Vietnamese authority announces inspection results of chemical regulations 
On January 22, 2024, the Vietnam Chemicals Agency (Vinachemia) announced on its official website the results of the chemical control inspections conducted in 2023. Vinachemia is a specialized agency to regulate chemicals under the control of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and its main tasks include conducting chemical inspections of enterprises together with provincial departments of industry and trade. In recent years, activities related to the production, trade, storage, transportation and use of chemicals in the country have become more active and complex with the country’s economic growth. In 2019, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 71/2019/ND-CP on Administrative Penalties in the Field of Chemical Substances, and since then, inspection activities by the authorities have tended to intensify. (Note: This Decree was partially amended and supplemented by Decree No. 17/2022/ND-CP in 2022.)
Vinachemia reported the numbers of companies inspected and penalized in 2022 and 2023 as follows.
| Number of companies by year | In 2022 | In 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Companies undergoing chemical control inspections | 32 | 42 |
| Companies receiving administrative penalties | 28 | 33 |
In 2023, the number of companies subject to the regulatory inspections increased by 30% compared to 2022, and the total amount of administrative penalties imposed was VND 1,104,890,052 (approx. USD 45,000), increased by 15% compared to 2022. These inspections include both scheduled and unannounced inspections.
The top violations found during chemical inspections in 2023 are shown in the table below.
| Major violated requirements | Share (%) of total inspections |
|---|---|
| Annual reporting | 55% |
| Declaration of imported chemicals | 52% |
| Chemical safety training | 27% |
| Chemical accident prevention and response plans/measures | 27% |
| Trading of chemicals conditionally allowed for manufacture and trade in the industrial sector | 12% |
Vinachemia said that it will continue to strengthen its chemical control inspection activities, with a particular focus on post-inspections of companies in operation.
The official announcement referred to in this article can be found at:
http://cuchoachat.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/tong-ket-cong-tac-thanh-tra-chuyen-nganh-kiem-tra-nam-2023-cua-cuc-hoa-chat.html
