DOLE-7 taps barangays to boost work safety

With a rise in workplace accidents across Metro Cebu, the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) has enlisted barangay officials and tanods to help enforce occupational safety standards in local communities.

DOLE-7 regional director Atty. Roy Buenafe dubbed the program as Occupational Safety Patrol or Barangay Ospatrol.

"We are seeing too many accidents in the Barangays, and most of these are small constructions like houses, where safety rules are often not followed," he told media.

Ospatrol aims to teach Barangay leaders and tanods basic safety rules on occupational safety. This will enhance their monitoring of compliance by various employers with regulations for their workers' safety on small construction projects in their areas.

The program will pilot in Barangays Mabolo and Lahug in Cebu City, which will be the first to try the new safety patrol program in the upcoming weeks.

From January to June, DOLE-7 recorded work-related accidents in Central Visayas. Many of these involved electrocution, especially in home construction and small-scale or informal construction.

Last week, DOLE-7 issued a work stoppage order against an employer and an ongoing construction project in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City, after a mason died at a residential building site when he was hit in the head by a fallen GI pipe.

Buenafe said the accident happened due to a lack of compliance with proper safety measures. An administrative penalty of P100,000 will be imposed against the employer due to the accident.

"I signed the order on a Thursday. This kind of accident should not happen again," Buenafe reiterated.

Filing of criminal charges against employers is being looked into by DOLE-7, as Buenafe met with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Philippine National Police (PNP).

"We understand that these are small projects, but lives are at stake. Some employers think they can just pay the family and think it's okay. It's not," he insisted.

Citing that most of the accidents happen to workers who are not provided with protective gear like hard hats, or where construction sites do not have warning signs or clear safety rules.

Also, he pointed out that messy wires from internet or cable providers can cause electrocution.

Recently, DOLE-7 met with electric companies and plans to hold another meeting with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to fix the problem.