THE country’s largest workers’ group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) commended President Rodrigo Duterte for enacting into law the country’s first-ever gender-sensitive workplace health and safety standards.
Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11058 otherwise known as An Act Strenghthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof.
“We laud Mr. Duterte for mainstreaming the country’s first-ever gender sensitive occupational safety and health standards making the safety and health needs of working women visible and important in the constantly changing world of working conditions. These new OSH standard takes recognition of how working women are very important in building our economy and in building our nation,” said Gerard R. Seno, National Executive Vice President of ALU-TUCP.
In the fifth paragraph of Chapter 1 says: “The State, in protecting the safety and health of the workers, shall promote strict but dynamic, inclusive, and gender-sensitive measures in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs related to occupational safety and health.”
And in section 19 mandates all establishments, projects, sites, and all other places where work is being undertaken shall have the following welfare facilities in order to ensure humane working conditions, that “a separate sanitary, washing and sleeping facilities for men and women workers as may be applicable.”
Seno said Filipino women are at risk of physical and psychological violence in and out of the workplace. Working women particularly those pregnant workers are vulnerable to diverse workplace hazards that affect their health and their reproductive health.
Some of these workplace hazards are chemical, biological, and physical hazards including pesticides, metals, dyes, and solvent, noise and vibration, radiation and infectious diseases. Aside from those, pregnant women workers’ health and safety are also at risk due to heavy lifting, sitting and standing long periods, Seno said.
On his part, ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the provisions of RA 11058 was drawn from tragic actual experiences from the series of non-compliance and abuses to workplace safety and health standards that resulted to scores of tragic workers deaths and led to minor and incapacitating injuries, the Act explicitly mandates employers and project owners to provide employees with personal protective equipment, adequate supply of drinking water, adequate sanitary and washing facilities, and suitable living accommodation for workers.
Aside from penalizing employers, contractors and project owners with P100,000 per day of workplace OSHS non-compliance and violation, the Act also orders employers to conduct 8-hour health and safety seminar to employees particularly to new hires. The law also takes employer, project owner, general contractor as joint and solidarily liable for workplace OSHS non-compliance and violation.
The law requires employers to continuously pay the wages and benefits of employees covered by work stoppage order issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) due to imminent danger and life-threatening situation in the workplace.
The law also gave workers the right to know about all types of hazards in the workplace and the right to refuse to unsafe work and prohibits employers to all forms of retaliation to workers who report OSHS violation and non-compliance.
The law also calls for improving its labor inspection system and coverage include workers and business owners located inside special economic zones. ###
Reference:
Alan Tanjusay 09158519558
28 August 2018
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