MORE than half of the nearly 100 construction projects in the National Capital Region (NCR) were found to be in violation of existing occupational safety and health (OSH) standards.
In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment said 54 percent of the construction projects inspected in Metro Manila were found to have committed OSH violations.
“Of the 95 construction projects inspected, 52 are found to have violations,” the DOLE said, referring to projects inspected since the first week of August.
Among the top violations recorded are non-submission or no copies of the Construction Safety and Health Program in the workplace and the absence of or inadequate designated OSH personnel, such as safety officers and first aiders.
Other top violations are non-conduct of mandatory OSH training for all workers, including toolbox meetings; absence of a Safety and Health Committee; non-issuance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to workers; and inadequate or improper use of PPE.
“Construction sites that are found to have violations are advised to implement immediate correction. We have ordered the compliance of sites with noted violations,” said DOLE.
Under Department Order (DO) No. 198-2018, DOLE classified construction sites as being among the “high-risk establishments.”
DO 198-2018 noted how major accidents resulting in disability, death, or major illnesses are likely to occur among high-risk establishments if no preventive or control measures are put in place.
