate protective equipment.

Construction workers are barred from assignments that involve work they are not trained to do. Contractors must keep workers safe at all costs, including taking injured workers to hospitals and reporting accidents to relevant authorities for investigation.

According to Truong Anh Tu, a construction supervisor of the private Hanoi-based Acore 3D, workers are already refusing unsafe jobs. In fact, contractors already try to maintain safe construction sites.

He said if accidents occur, "construction will be stopped and our prestige will be damaged. So, any safety suggestions raised by workers will be seriously considered to make necessary changes."

However, he also said that it was nearly impossible to give assignments in line with workers' trained skills given that a majority of country's construction workers are freelance seasonal workers with little or no training at all.

At smaller firms, workers are usually required to do multiple jobs.

The regulations will come into effect as of January 16 next year./.

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Building Ministry orders revamp of all master plans

HA NOI — The Construction Ministry has ordered a total revision of construction master plans across the country to ensure better co-ordinated planning.

Approved construction master plans had been made for about 98 per cent of Viet Nam but their implementation had revealed numerous weaknesses, said Construction Minister Nguyen Hong Quan

But a ministerial document sent to people's committees identified a breakdown between construction master plans and local development goals, he said.

"Many investment projects were based only on industry planning and not construction planning," explained the minister.

The result was many disparities, including location, and heavy economic losses.

Some industrial zones and new urban precincts added to already approved masterplan transgressed provincial transport, electricity, water and environment infrastructure, he said.

Tourism

Most tourism sites lacked the construction planning.

"The major reason for this is the shortage of clear regulations for co-ordination between master plans," said the minister.

Socio-economic development planning was intangible but construction planning that linked tangible space with specific sizes was a tool to maintain urban development.

The ministry document sent to the people's committees required construction planning to now include urban and rural residential systems, industrial zones, tourism sites and infrastructure that accords with local socio-economic development.

Cushman&Wakefield, Viet Nam, general manager Andrew Peak said it was important that master plans included such infrastructure provisions as land for public transport.

He also agreed with the Construction Ministry's House Management and Real Estate Market deputy director Vu Xuan Thien that any changes in construction planning could affect real estate markets.

"Any changes in plans will have an impact on land values and building values," said the Cushman&Wake-field representative.

For example, Ha Noi's Cau Giay District had many on-going development projects because of plans to transfer some Government offices.

But the situation might be different if there were changes to the master plans, he said.

But Century Real Estate Joint-stock Company deputy general director Pham Thanh Hung said the revision of construction master plans would make little difference to the real estate market unless it was for places undergoing massive changes, such as Ha Tay which had been merged with Ha Noi. — VNS

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Fire breaks out at notorious construction site

A fire broke out in Hanoi, on Saturday morning, at the accident-prone construction site of Vietnam’s tallest building.

The fire started at around 10:20 a.m. on the first floor of the 70-story Keangnam tower in Tu Liem District. 

City firefighters extinguished the flames just a few minutes later.

Choi Jae Ok, Keangnam's Administrative Officer, said that the building is still under construction and doesn't yet have a fire alarm system.

Some construction workers told Thanh Nien they did not know how to use the fire extinguishers available at the site.

The authorities are investigating the fire and assessing the damage.

South Korea’s Keangnam Enterprises Ltd. began work on the project in 2007.

When completed, the building will become Vietnam’s tallest skycraper, surpassing the current title-holder 68-story Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City.

Despite its impressive height, the Keangnam project has become notorious for its poor safety record. 

In March, Hanoi authorities launched an investigation into the construction site following the death of six workers – two in February and four in July 2009.

In March, a fire broke out on the 25th floor of the project.

Last month, a piece of debris fell from the site severely injuring a woman who was passing below.

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Fire breaks out at notorious construction site

A fire broke out in Hanoi, on Saturday morning, at the accident-prone construction site of Vietnam’s tallest building.

The fire started at around 10:20 a.m. on the first floor of the 70-story Keangnam tower in Tu Liem District. 

City firefighters extinguished the flames just a few minutes later.

Choi Jae Ok, Keangnam's Administrative Officer, said that the building is still under construction and doesn't yet have a fire alarm system.

Some construction workers told Thanh Nien they did not know how to use the fire extinguishers available at the site.

The authorities are investigating the fire and assessing the damage.

South Korea’s Keangnam Enterprises Ltd. began work on the project in 2007.

When completed, the building will become Vietnam’s tallest skycraper, surpassing the current title-holder 68-story Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City.

Despite its impressive height, the Keangnam project has become notorious for its poor safety record. 

In March, Hanoi authorities launched an investigation into the construction site following the death of six workers – two in February and four in July 2009.

In March, a fire broke out on the 25th floor of the project.

Last month, a piece of debris fell from the site severely injuring a woman who was passing below.

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HCMC fines contractors for sloppy work

Four contractors linked with a major sewer project in Ho Chi Minh City have been fined VND200 million each for their sloppy work that led to a number of accidents.

The Department of Transport said the contractors – VIC Construction Joint Venture, Construction Corporation No.1, Hanoi Construction Corporation and Dredging JSC – failed to properly cover the streets after construction.

They were hired to work on sections of the city’s Environmental Sanitation Project.

The department also said it will cancel contracts with these companies if they continue to make mistakes or do not pay the fine.

A number of accidents have been reported recently around the city due to poor construction and site management.

On Saturday last week, a 42-year-old woman fell off her motorbike after running into a shoddily-constructed sewer cover in Thu Duc District. She was then crushed by a passing truck.

Tran The Ky, deputy director of the Transport Department, said authorities are investigating the accident. He said the responsible parties will be announced by next Tuesday.

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HCMC fines contractors for sloppy work

Four contractors linked with a major sewer project in Ho Chi Minh City have been fined VND200 million each for their sloppy work that led to a number of accidents.

The Department of Transport said the contractors – VIC Construction Joint Venture, Construction Corporation No.1, Hanoi Construction Corporation and Dredging JSC – failed to properly cover the streets after construction.

They were hired to work on sections of the city’s Environmental Sanitation Project.

The department also said it will cancel contracts with these companies if they continue to make mistakes or do not pay the fine.

A number of accidents have been reported recently around the city due to poor construction and site management.

On Saturday last week, a 42-year-old woman fell off her motorbike after running into a shoddily-constructed sewer cover in Thu Duc District. She was then crushed by a passing truck.

Tran The Ky, deputy director of the Transport Department, said authorities are investigating the accident. He said the responsible parties will be announced by next Tuesday.

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Construction labs will improve quality

HA NOI — Viet Nam plans to build 200 to 300 new laboratories by 2015 with the hope of improving the quality of construction work under a newly-ratified Government decision.

As part of the VND225 billion (US$11.5 million) plan to enhance construction quality, the new laboratories will be equipped to examine the quality of construction materials and projects.

The country now has 896 construction laboratories, according to Le Van Thinh, an official from the Department of State Examination on Construction Work Quality under the Ministry of Construction.

However, these laboratories only have the capacity to evaluate and experiment with the most popular construction materials like cement, concrete and mortar; few can examine rarer materials like glass, pottery, porcelain and organic materials. Similarly, these laboratories are ill-equipped to evaluate actual works. Experiments that assess the effects of wind, earthquakes or fires cannot be conducted.

The new project also plans to create 100 qualified organisations to assess construction quality.

In addition, there will be professional training for about 1,000 experimenters, 400 examiners, and 300 construction experts.

The project will be carried out over the next four years, from 2011 to 2014. — VNS

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Workplace accidents and deaths increase sharply

An upward trend in workplace accidents, including a rapid increase in fatalities, has taken place in the last five years.

Deputy head of the Labour Safety Department Do Thi Thuy Nguyet made the statement after workplace safety reports were recently sent to the department.

Reports from the country's 63 cities and provinces showed that last year alone, 6,200 workplace accidents occurred involving 6,400 people. In the 507 most serious cases, 550 workers lost their lives and another 1,200 were seriously injured. Economic losses attributed to the accidents were estimated to total 40 billion VND (nearly 2 million USD).

Nguyet, whose department falls under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said half of the workplace accidents occurred in the construction industry.

Pham Duc Hinh from the Ministry of Construction's Operations Management Department said: "Fatalities in construction work increased at an alarming rate, jumping from 172 cases in 2005 to 280 cases last year."

He said investigations had shown that the leading cause of death in construction was falling from high places. Accidental falls were responsible for 23 percent of the total workplace fatalities last year.

Nguyet said construction was a booming industry triggered by rapid urban development. From 2005-09, more than 200,000 construction companies employed nearly 2.4 million workers.

"Working in the construction industry exposes workers to a higher possibility of occupational accidents and diseases due to the frequent change of working sites and outdoor working conditions with regular exposure to the weather," she said.

Workplace accidents have become an alarming issue in Hanoi . As of August, 87 accidents had been reported which caused the deaths of 30 people. The latest case occurred at the building site of a 20-storey structure on Tam Trinh Street in July. The incident claimed the lives of three workers.

Bach Quoc Viet of the Hanoi Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said the main reason for construction-related accidents was because developers regularly flouted safety regulations.

"Construction workers often skip the delivery of training sessions about labour safety and hygiene at work, or only offer perfunctory training, while a majority of workers are unskilled and don't have a real grasp of labour safety," he said.

In sharp contrast with the increase in workplace accidents, investigations of the causes and the assigning of responsibility have remained very slow. Although 6,200 workplace accidents were reported last year, the Ministry received only 135 investigation reports. Many provinces where workplace accidents occurred have not submitted reports, including Binh Duong, Ha Nam , Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Son La.

Among the 135 reported cases, only two have been transferred to the People's Procuracy for criminal proceedings.

Nguyen Van At of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour emphasised that to put a stop to the increase in workplace accidents, one immediate measure was to adjust the construction price indices, notably the human resource price index.

"It is not easy to conduct regular inspections so we have to come at the problem from another angle. Setting clear construction prices rather than hiring contractors under package contracts will force developers to pay more attention to guaranteeing worker safety," he said.

Nguyen Thi Hang, chairwoman of the Vietnam Vocational Training Association, said to prevent more accidents from happening in the future, the long-term solution was to integrate a culture of labour safety into companies as a key part of job performance.

"The Government and relevant agencies should invest more in raising awareness about labour safety and in more training at vocational colleges," she said.

Associations co-operating with Vocational Training and Labour Safety departments are offering training for lecturers to integrate labour safety into the curriculum./.

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Workplace accidents and deaths increase sharply

HA NOI — An upward trend in workplace accidents, including a rapid increase in fatalities, has taken place in the last five years.

Deputy head of the Labour Safety Department Do Thi Thuy Nguyet made the statement after workplace safety reports were recently sent to the department.

Reports from the country's 63 provinces and cities showed that in the last year alone, 6,200 workplace accidents occurred involving 6,400 people. In the 507 most serious cases, 550 workers lost their lives and another 1,200 were seriously injured. Economic losses attributed to the accidents was estimated to total VND40 billion (nearly US$2 million).

Nguyet, whose department falls under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said half of the workplace accidents occurred in the construction industry.

Pham Duc Hinh from the Ministry of Construction's Operations Management Department said: "Fatalities in construction work increased at an alarming rate, jumping from 172 cases in 2005 to 280 cases last year."

He said investigations had shown that the leading cause of death in construction was falling from high places. Accidental falls were responsible for 23 per cent of the total workplace fatalities last year.

Nguyet said construction was a booming industry triggered by rapid urban development. From 2005-09, more than 200,000 construction companies employed nearly 2.4 million workers.

"Working in the construction industry exposes workers to a higher possibility of occupational accidents and diseases due to the frequent change of working sites and outdoor working conditions with regular exposure to the weather," she said.

Workplace accidents have become an alarming issue in Ha Noi. As of August, 87 accidents had been reported which caused the deaths of 30 people. The latest case occurred at the building site of a 20-storey structure on Tam Trinh Street in July. The incident claimed the lives of three workers.

Bach Quoc Viet of the Ha Noi Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said the main reason for construction-related accidents was because developers regularly flouted safety regulations.

"Construction workers often skip the delivery of training sessions about labour safety and hygiene at work, or only offer perfunctory training, while a majority of workers are unskilled and don't have a real grasp of labour safety," he said.

In sharp contrast with the increase in workplace accidents, investigations of the causes and the assigning of responsibility have remained very slow. Although 6,200 workplace accidents were reported last year, the Ministry received only 135 investigation reports. Many provinces where workplace accidents occurred have not submitted reports, including Binh Duong, Ha Nam, Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Son La.

Among the 135 reported cases, only two have been transferred to the People's Procuracy for criminal proceedings.

Nguyen Van At of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour emphasised that to put a stop to the increase in workplace accidents, one immediate measure was to adjust the construction price indices, notably the human resource price index.

"It is not easy to conduct regular inspections so we have to come at the problem from another angle. Setting clear construction prices rather than hiring contractors under package contracts will force developers to pay more attention to guaranteeing worker safety," he said.

Nguyen Thi Hang, chairwoman of the Viet Nam Vocational Training Association, said to prevent more accidents from happening in the future, the long-term solution was to integrate a culture of labour safety into companies as a key part of job performance.

"The Government and relevant agencies should invest more in raising awareness about labour safety and in more training at vocational colleges," she said.

Associations co-operating with Vocational Training and Labour Safety departments are offering training for lecturers to integrate labour safety into the curriculum. — VNS

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Deputy PM calls for more kindergartens

Children learn how to draw Vietnamese characters at Ly Thai To Private Kindergarten in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Bich Ngoc

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked cities and provinces to finish land planning procedures for the construction of kindergartens by mid-October.

Too few children aged three to five are attending school full time because of a shortage of classrooms, he said.

Meanwhile, many provincial and city kindergartens are temporarily housed in primary schools or local residents' houses, he added.

Nhan called on schools that had adequate land funds to build additional classrooms for kindergarten pupils.

In addition, he called on the Ministry of Education and Training to complete proposals for construction projects that used official development assistance for teacher-training facilities and the upgrade or construction of new school buildings.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has been assigned the task of examining proposed construction projects and teaching-aid requirements for the 2010-11 academic year and to submit these to the Government for approval.

The country intends to spend more than VND14.6 trillion (US$736 million) on providing education facilities for all five-year-olds in the country to prepare them for primary school.

The programme includes the construction of new schools and classrooms, purchasing study and teaching aids, training teachers and support for poor students.

Also under the programme, 86 new kindergartens meeting national standards will be built in 62 poor districts, of which 24 are in six mountainous provinces bordering the Central Highlands. — VNS

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Central firm guilty of dangerous work

HA NOI — The Tin Nghia Trade and Construction Co Ltd was named and shamed after extremely poor quality work on the Dieu Ga Reservoir was discovered in Binh Thanh Dong Commune, in the central province of Quang Ngai, earlier in the week.

Nguyen Thuy, chairman of the commune's People's Council, said that leaders of the commune uncovered the shoddy work when examining the construction site on Monday.

He said that workers at the construction site of the dam had cut corners and used red soil and clay mixed with cement for the work, which was 90 per cent finished.

"No one mixes cement with this kind of soil to concrete a dam. They have to mix cement with gravel and sand, to ensure the quality of the work," Thuy said.

After taking the sample of the mixture for testing, it was found the mixture contained only 30 per cent of cement with the rest comprised of red soil, clay and waste sand, he said.

Initial investigations revealed that more than 40 metres of the breakwater had been built using the substandard mixture.

"It was total violation of construction quality controls," said Le Van Lac, a staff member at the provincial Irrigation Work Unit and Flood Prevention and Control unit.

Le The Thanh, deputy director of the Management Board of Investment Projects under the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Tin Nghia Trade and Construction Co Ltd would have to remove the 40 metre-section of the dam and rebuild it.

However, Thuy said leaders and residents of the commune were also worried about the completed part of the dam.

"How are we to know if the construction was good enough or not? When the flood season comes, a badly constructed dam could break and leave us exposed to extreme risk," he said.

He said the commune authority had sent a document to Binh Son District's People's Committee to propose further investigation of the quality of the dam's construction. — VNS

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Roadworks accident raises safety concerns

HCM CITY — The trapping of a taxi when part of Le Van Sy Street in HCM City's District 3 collapsed has reignited questions about contractor responsibility for safety.

Le Van Sy is part of a project to improve environment and sanitation in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe valley.

The project's managers explained that the contractor, a joint venture between Dreco and Cienco 5, had temporarily resurfaced the road after installing drainage.

But heavy rain on Monday caused the road to give way under the taxi.

A truck was also trapped the same day when part of Vo Van Van Street, Binh Chanh District, subsided after a contractor had supposedly "restored" it.

Many construction projects in HCM City remain without barricades to ensure traffic safety although municipal officers have regularly fined offenders.

Project director Phan Chau Thuan said the contractor must take responsibility for the accident and compensate the taxi owner.

The project's managers would also require its consultant to increase supervision at its construction sites.

Municipal transport department deputy director Le Toan said "traps" were the responsibility of the contractor but emphasised the hole on Le Van Sy Street had been repaired the day the accident happened.

The department would direct its inspectors to increase their checks of construction sites and heavily punish contractors who ignored safety regulations, said Toan.

The punishments include fines of between VND20-30 million (US$1,020-1,530) for traffic accidents that result from the lack of safety measures during construction.

Offenders were also required to repair the damage as the result of any accidents and would risked having their construction licences revoked if they failed to meet the safety rules.

Vinasun owned the trapped taxi and its managing director Ta Long Hy estimated that repairs would cost VND50 million.

The contractor had agreed to pay the bill, he said.

Sai Gon Viet Nam Law Company lawyer Nguyen Minh Thuan said the victims could sue offending contractors for compensation. — VNS

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New HCM City bridges ease traffic flow

HCM CITY — Hoang Hoa Tham Bridge, one of the bridges crossing the Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, officially opened to traffic on Thursday after 12 years of construction.

The 103m bridge, which links Van Kiep Street in Binh Thanh District with Tran Quang Khai Street in District 1, will help ease traffic congestion in the two inner districts of HCM City.

But its construction was delayed several times for various reasons including design adjustments and site clearance.

Le Quyet Thang, director of HCM City's Urban Transportation Management Zone No1 – the project investor, said construction of the bridge began in 1998 with an estimated investment of VND19 billion (US$1 million).

But the construction delays had raised it to VND155.5 billion (about $8 million), he said.

Meanwhile, Binh Trieu Bridge No1 will open today after 15 months of repair work. More than 50 years old, the bridge, now has three 3.5m lanes, two for automobiles and one for motorcycles. It links Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street in Binh Thanh District with Road No13 that goes to Binh Duong Province and further on, to the Central Highlands. — VNS

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