CUH-ING, Arjay 08 June 2019

BSEnSe 4 6:30 – 9:30 Saturdays

I. The duties and responsibilities of the safety health committee

A health and safety committee can be an important way to improve conditions on the job. The
committee provides a forum for employees and management to work together to solve health and safety
problems. An effective committee can help prevent injury and illness on the job; increase awareness of
health and safety issues among workers, supervisors, and managers; and develop strategies to make the
work environment safe and healthy. The following is a list of some possible roles of a health and safety
committee:

A. Hazard Identification, Evaluation, and Control

• Review injury data, accident reports, and workers’ compensation records.

• Conduct regular walkaround inspections to identify potential health and safety hazards.
• Conduct safety and health job analyses to identify problems.
• Design and conduct health and safety surveys.
• Collect and review Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
• Propose and evaluate various ways to improve safety conditions.
• Get recommendations acted upon.
• Review and evaluate corrective actions taken by management.
• Temporarily “shut down” unsafe operations until a hazard is corrected.
• Collect and review information on new chemicals, procedures, and processes before they
are introduced.
• Participate in studies conducted by outside researchers or consultants.
• Establish or improve procedures for employees to report safety hazards or suggest
improvements without fear of reprisal.

B. Information and Education

• Review injury data, accident reports, and workers’ compensation records.

• Respond to concerns raised by workers, supervisors and managers.
• Recommend training for new employees, supervisors, and managers and refresher
training on health and safety practices, procedures and emergency response.
• Plan and organize training programs.
• Establish or improve procedures for employees to report health symptoms without
fear of reprisal.
• Keep workers, supervisors, and managers informed about the committee’s activities.

C. Accident/Incident Investigations

• Investigate accidents, including their root causes.

• Establish procedures for reviewing reports of all safety incidents, including accidents,
illnesses and deaths.
 • Review accident/incident reports and make recommendations for appropriate corrective
action.
• Develop systems for reporting accidents and “near misses.”

D. Safety and Health Planning

• Establish procedures to review inspection reports.

• Recommend and track new safety and health rules and work practices.
• Review proposed equipment purchases and make recommendations.
• Regularly review and evaluate the employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program
(IIPP).
• Develop a tracking system that enables the committee to monitor progress on safety
issues.

The Health and Safety Committee is the planning and policymaking group in all matters
pertaining to safety and health. The principal duties of the Health and Safety Committee are:

(1) Plans and develops accident prevention programs for the establishment.

(2) Directs the accident prevention efforts of the establishment in accordance with the safety

programs safety performance and government regulations in order to prevent accidents

from occurring in the workplace.

(3) Conducts safety meetings at least once a month.

(4) Reviews reports of inspection, accident investigations and implementation of program.

 (5) Submits reports to the manager on its meetings and activities.

(6) Provides necessary assistance to government inspecting authorities in the proper conduct

of their activities such as the enforcement of the provisions of this Standards.

(7) Initiates and supervises safety training for employees.

(8) Develops and maintains a disaster contingency plan and organizes such emergency service

units as may be necessary to handle disaster situations pursuant to the emergency

preparedness manual for establishments of the Office of Civil Defense.

II. How many safety officers in different establishments?

Every place of employment, a safety committee shall be organized within sixty (60) days after
this Standard takes effect and for new establishments within one (1) month from the date the business
starts operating, in both cases the Safety Committee shall re-organize every January of the following
year. In order to provide an opportunity for other workers to become members and participate in safety
program planning, a periodic change in membership is required.

For this purpose, the term of office of the department head in the Committee shall be for one
(1) year. The term of the worker-members in Type A and Type B shall be two (2) years each in Type C, D,
and E committee, shall be one (1) year.

The Chairman, physician or nurse and the secretary shall be permanent members of the committee. In
Joint Committee, the term of Office of the Chairman and the Members shall be one (1) year.
Membership in the Joint Committee shall be rotated among members of the safety committees in other
establishments.
TYPE A – In every work place having a total of over four hundred (400) workers, the following Health
and Safety Committee shall be organized:

(1.) Safety Committee

Chairman - The Manager or his authorized representative who must be a top

Operating Official

Members - Two Department Heads

- Four Workers (must be union members, if organized)

- The Company Physician

Secretary - The Safety Man

TYPE B – In every work place having a total of over two hundred (200) to four hundred (400) workers,
the following shall be organized:

(1.) Safety Committee

Chairman - The Manager or his authorized representative who must be a top Operating Official

Members - One Supervisor

- Three Workers (must be union members, if organized)

- The Company Physician or the Company Nurses

Secretary - The Safety Man

TYPE C – In every work place with less than one hundred (100) to two hundred (200) workers, the
following shall compose the Health and Safety Committee:

(1.) Safety Committee

Chairman - Manager or his authorized representative

Members - One Foreman

- Three Workers (must be union members, if organized)

- The Nurse

Secretary - The Part-time Safety Man

TYPE D – In every work place with less than one hundred (100) workers, the following shall compose the
Health and Safety Committee:

Chairman - Manager

Members - One Foreman

- Three Workers (must be union members, if organized)

 Secretary - The Part-time Safety Man

- In this workplace, the line type as defined in 1048.02 may be

organized.

TYPE E – Joint Committee:

When two or more establishments are housed under one building, the Safety Committee organized in
each workplace shall organize themselves into a joint coordinating committee to plan and implement
programs and activities concerning all the establishments. This joint coordinating committee shall be
composed of the following:

Chairman - The Chairman of an establishment committee

Members - Two Supervisors from two different establishments

Secretary - Appointed by the Chairman ((in high-rise, the secretary shall be the building
administrator.)

III. What would be the government agencies involve in OSH?

A. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) –

All safety and health personnel shall undergo the mandatory training on basic occupational
safety and health for safety officers as prescribed by the DOLE.

B. Department of Health (DOH)

The program addresses the incidence of occupational diseases and work-related diseases and
injuries among workers through health promotion and protection in all workplaces. It initially
focuses on public health workers and informal sector workers including, but not limited to those
in agriculture, transport, and small-scale mining. It aims to improve workers’ access to basic
occupational health services at the local level.

C. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

As part of the disaster preparedness activity, Antonio and other employees undertook the
earthquake drill at the DPWH Office during nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill, in
partnership with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

REFERENCE:

http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/images/Files/OSH%20Standards%202017.pdf

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/dpwh-monitors-safety-national-roads-public-buildings

http://www.coshnetwork.org/sites/default/files/supp_healthsafety_hndt.pdf