Filipino workers will now have safer and healthier workplaces as President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law Republic Act 11058, An Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards.
Various labor groups welcomed the new law that will protect workers nationwide as hundreds of workers have died due to the poor enforcement of occupational safety and health standards.
Senator Joel Villanueva also welcomed the signing of the new law which, he said, amended the 41-year-old Labor Code of the Philippines and represented a resounding victory for Filipino workers. He said the Labor Code does not impose a fine for OSHS violations.
With this law, he said, the Labor department should be able to raise the OSH standards compliance than just the 67 percent compliance rate in 2017, with 72 workplace accidents causing fatal injuries to 95 workers and non-fatal injuries to 117.
“One death or one injury due to a workplace accident is far too many. This should stop,” said Villanueva, author of the measure and chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.
The new law says it is the duty of employers, to furnish the workers a place of employment free from hazardous conditions.
The law also says all safety and health personnel are required to undergo the mandatory training on basic occupational safety and health for safety officers as prescribed by the Labor department.
An amount up to P100,000 will serve as an administrative penalty for the erring employer for every day of the non-correction of a violation, counted from the date the employer or contractor is notified of the violation or the date the compliance order is duly served on the employer.
The amount of fine imposed will depend on the frequency or gravity of the violation committed or the damage caused, provided the maximum amount is imposed only when the violation exposes the workers to a risk of death, serious injury or serious illness.