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Circular 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH: List of machinery and equipment subject to strict occupational safety requirements
This operational legal brief reviews Circular 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH from a logistics and import-compliance perspective. The circular is historical because it was replaced in 2020, but it remains useful for legacy file review and for understanding machinery safety screening logic. This article places the regulation in the practical context of import-export operations, clarifying its scope, affected parties, and the checks required before it is relied on for a shipment dossier. Before implementation, businesses should verify the effective date, amendments, and relevant official guidance applicable to the transaction, while retaining the source and document version used for later explanation or audit.
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
| Information field | Content |
|---|---|
| Document name | Circular No. 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH promulgating the list of machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements. |
| Number | 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH |
| Issuing authority | Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs |
| Date of issuance | 28 December 2016 |
| Original effective date | 12 February 2017 |
| Current application status | Replaced by Circular 36/2019/TT-BLDTBXH from 1 March 2020; it should not be used as the current legal basis for new shipments. |
| Scope | List of machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements. |
| Relevant parties | Importers/users of machinery, factories, EPE/FDI enterprises, construction units, warehouses, logistics providers, procurement, compliance and operations teams. |
KEY POINTS FOR IMPORTERS
- The circular established a list of high-risk machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements.
- Typical import-relevant items include boilers, pressure vessels, refrigeration systems, cranes, hoists, forklifts, elevators, escalators, passenger conveyors and explosion-proof equipment.
- It replaced Circular 05/2014 and was later replaced by Circular 36/2019 from 1 March 2020.
AFFECTED PARTIES AND PRODUCT GROUPS
| Analysis group | Operational check |
|---|---|
| Enterprises | Importers, factories, EPE/FDI companies, construction contractors, warehouses and logistics providers. |
| Products | Lifting equipment, pressure equipment, refrigeration systems, explosion-proof equipment and construction machinery. |
| Affected stage | Pre-import review, customs description, installation/commissioning, safety inspection and post-clearance record keeping. |
| Triggering conditions | Function, load capacity, pressure, temperature, model, refrigerant, operating environment and current legal list. |
IMPACT ON IMPORT-EXPORT AND LOGISTICS
- Customs declaration: technical descriptions must be sufficiently clear for policy screening.
- Documents: catalogue and datasheet should show pressure, load, temperature, capacity, refrigerant and standards.
- Timeline: late detection of safety-inspection requirements can delay installation and project handover.
- Compliance: technical records and inspection certificates should be retained beyond the import file.
DOCUMENT CHECKLIST
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice / packing list | Cross-check item name, quantity, model, configuration and technical parameters. |
| Catalogue / datasheet | Confirm function, capacity, pressure, temperature and whether the equipment falls within the list. |
| Contract / PO | Secure technical files, CO/CQ, test report, manuals and installation records. |
| B/L or AWB | Control ETA and prepare technical review before cargo arrival. |
| Safety inspection records | Prepare where the equipment is subject to mandatory technical safety inspection. |
RELATED LEGAL DOCUMENTS TO CHECK
| Document group | Document | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene 84/2015/QH13 | Legal basis for occupational safety and hygiene management. |
| Decree | Decree 44/2016/ND-CP | Technical safety inspection, training and occupational environment monitoring. |
| Old circular | Circular 05/2014/TT-BLDTBXH | Replaced by Circular 53/2016 from 12 February 2017. |
| Main circular | Circular 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH | Historical document applied from 12 February 2017 until before 1 March 2020. |
| Replacement | Circular 36/2019/TT-BLDTBXH | Replaces Circular 53/2016 from 1 March 2020; use it for current shipments. |
| Inspection procedures | Circular 54/2016/TT-BLDTBXH | Inspection procedures for relevant machinery and equipment. |
VIEW / DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL DOCUMENT
FULL TEXT OF THE DOCUMENT – OPERATIONAL REFERENCE TRANSLATION
This English version is translated for operational reference only and is not an official legal translation. The signed Vietnamese PDF remains the governing source.
CIRCULAR
PROMULGATING THE LIST OF MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES SUBJECT TO STRICT OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HYGIENE REQUIREMENTS
Pursuant to the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene No. 84/2015/QH13 dated 25 June 2015;
Pursuant to Decree No. 44/2016/ND-CP dated 15 May 2016 detailing a number of articles of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene regarding technical safety inspection, occupational safety and hygiene training, and occupational environment monitoring;
Pursuant to Decree No. 106/2012/ND-CP dated 20 December 2012 prescribing the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs;
At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Work Safety;
The Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs promulgates the Circular issuing the list of machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements.
Article 1. List of machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements
Promulgated together with this Circular is the list of machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements.
Article 2. Organization of implementation
1. Based on socio-economic development and State management requirements, ministries having management authority over machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements under Article 33 of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene shall, when proposing amendments or additions to the list, send written proposals to the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs with the following contents:
– Name of the machinery, equipment, material or substance to be amended or added to the list, including scientific name and commercial name, if any;
– Assessment of the necessity, feasibility and impact of amending or adding such machinery, equipment, materials or substances to the list, together with draft inspection procedures, if any.
2. The Department of Work Safety under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall consolidate and report to the Ministry proposals from ministries on amendments and additions to the list.
3. Provincial Departments of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall coordinate with relevant agencies to disseminate and guide implementation of this Circular to enterprises, agencies, organizations, cooperatives, households and individuals using machinery, equipment, materials and substances subject to strict occupational safety and hygiene requirements in their localities; and shall annually consolidate and report implementation to the Ministry together with occupational safety and hygiene reports.
Article 3. Effect
1. This Circular takes effect from 12 February 2017.
2. Circular No. 05/2014/TT-BLDTBXH dated 6 March 2014 of the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs promulgating the list of machinery, equipment and materials subject to strict occupational safety requirements ceases to be effective from the effective date of this Circular.
3. Difficulties arising during implementation shall be promptly reported in writing to the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs for consideration and resolution.
LIST
OF MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES SUBJECT TO STRICT OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HYGIENE REQUIREMENTS
(Promulgated together with Circular No. 53/2016/TT-BLDTBXH dated 28 December 2016 of the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs)
| No. | MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES SUBJECT TO STRICT OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HYGIENE REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|
| Section I. Machinery, equipment and materials subject to strict occupational safety requirements | |
| 1 | Boilers of all types, including superheaters and economizers, with steam working pressure above 0.7 bar; hot-water boilers with medium temperature above 115°C. |
| 2 | Oil heating boilers. |
| 3 | Systems of steam and hot-water pipelines of Class I and II with outside diameter from 51 mm or more; Class III and IV pipelines with outside diameter from 76 mm or more, as classified under Vietnamese Standards TCVN 6158:1996 and TCVN 6159:1996. |
| 4 | Pressure vessels with rated working pressure above 0.7 bar, excluding hydrostatic pressure, under TCVN 8366:2010, and pressure vessels with rated working pressure above 210 bar. |
| 5 | Tanks, cisterns and containers used to store or transport liquefied gas, LPG, CNG or liquids with working pressure above 0.7 bar; or liquids/powder solids without pressure but discharged by gas pressure above 0.7 bar under TCVN 8366:2010. |
| 6 | Cylinders used to store or transport compressed gas, liquefied gas, CNG, LPG and dissolved gas with working pressure above 0.7 bar. |
| 7 | Systems for supply, preparation and filling of compressed gas, liquefied gas, LPG and dissolved gas. |
| 8 | Fixed gas pipeline systems, offshore gas pipelines and medical gas pipeline systems. |
| 9 | Refrigeration systems of all types as classified under Vietnamese Standard TCVN 6104:2015, except systems using water or air as the working medium; systems with refrigerant charge below 5 kg for Group 1 refrigerants, below 2.5 kg for Group 2 refrigerants, and no charge limit for Group 3 refrigerants. |
| 10 | Cranes: truck cranes, rubber-tyred cranes, crawler cranes, tower cranes, railway cranes and portal cranes. |
| 11 | Overhead cranes: bridge cranes and suspension cranes. |
| 12 | Gantry cranes and semi-gantry cranes. |
| 13 | Cableways for cargo/passengers; cable hoists in construction machinery, inclined-shaft hoists and vertical-shaft hoists. |
| 14 | Electric hoists; manual chain hoists with lifting capacity of 1,000 kg or more. |
| 15 | Rail-mounted electric winch vehicles. |
| 16 | Electric winches for lifting/pulling on inclines; lifting tables, lifting platforms, man-lifting platforms and man-lifting winches. |
| 17 | Manual winches with lifting capacity of 1,000 kg or more. |
| 18 | Engine-powered forklift trucks with lifting capacity of 1,000 kg or more. |
| 19 | Man-lifting vehicles, including self-propelled lifts and hydraulic/manual-chain lifting platforms raising persons above 2 m. |
| 20 | Goods hoists, goods-and-person hoists, passenger hoists and construction hoists. |
| 21 | Elevators of all types. |
| 22 | Escalators and passenger conveyors. |
| 23 | Mobile performance stages. |
| 24 | Amusement devices such as roller coasters, rotating rides and slides carrying persons to a height of 2 m or more, with moving speed from 3 m/s against a fixed floor, excluding sports competition equipment. |
| 25 | Passenger cable car systems. |
| 26 | Winches and hoists with lifting capacity of 1,000 kg or more used in underground mining. |
| 27 | Single hydraulic props, mobile frame supports and self-advancing roof supports made from single hydraulic props for underground mine support. |
| 28 | Internal combustion engines with crankcase volume above 0.6 m³ or cylinder diameter above 200 mm. |
| 29 | Explosion-proof transformers. |
| 30 | Explosion-proof electric motors. |
| 31 | Explosion-proof distribution and switching equipment such as contactors, soft starters, circuit breakers, automatic switches, inverters and residual-current relays. |
| 32 | Explosion-proof control equipment such as control panels and push-button boxes. |
| 33 | Explosion-proof generators. |
| 34 | Explosion-proof electric cables. |
| 35 | Explosion-proof lighting fixtures. |
| 36 | Electric blasting machines. |
| 37 | Sliding formwork systems. |
| 38 | Climbing formwork systems. |
| 39 | Steel sliding formwork frame systems. |
| 40 | Specialized drilling, pile pressing and pile driving machines with lifting winch systems. |
| 41 | Concrete pumps. |
| 42 | Machinery for tunnel and underground works: machinery and equipment for open excavation technology; machinery and equipment for closed excavation technology; shield tunnelling machinery and shield complexes; concrete machinery for underground works. |
| 43 | Steel scaffolding systems; combined struts and support columns. |
| 44 | Suspended working platforms used in construction. |
| 45 | Radio broadcasting stations with maximum transmitting power from 150 W. |
| 46 | Television broadcasting stations with maximum transmitting power from 150 W. |
| No. | MILITARY-SPECIFIC MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS SUBJECT TO STRICT OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|
| Section II. Military-specific machinery, equipment and materials subject to strict occupational safety requirements | |
| 1 | Explosives of all types. |
| 2 | Initiating/explosive means such as detonators, detonating cords and safety fuses. |
| 3 | Cables and optical cables for lifting equipment sets 3ф-24.40; 3ф-24.50; БФМИ 468929.058. |
| 4 | Lifting sling for equipment set 3ф-10.36-04. |
| 5 | Load testing equipment 8E088. |
| 6 | MC-35004 equipment / MC-35030 equipment set. |
| 7 | K350-110 missile transfer forklift set. |
| 8 | YXHC ф55-70MЭ drying and cooling station. |
| 9 | K350-60 disassembly support frame. |
| 10 | K350-14-01 lifting spreader beam. |
| 11 | Nitrogen cylinder and piping network systems. |
| 12 | Station, storage, filling and production systems for liquid/gaseous nitrogen with purity up to 98%. |
| 13 | Nitrogen cylinder of launcher vehicle 9П-117M. |
| 14 | Cable set for lifting missile containers. |
| 15 | P-15UПY9513-0 missile lifting beam. |
| 16 | Missile-container lifting cables; launcher engine П9510-10A; warhead П9590-0; warhead in box C1.42-00. |
| 17 | Air compressors ДK-9M and ЭK-9. |
| 18 | Stabilization equipment for propellants and explosives, including Linter, Hexogen and Nitrocellulose (NC) stabilizers. |
| 19 | Reaction equipment in propellant/explosive production lines, including NG, NC, DNT, Tetrazene acid and lead styphnate acid equipment. |
| 20 | Pressure equipment holding raw materials for explosive manufacturing, including pressure containers for Na2CO3, DNT, Na2SO4 and Na2SO3. |
| 21 | Explosive filling and pressing equipment in propellant and explosive production lines: mechanical equipment (fine pressing machine, 10-position press); hydraulic equipment (hydraulic press, primer-charge pressing equipment, black-powder pressing machine). |
| 22 | Batch mixing equipment for propellants and explosives in propellant/explosive production lines: rotary-drum mixers (detonating-cord composition mixer, three-component black-powder grinding mixer, ammonite grinding mixer, powder-with-charge mixer); shaking mixers (TEN composition screen, black-powder dust-removal machine, black-powder granulating machine, initiating-composition screen); blade mixers (mixed-charge mixer, wet explosive-mixture mixer, gum-with-charge mixer). |
| 23 | Assembly, vibration and impact equipment for ammunition/primers: shock testers, impact testers, bullet drawing/crimping machines and B40 fuze/tail-tube removal equipment. |
| 24 | Ammunition rust-removal machines. |
| 25 | Pneumatic ammunition clamping equipment. |
| 26 | Pressure increase/decrease chambers, high-pressure air filters and pressure chambers for underwater commando training and rehabilitation. |
| 27 | YKC air compressor station; VZ20/350 station; AKZC 75M oxygen station; UGZCIA nitrogen station. |
| 28 | Cranes used for lifting torpedoes, missiles and boats on ships/islands. |
| 29 | Missile ammunition lifting beam. |
| 30 | PMP pontoon bridge lifting system. |
| 31 | Bomb/ammunition lifting equipment, including electric hoists and manual hoists with capacity from 500 kg. |
| 32 | Electric and manual winches used for lifting/pulling in propellant/explosive production workshops. |
| 33 | Bomb and ammunition forklifts. |
| 34 | Parachute-seat crane vehicles. |
FOR THE MINISTER
DEPUTY MINISTER
Doan Mau Diep
FAQ
Is Circular 53/2016 still applicable?
No for new shipments. It was replaced by Circular 36/2019 from 1 March 2020. It remains useful for historical file review.
Does every imported machine require inspection at the border?
Not automatically. The decision depends on technical characteristics, product function and the current legal list.
Which documents should be prepared before ETA?
Catalogue, datasheet, CO/CQ, test reports, manuals, model list and technical parameters should be collected before cargo arrival.
Does the circular change HS code or duty rate?
No. It is a safety management list, but technical description may affect customs policy screening.
Should post-clearance files be kept?
Yes. Safety inspection records, commissioning records and technical documents should be kept for the equipment lifecycle.
NEED TO REVIEW IMPORT PROCEDURES OR A SHIPPING PLAN?
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