Promotion of workers’ safety, health urged
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Center Executive Director Dr. Ma. Teresita S Cucueco recently called on all sectors to work together for the safety and health of workers in Western Visayas.
Cucueco made the call during the First Occupational Safety and Health Summit in Western Visayas held in Iloilo City recently, attended by close to 200 participants composed of employers, workers’ representatives from various industries, academe and concerned government agencies.
“We have often stressed that safety and health is non-negotiable for all workplaces and for all workers. We subscribe to the tenet that one injury or one fatality is still one too many”, said Cucueco in her speech.
Cucueco added that OSHC continue to receive reports of work-related accidents and fatalities such as the accident at Hanjin which have been the most popular and in other establishments arising from unsafe acts and conditions in their workplace.
Citing the 2005 Work Accident Incidence Report, Cucueco said a total of 2,586 work accident cases were reported by some 289 establishments nationwide. Of the total number, 1,523 cases or 58.9 percent were total disabling injuries and 17 or 0.66 percent have been fatal.
The same report of the Bureau of Working Conditions revealed that the large percentage or 49.11 percent of these work accidents were from manufacturing and the 30 percent from the agriculture sector.
The 2003 Occupational Injuries data from the BLES Integrated Survey also showed 58,720 occupational injuries. Almost 70 percent of injuries with or without days lost were from the manufacturing sector while more than half injury cases with lost workdays have affected establishments employing 200 or more workers. However, a substantial number of occupational injuries were also noted in establishments employing less than 200 workers.
Cucueco also emphasized that priority programs are being undertaken by the government to ensure and promote the safety and health of Filipino workers such as the Zero Accident Program (ZAP).
Launched in 1996, ZAP is one of the flagship programs of DOLE spearheaded by OSHC that seeks to create and increase the awareness and commitment of OSH practitioners, employers and working population on work safety and health.
ZAP has also been proven to be a working strategy to promote safety and health network and linkages in the different regions of the country.
Cucueco said through the tripartite plus partnerships, ZAPs goal of extending OSH services and protection to more and more workers in a larger number of workplaces around the country becomes a realistic and achievable aspiration.
“The OSCH will need the cooperation and collaboration of all partners and stakeholders in fully promoting the vision of ZAP in all workplaces, formal and informal, and for all workers”, added Cucueco.
She also commended the Department of Labor and Employment Region 6 and partners for convening and supporting the summit which carried the theme “Strengthening Tripartite Partnership through OSH Networking”. (PIA)
