Employers or company owners should see to it that workplaces are safe for all of the workers or they might face stiff penalties if proven that they violate the law.

Noel Binag, executive director of Department of Labor and Employment’s Occupational Safety and Health Center (DOLE-OSHC), said employers should strictly adhere to the provisions of Republic Act No. 11058 or the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act which strengthens their compliance to occupational safety standards and provides penalties for those who will violate it.

“Ang nakalagay po sa ating batas, dapat ang employer o ang may-ari ng kumpanya ay sinisigurong ang workplaces ay ligtas ang manggagawa at hindi sila naeexpose sa hazards na magbibigay ng sakit at magdudulot ng injuries (According to our law, the employer or owner of the company should ensure that workplaces are safe for the workers and they are not exposed to hazards that could cause illness or injuries),” Binag said in a Laging Handa interview on Wednesday, July 13.

Workers who have noticed occupational hazards or violation of safety protocols in their workplaces should report it immediately to their employers or to the DOLE to prevent or minimize the occurrence of accidents, Binag said.

“Ang tawag po natin dito ay ‘presence of imminent danger.’ Ang workers ay may karapatan to refuse to work because of this situation at mayroon silang karapatan magreport sa safety officer, employer at lalo na sa DOLE (We call this ‘presence of imminent danger.’ Workers have the right to refuse to work because of this situation and they have the right to report this to a safety officer, employer, and to DOLE),” he said.

Over the past week, news about tragic accidents at workplaces have made headlines.

Last July 8, two elevator installers were killed while two other workers were hurt when an elevator undergoing repair inside a building in Makati City collapsed.

Three days later, six construction workers died and two others were hurt when a concrete wall collapsed on them in a construction site in Tagaytay City amid a heavy downpour.

Binag said the DOLE have already initiated an investigation on these two cases for the possible violation of the respective employers.

However, he could not give updates on the status of the investigation since he has yet to read the reports coming from the regional DOLE office.

He said if proven that employers may face an administrative fine of a minimum of P20,000 to a maximum of P100,000 per day for non-compliance of the requirements for occupational safety and health standards.

Meanwhile, Binag advised the workers who have been affected by the accidents in Makati and Tagaytay to seek assistance from the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC).

“Maaari po lamang sana sa mga naaksidente, nasugatan o nagkasakit, lumapit lang sa ECC upang mabigyan sila ng sapat na medical attention. Kung sakaling sila ay temporarily disabled, mabibigyan sila ng loss of income benefit, pwede po sila bigyan ng financial assistance during the time na hindi sila maaaring bumalik sa trabaho (For those who got into an accident, wounded or injured, they can ask for help from the ECC so they can be given immediate medical attention. If they ever got temporarily disabled, they can avail of a loss of income benefit where they will be given financial assistance during the time that they cannot work),” Binag explained.

For the employers, especially in big companies, he advised them to have safety officers, safety and health committees, or first aid responders who are ready to respond in case of an emergency or accident.

“Ang pagprevent ng accident sa workplace ay kailangan tulong tulong, hind po ito trabaho lang ng DOLE o OSHC. Ito po ay joint effort among employers, safety officers at lalo na ang participation ng manggagawa (Preventing an accident in the workplace should be a collaborative work and not only the work of DOLE or OSHC. It involves joint effort among the employers, safety officers, and most importantly the workers),” Binag said.

“Malaki po ang role nila dahil kung sila ay nakakakita ng imminent danger, tulong tulong po natin tulungan ang employer so that maayos at ligtas ang kanilang workplace (They have an important role because if ever they see imminent danger, we should help the employer to keep the workplace safe),” he added.