Insurance coverage for construction workers sought

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is tackling a proposal mandating insurance coverage for construction workers amid a boom in the real estate industry.

Being deliberated in the House committee on labor and employment is House Bill 5975 or the proposed “Construction Workers’ Insurance Act,” which mandates accident and life insurance coverage for construction workers that will ensure their safety and promote their welfare amid the hazardous and dangerous work environment.

Authored by Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, the measure intends to require employers and contractors of construction workers to provide mandatory group personal accident insurance coverage to guarantee financial security to injured workers and their families.

“News of accidents is nothing new in construction sites, either through the negligence of the employer or the employee’s lack of skill. Physical harm, disability, or worst, death is often the result,” Gatchalian said.

“Unfortunately, it is almost always the workers that are left shortchanged after the occurrence of such accidents. Oftentimes, the employer merely offers a measly sum to the family of the deceased worker to compensate for their loss,” he said.

A 2011 report by the Philippine Construction Association revealed that the construction industry employed an average of 1.8 million workers from 2008 to 2011, second only to the manufacturing industry. Construction lands in the top five industries in terms of total number of workers.

The same report, however, noted that being a construction worker remains one of the more hazardous and risky occupations in terms of safety and health.

Based on the Labor Statistics Survey in 2007 conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment, the most common diseases of construction workers are bronchial asthma, infections and diseases in the musculoskeletal system.