Roi Anthoni B. Lomotan
DUMAGUETE
CITY, Sept. 9 (PIA) – The
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here is reminding companies to comply
with the occupational safety and health (OSH) standards in workplaces.
This is to encourage more companies in the
province to promote OSH programs in their respective agencies to ensure the
protection of their employees especially those who are working in hazardous
workplaces like construction sites, sugar mills, and industrial plants.
“Occupational safety and health is a right that
cannot be compromised,” said DOLE provincial head Maritess Mercado in a
Kapihan Forum held today in this city.
Mercado reiterated that complying with OSH
standards is the responsibility of employers to avoid injuries or accidents in
workplaces.
Moreover, Engr. Diego Amado Nochefranca, senior
labor and relations officer of DOLE, further explained that aside from
attaining zero percent accident in workplaces, another aim of OSH is to
prevent employees from getting diseases like tuberculosis or pneumonia.
Part of promoting OSH is designating a safety
officer.
Mercado reminded companies to assign one of
their personnel as safety officer and allow them to undergo OSH trainings to
make them more qualified in their designation.
Occupational Safety and Health Network (OSHNET)
is the training arm of DOLE in enhancing the capabilities of safety officers.
OSHNET conducts Basic Occupational Safety and
Health (BOSH) trainings as well as the Construction Occupation Safety and
Health (COSH) trainings for companies.
BOSH trainings are for non-hazardous workplaces
like hotels, retail establishments, broadcast stations as well as industries
which are not related to construction business.
On the other hand, COSH trainings are designated
for safety officers of construction firms.
According to Engr. Renato Infante, president of
OSHNET-Negros Oriental, their group has already conducted 12 trainings in the
province to enhance the skills of 500 safety officers.
“Once companies have safety officers, accidents
in workplaces will be minimized because they can identify the hazards in your
company,” Infante stressed.
For this month, OSHNET is scheduled to conduct
one COSH and BOSH trainings.
The BOSH training will be on September 14
to 18 while the COSH training will be held on September 21 to 15 to be held
at Manhattan Suites Inn, Dumaguete City.
These trainings are also required by DOLE
department order 16 series of 2001 in establishing safety officers in each
agency.
Infante hopes that more companies will respond
to this invitation.
On the other hand, Mercado disclosed that
companies who fail to comply with OSH standards will receive a stoppage order
from DOLE regional office.
But before the department will issue such an
order, companies will still be given 90 days to comply with OSH standards.
Mercado reported that so far, there is no
stoppage order issued here in Negros Oriental.
With this, DOLE hopes that stakeholders involved
in the labor industry will give more importance to occupational safety and
health of their employees. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)