Philippines to be a beneficiary of US Department of Labor through ILO flagship program on OSH
“We are pleased to inform you that the Philippines has been formally retained by the US Department of Labor as one of the two countries where a comprehensive strategic intervention will be implemented as part of the ILO Flagship Programme on OSH,” said International Labor Organization (ILO) Country Office for the Philippines Director Lawrence Jeff Johnson in an e-mail to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz.
After a series of meetings beginning in February 2015, the Philippines has been chosen as a beneficiary of the ILO Flagship Program on OSH which is expected to be launched this year. The DOLE together with its attached agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) is working on finishing the Philippine proposal to be submitted to ILO Geneva on June 2.
Based on the findings from the scoping mission, the project will aim to develop the Philippine national OSH profile and policy, a strategic plan for enhancing the capacity of decentralized DOLE services, and a comprehensive training programme and information materials to support OSH implementation in the LGU.
Because it has been assessed that the country needs to scale-up accident prevention strategies in the construction industry, the project will focus on the said hazardous industry and among the deliverables of the project are an enhanced worker education program and training material, multi-stakeholder conferences, and studies on OSH in the construction industry as well as an analytical report of the implementation of the 2011 MOA-JAO on Construction Safety.
Under this program, ILO will provide assistance to strengthen the capacities of responsible authorities through education and training with emphasis on inspection policies plans, management and practices. This will include support to national judiciary systems to ensure that they understand the principles of OSH for proper application to legislation.
It will also help beneficiary countries to develop reliable statistical information on workplace injuries and illnesses, reporting strategies and development and integration of OSH in secondary education curricula. One of the priority outcomes for the Philippines is the development of an undergraduate OSH education program and course.
END/DJ Romero
Any question on this release? Please contact Ma. Teresita S. Cucueco, MD, CESO III, Executive director, Occupational Safety and Health Center, North Avenue corner Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City with telephone numbers 929-6036 to 39 and e-mail address:oshc_dole@yahoo.com
