THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) issued a work stoppage order (WSO) to the owner and general contractor of the Velez Medical Arts Building Project located at Ranudo Street, Cogon Ramos, Cebu City.
DOLE-7 OIC-Assistant Regional Director Lilia A. Estillore, in a statement, said the DOLE’s labor laws compliance officer (LLCO) immediately conducted an Occupational Safety and Health Investigation (OSHI) at the project site upon learning of a fatal accident involving one of the workers of Primary Structures Corp., the project’s general contractor.
Findings showed the victim, a team leader and a native of Carmen, Cebu, was among a group of workers relocating the debris catcher from the eighth floor to the ninth floor of the building project.
“The victim did not wear any full-body harness and there was also no independent lifeline installed. So when the worker lost his balance, he fell directly on the ground,” said Estillore, who described the incident as a malpractice and incompetence on the part of management and the ones managing the workers.
All unsafe conditions and practices at the site, she added, should have been rectified and eliminated, which is the primary call of the project’s safety practitioner and safety officer.
“We found out there was no accredited safety practitioner, who should be present at all times at the project site. There was also no safety officer present during the incident and when our LLCO conducted an investigation at the area,” she added, saying further that there was no one who could give instructions to and direct the workers on the procedure of relocating the debris catcher.
It was clear, she said, that the importance of using the personal protective equipment (PPE), such as the full-body harness, was not given enough attention and weight at the project site.
On the issue of the absence of an independent lifeline, Estillore said, “In circumstances where a fall cannot be prevented, fall protection lifeline systems are your next line of fall protection. Lifeline systems can be used to arrest workers in the event of a fall or restrain workers from reaching a fall hazard.”
Management should have paid attention even to the tiniest details in the workplace where the safety and health of the workers is concerned.
Other noted violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Standards were the following, namely: (a) no DOLE approved Construction Safety and Health Program (CSHP); (b) no sanctions or penalties were given to workers for not wearing or using their PPE; (c) no safety orientation for all workers especially those working at heights; (d) no work accident report submitted by the safety officer using the prescribed form; and insufficient lightings installed along the debris catcher area for de-installation activities.
“We already coordinated with the Employees Compensation Commission for the benefits that the family of the victim could possibly avail of. We will also make sure to include in the mandatory conference the financial assistance that they would receive from the management,” she added.
The DOLE’s observations, Estillore said, indicated the respondents’ laxity in implementing the safety and health rules and regulations at the worksite, which apparently exposed the workers to imminent danger. The WSO will only be lifted once all violations have been rectified.
“For now, they are ordered to stop all their operation activities within the project site,” she added.