Construction firms urged to ensure workers’ safety

Construction companies in Cebu are reminded and urged to religiously abide by the safety requirements to ensure the welfare of construction workers.

Elias Cayanong, regional head at the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas, said: “Construction is considered hazardous. And the moment imminent danger is observed, something must be done immediately in order to abate all circumstances and conditions which expose the workers to danger, serious physical harm or even death."

Safety, he said, can never be negotiated. Recently DOLE-7 called the attention of Lite Properties Inc., owner of Lite Shipping Corporate Center project, and Devlarn Ventures and Development, the project’s general contractor, to rectify deficiencies seen in the project's construction as soon as possible or the work stoppage order issued would continue.

Some of the deficiencies observed under the Occupational Safety and Health Standards involved the lack of a safety officer for other project subcontractors and trade contractors, DOLE-7 said.

Last May 18, the agency immediately sent two of its labor laws compliance officers (LLCOs) to the construction site located at Tejero M.J. Cuenco, Mabolo, Cebu City in order to conduct an Occupational Safety and Health Investigation (OSHI) after receiving reports of an accident injuring two workers.

DOLE said the said companies had vowed to correct their violations within the week.

Deficiencies noted under the Occupations Safety and Health Standards include: no DOLE accredited safety practitioner; no TESDA National Certificate (NC) II for scaffold erector; no medical report presented for the injured workers; no safety officer; no PCAB license; no safety barrier on floor edges; no safety net or debris catcher; unsafe access going towards the ground floor of the building; and no concrete measures presented to avoid recurrence of the accident.

Section 6 of Department Order 131-13 or the Rules on Labor Laws Compliance System provides that in case the violation is attributable to the fault of the employer, the employer shall pay his or her employees all the monetary benefits to which they are entitled for the duration of the work stoppage order.

Accidents like what happened at the Lite Shipping Corporate Center project could have been avoided if only the safety measures have been appropriately observed at the construction site, said assistant regional head Cyril Ticao.

Apart from the standards on safety and health, the DOLE likewise checked on the management’s compliance to the General Labor Standards (GLS) and it found out no employment records presented; no proof of coverage and remittance of SSS, Philhealth, and PAG-IBIG; no service agreement with the Lite Properties Corp.; underpayment of wages; nonpayment of overtime premium pay; non-payment of regular holiday and special days; and non-payment of the 13th month pay.

DOLE-7 emphasized the project owner, the general contractor, and all its subcontractors and trade contractors could not go on with their operations at the project site until full compliance to deficiencies identified has been made.

The department’s LLCOs will still have to visit the project site again after management’s submission of needed documents as proof of correction to their deficiencies.

“We have to validate everything whether corrections have been actually put in place at the site before we could lift the stoppage order,” Cayanong said.

The work stoppage order can come from the Labor secretary or regional director to stop the work of any unit, department or entire operation of an establishment when non-compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards poses imminent danger to the health and safety of the employees in the workplace.