SMEs encouraged to establish health, safety committees

The Occupational Safety and Health Center has urged companies, particularly small and medium-sized companies to think of the welfare of their employees by promoting their health in the workplace.

OSHC executive director Dr. Dulce Estrella-Gust said that all establishments should have a health and safety committee to prevent work-related injuries, accidents and illnesses among their employees.

Gust was in Cebu yesterday for the Zero Accident Program activities such as the training on basic occupational safety and health, action planning workshop, information dissemination and the learning sessions on a drug-free workplace, control of hazardous energy and globally harmonized system of labeling chemicals. She encouraged small and medium enterprises to avail of OSHC’s training programs and other technical services that basically promote occupational safety and health.

She said that most of the big companies have their own health and safety committee. She also reported that majority if not all firms inside the Mactan Export Processing Zone have already availed of their technical services and their various programs.

Gust said they want to see small and medium-sized establishments also put up their own respective health and safety committee as forming one is not expensive.

Apart from the company’s social responsibility to promote the well-being of their employees, Gust added that establishing such a committee also reflects the sincerity of the management to ensure the safety and health of their workers.

Gust pointed out that only when accidents happen do companies realize the value of creating a health and safety committee that undertakes measures and programs to promote health and safety.

Members of the committee should include the chief executive officer, leader of the workers’ union and the safety officer.

“Investing in prevention of work-related accidents is very important,” Gust said.

Gust further said that labor output depends on the well-being of the workers so making them safe in the work environment and promoting their health in general results to enhanced productivity.

She identified the hazards in the workplace such as physical, chemical, ergonomic, and psychological in nature while the top sectors where accidents commonly take place are in the areas of construction, manufacturing, mining, transportation and hotel, restaurant and resort. — Gregg M. Rubio/QSB