DOLE encourages promotion of safety and health of workers

To safeguard the health and welfare of the Filipino workers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) enjoins all offices under its jurisdiction, workers’ organizations, trade unions, employers’ organizations, establishments, safety and health practitioners and professional organizations to commemorate April 28 every year as the "World Day for Safety and Health Work," pursuant to the mandate of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The observance of this event has two main objectives: 1) to promote, enhance, and instill national awareness and appreciation on the importance of occupational safety and health; and 2) to elicit the cooperation and support of the workers, employers, professional groups and especially the general public in upgrading the quality of life in the workplace.

The ILO World Day for Safety and Health is bringing tripartite strength to the International Commemoration Day for the Dead and the Injured Workers organized worldwide by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and its affiliates since 1996. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths each year. A wide range of national and international activities conducted by trade unions all over the world reflected the need to honor the dead and the injured workers to bring a message of hope for life.

According to ILO estimates, 250 million work accidents occur annually while 160 million are estimated to suffer from work-related illnesses. Furthermore, about 1.2 million die due to such accidents and illnesses resulting to a four percent economic loss in the total global output. Globalization is also affecting in many ways the safety and health of the workplace. The key, therefore, towards preventing occupational deaths, diseases, injuries and other globalization-related effects is a strong safety and health culture in all workplaces.

In the local front, shared data from the DOLE and the National Statistics Office indicate that occupational injuries and illnesses remain a major problem. This could be prevented if tripartite strength is brought to its fullest.

As a strong reminder to this significant event, all concerned are enjoined to carry out the following actions:

• Hang a streamer with the slogan of either "Promoting a Safety and Health Culture in a Globalized World" or "Pagpapaunlad ng Kultura ng Kaligtasan at Kalusugan sa Isang Global na Pamayanan." Different themes will be provided for the succeeding years.

• Conduct tripartite advocacy campaign such as panel discussions, press conferences and the like on the prevention of accidents and illnesses, which will culminate in a national tripartite meeting every April 28 of each year, and sustain preventive programs.