Inclusion of safety awareness in school curriculum sought

CEBU - The Occupational Safety and Health Center, an agency attached to the Department of Labor and Employment, is eyeing the inclusion of safety awareness in the school curriculum to promote safety habits among children.

The planned initiative is in line with the Zero Accident Program or ZAP, OSHC’s flagship program that aims to prevent work-related accidents, injuries and illnesses.

OSCH Executive Director Dulce Estrella-Gust said it is better if the right personal discernment to practice safety habits can be inculcated in the minds of children.

The best way to do this, she said, is for these safety habits to be incorporated in the teachings in school.

Recent studies show that 50 percent of Filipinos do not give much value to safety habits. One example is the non-wearing of seat belts and helmets when on the road, despite the presence of laws that mandate these requirements. Road accidents rank fourth in the most common types of accidents.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board already heightened the implementation of the city ordinances that mandate drivers and passengers alike to wear seat belts and helmets.

ZAP also advocates for the establishments of safety measures in workplaces through the promotion of five components, including advocacy, capability building, networking, voluntary compliance, and productivity link-ups.

Gust said there are four categories of work hazards, including physical hazard like noise, dust, and pollution; chemical hazard like gas, vapor, mist; and biological; and ergonomics hazard, which refers to the environment itself. — Jessica Ann Pareja/JMO

 (THE FREEMAN)