A total of 48 newly certified safety officers, mostly from micro and small enterprises, completed the DOLE mandatory virtual 10-hr Basic OSH Training for Safety Officer 1 (SO1) dated April 26-27, 2022. The mandatory safety officer training is pursuant to Republic Act No. 11058, otherwise known as the “Act Strengthening the OSH Compliance and Provided Penalties for Violations Thereof.”
"OSH is not an overnight implementation. This is supposed to be a way of life, a culture. Not only in our workplaces but also in our homes," OSHC-Environment Control Division Chief Evelyn C. Tandayu.
According to the OSH law, safety officers shall be employed or designated to:
Oversee the overall management of the OSH program in coordination with the OSH committee.
Frequently monitor and inspect any healthy or safety aspect of the operation being undertaken with the participation of supervisors and workers.
Assist government inspectors in the conduct of safety and health inspection at any time whenever work is being performed or during the conduct of an accident investigation.
Issue work stoppage order (WSO) when necessary.
Furthermore, safety officers must possess the necessary training and experience requirements in all workplaces. Commonly for MSEs, an SO1 is required as long as they meet the condition of being a low-risk establishment with 1-50 workers or a medium-risk establishment with 1-9 workers. The non-compliance to the requirement will result in a Php 40,000 per day penalty for establishments.
Due to this, the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), the attached agency of the DOLE mandated to cover the preventive aspects of occupational safety and health in public and private workplaces, continues to conduct free virtual OSH training for promising safety professionals in the locality. The OSHC also collaborates with OSH networks to further expand the advocacy of OSH and provide safety professionals with a venue to discuss current challenges and best practices on OSH.
The OSHC-Region 6 is passionate about expanding its OSH services for promising safety professionals, such as learning sessions, safety officer courses, audits, and accreditation consultations. Interested clients can visit the SAFETYNETwork PH portal for more details.