Congress bicam passes workers’ safety bill

MANILA, Philippines — The bicameral conference committee of the Senate and House of Representatives has approved a measure promoting the safety of Filipino laborers, granting them full protection from all hazards in their work environment. 

Rep. Karlo Nograles, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said House Bill 64 and Senate Bill 1317 have been “successfully consolidated” under the title: “Strengthening compliance with occupational safety and health standards, providing penalties for violations.”  

“Our laborers are the backbone of the strong Philippine economy that President Duterte wants to maintain. It is therefore imperative that we treat them like the precious assets that they are and protect them from work-related dangers,” he said. 

 Nograles is a principal author of the House version of the pro-laborer safety measure. 

With the administration measure’s bicameral approval, the bill now only needs ratification by the House of Representatives and Senate before President Duterte signs it into law.

 The measure mandates the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment to issue the appropriate standards of occupational safety and health (OSH) based on the number of employees, nature of operations, and the risk or hazard involved

“The DOLE secretary has the power to order stoppage of work or suspension of operations of any unit or department of an establishment when non-compliance with law or implementing rules and regulations poses grave and imminent danger to the health and safety of laborers at work,” he explained. 

The bill shall apply to all establishments, projects, sites, including Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) establishments, and all other places where work is being undertaken in all branches of economic activity, except in the public sector.

Nograles also revealed that the measure provides for the creation of an OSH Committee, which will ensure the enforcement of the safety and health program of the covered workplaces. It will also have a hand in the planning and development of such program.

The OSH Committee will be chaired by an employer or representative, while serving as secretary would be the company’s or project’s safety officer. 

 Its members will include safety officers representing the contractor or subcontractor (as the case may be) and company workers either coming from the union (if organized) or those picked via simple majority vote (if unorganized).

Physicians, nurses, certified first-aiders, and dentists shall serve as ex-officio members, if applicable. A key provision of the harmonized bill is the workers’ right to turn down unsafe work without threat or reprisal from the employer, Nograles said.

“Such right to refuse comes into play when the DOLE deems that an imminent danger situation exists in the workplace which may result in illness, injury, or death, and the employer has failed to implement corrective actions to eliminate this danger,” he said.

The workers’ right to free personal protective equipment will also be strictly observed. 

PPEs include protective equipment for the eyes, face, hands and feet; lifeline, safety belt or harness; gas or dust respirators or masks; and protective shields whenever necessary by reason of the hazardous work process or environment.

Covered workplaces shall have qualified occupational health personnel such as physicians, nurses, certified first-aiders, and dentists duly complemented with the required medical supplies, equipment and facilities.