Milestone in OSH advocacy: The 17th National Occupational Safety and Health Congress
The Occupational Safety and Health Center successfully held the first ever virtual National Occupational Safety and Health (NOSH) Congress last September 28-30, 2021, with a theme: “Building Resilient Systems at the Enterprise Level: Best Practices Amidst Crises.” The theme emphasized the vital role of OSH in developing a stronger and a healthier workforce that could stand, adopt, and cover future health emergencies, and accidents. And, showcasing the importance of OSH in protecting lives and livelihood as we face the worst disaster in our time, the CoVid-19 pandemic.
”This global crisis has brought unprecedented health and economic challenges, it thus pertinent to understand how Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) can make individuals and institutions resilient.” said DOLE Secretary, Silvestre H. Bello III.
The 17th NOSH Congress was the biggest gathering of OSH Advocates that Occupational Safety and Health Center had with more than 12,000 participants who came from different industries across the country. The congress is a biennial event that serves as a vehicle to generate and exchange essential information on work safety and health. The 3-day activity was attended by numerous safety experts and professionals, employers, trade union representatives, and even policy makers. The event covered timely and relevant topics and discussions on how business enterprises can continue to work and thrive for safety despite the challenges brought by the pandemic.
The discussions were delivered by subject matter experts (SMEs) coming from well-known corporations such as Globe Telecom Inc., Essilor Manufacturing Philippines Inc. and SN Aboitiz Power Inc., various Government Departments such as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Employees Compensation Commission (ECC), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP),Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and distinguished groups such as the Employees Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and International Labor Organization (ILO), Asia Pacific Region. Participants were given time to ask questions with relation to the topics that were discussed by each resource speakers.
The 17th NOSH Congress event was closed by DOLE Undersecretary Atty. Benjo Santos M. Benavidez and Senate of Philippines, Senator Emmanuel “Joel” Jose Villanueva.
“As you go back to your workplaces in different industries as safety and health officers, please remember to prioritize the most important things of all, HEALTH and SAFETY, family and friends.“ - Senator Joel Villanueva.
At the end of the event, Executive Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Center, Engr. Noel C. Binag thanked all of the participants, OSHC staffs, Moderators, and Resource speakers for their collaboration, and efforts that resulted to the success of the event.
