ABOUT one of every four commercial establishments inspected by the Department of Labor and Employment’s Bureau of Working Conditions (DOLE-BWC) committed Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) violations amid the Covid-19 health crisis.
BWC Officer-in-Charge Assistant Secretary Teresita S. Cucueco said they inspected 40,943 establishments nationwide last month to determine compliance with OSHS and General Labor Standards (GLS).
Of those inspected, 75 percent, or 31,000, are compliant with OSHS.
Cucueco explained their inspection also covered the compliance of the companies to the DOLE and Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) interim and supplemental guidelines on the prevention of Covid-19 in workplaces.
Cucueco bared her findings during DOLE’s budget hearing in Congress when she was asked about the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11058, or the Occupational Safety and Health Law.
Cucueco said they are already enforcing the law during the pandemic by monitoring the compliance of companies with OSHS.
“Our purpose is to assist companies comply [with the DOLE-DTI guidelines] … penalties are not a priority. But if companies continue to willfully violate it, then penalties in the OSH law and its IRR (implementing rules and regulations) will apply,” Cucueco told the BusinessMirror in a SMS.
During the congressional hearing, Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said they do not consider Covid-19 an imminent threat to workplaces as long as both management and workers comply with the DOLE-DTI guidelines.
He issued the clarification in response to Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas’ query if workers could invoke Covid-19 as a reason not to report for work relative to the provisions of RA 11058.
Benavidez explained workers could only make use of the said provision if there is an “imminent threat” in workplaces.