Hard hat required for City hall clients

KIDAPAWAN CITY – The transacting public at city hall is now required to wear hard hats as personal protective equipment (PPE) while inside the building and its vicinity, a local official said on Friday. The local government’s move was prompted by the series of earthquakes in the Mindanao region in the past few days. “The safety of city hall clients is a priority,” said Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista in a statement. Based on Executive Order 080 issued by Evangelista on December 19, all workers and clients of the city hall are required to wear hard hats as PPE while

transacting business in different offices within the three-story city hall building. Clients need not worry about where to buy or secure a hard hat because the city government will provide every visitor with a hard hat as they come to the city hall. “While the city hall has been assessed as safe for occupancy, the wearing of the hard hat is a safety measure for all,” Psalmer Bernalte, city disaster risk reduction and management council, said in a radio interview. Aftershocks from the major earthquakes that rocked North Cotabato and Kidapawan City recently continue to hound residents. Evangelista said the number of persons coming to the second and third floors of the city hall building is regulated to avoid overcrowding that may endanger the structure. Kidapawan City information officer Williamor Magbanua said the mayor has ordered every department head to secure a first aid kit in their respective offices to attend to anyone who needs it when an earthquake occurs. The mayor formed an occupational safety board to continuously monitor to ensure that everyone complies with his directive. (PNA)