DOLE also looking into laundry incident

The Department of Labor and Employment has sent its own investigators to Gene's Laundry Shop in Basak, Mandaue City to check if the company has safety standards for its workers.

DOLE regional officer-in-charge Elias Cayanong said he sent a team of safety engineers yesterday and expected to come up with a report on the incident soon.

He added that the team would determine if the company has safety standards to protect its workers and prevent accident in the workplace.

DOLE has set safety and health standards in workplaces to eliminate or reduce occupational safety and health hazards. Under the Labor Code, the labor chief is tasked to institute new and update existing programs to ensure safe and healthful working conditions in all places of employment.

The labor department is also mandated to conduct regular inspection of workplaces to ensure that workers are not exposed to health hazards and if companies have complied with safety and health standards.

Last Monday, a liquefied petroleum gas tank of Gene's Laundry Shop exploded due to alleged leak that caused the death of Diosdada Jao and Felipe Hermoso, and injuries to 14 other people.

The explosion also severely damaged the shop and two other adjacent business establishments housed in the same building owned by former Mandaue City vice mayor Demetrio Cortes.

Aside from DOLE, police, Bureau of Fire Protection and other concerned government agencies are also looking into the incident.

The Department of Energy, which regulates and monitors the sale of LPG and other fuel products, said that while oil companies that sell LPG have their own standards based on their international practice, the country has still to come up with its own standard, especially on monitoring producers, dealers and users of cooking gas.

DOE regional director Antonio Labios said that for now, his office inspects LPG dealers to determine who has no business permit because one of its requirements is fire safety.

Aside from being used as cooking gas, LPG is also used by several taxi operators in Cebu as fuel for their vehicles.

With this, Labios said that they want to ensure that LPG dealers here and taxi operators are following the safety requirements. - Wenna A. Berondo