Firms have ‘moral duty’ to protect workers: DOLE

An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday reminded private companies that they have a duty to protect their workers. (File photo by Ramon FVelasquez/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday reminded private companies that they have a duty to protect their workers.

“We should always remember that we do not just comply to legal requirements but also our moral duty to protect workers as provided in the law,” said Engr. Noel Binag, executive director of the DOLE-Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) in a Laging Handa briefing.

Binag’s statement came after the accident on Nov. 21 when a steel girder of the ongoing construction of the Skyway extension project fell on several vehicles, killing one motorist and injuring several others in Muntinlupa City.

“The information we received regarding the Skyway accident last Nov. 21 that killed one person and injured 4 others is it is a project of the SMC and EEI Corp is the contractor, and has subcontractors; the DOLE has technical inspectors already investigating the accident,” he said.

At the same time, he urged workers to report to them if they see any violation of occupational health and safety standards (OH&S) in their workplaces.

“Workers should be protected, we have laws to protect them; this should be taken seriously, otherwise, accidents will be repeated; workers should assert their rights on safety and protection, if you see imminent dangers in the workplace, report it to the DOLE, it is your responsibility to report violations against OH&S standards,” Binag said.

He added that the law requires all establishments should have an occupational health and safety committee.

“On the part of the DOLE, we can file an administrative case and issue work stoppage order; also, there is a monetary fine, depending on the # of violations to the OH&S standards,” he added.

Binag said OSHC is mandated to protect workers from accidents, illnesses in workplaces, trains safety officers since the law requires that all establishments especially in the construction industry must have safety officers in all their activities. The safety officers monitor, ensure the implementation of safety controls in their workplaces.

“Safety officers should be of high rank — Safety Officer II, III, IV because the construction industry is identified as a high-risk establishment,” he added.

On Monday, the DOLE-National Capital Region has issued a work stoppage order for the Skyway extension project pending the occupational and health standards investigation.