Background
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training organises and supervises labour inspection and occupational health functions through a network of central and provincial officers that advise on and apply workplace safety standards. The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) administers workplace inspection functions through labour inspectors responsible for enforcing occupational safety and health standards in Cambodia.
An occupational safety and health management system structures hazard identification, risk assessment, preventive controls, recordkeeping and notification procedures within enterprises and serves as a technical framework for inspector training. MLVT is collecting additional inputs to refine a draft law on occupational safety and health to align legal requirements with evolving workplace risks and institutional practice.
Key Developments
On 23 and 25 June 2026 the National Institute of Labour and the Department of Occupational Health under MLVT, in cooperation with the ILO-Japan project of the International Labour Organization, ran training courses on “Workplace Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems.” The programmes reached 60 labour inspection officers from the central level and from all 25 capital/provincial labour and vocational training directorates, organised into two training groups. The opening sessions were presided over by H.E. Lem Suyhong, Deputy Secretary of State of MLVT, and Mr. Tun Sophan, national coordinator for the International Labour Organization.
Institutional Role
The National Institute of Labour and the Department of Occupational Health function as MLVT’s operational units for capacity development and technical guidance on workplace health. Training content covered policy formulation for enterprise-level occupational safety and health, workplace risk assessment, hazard classification, recordkeeping methods and procedures for notifying occupational diseases, as described by MLVT organisers.
Operational Implications
Participants received technical instruction intended to support more consistent application of existing legal provisions and inspection procedures across central and provincial offices. The course emphasized practical tools for assessing workplace hazards and documenting occupational illnesses, which are core elements used by inspectors during advisory visits and compliance checks.
