BASIC OCCUPATIONAL

SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Occupational Safety and Health Center
Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

OSH Situationer

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 7 of 250
 Unit 1 – Introduction to OSH
Module 2: OSH Situation in the Global and Local Levels

Module 2, aims to provide a background on both the local and international OSH
situation. We hope that by being aware and focusing on the magnitude of work-related
accidents, injuries and illness, you will understand the prevalent conditions that exist
which contribute to the accidents and illness at work.

Let us share with you a historical event which led to OSH improvements in the early 19 th
century. During the industrial revolution of 1800 – 1900s, the use of machines,
equipment and chemicals were intensive as manufacturing processes, agriculture and
train/steam engine transport were the driving force of the economy. However,
numerous work-related accidents and deaths occurred arising from hazards in these
industries. Statistics, at that time, showed that safety hazards, chemical exposures and
injuries from manufacturing work were very high. This led to the development of
guidelines and standards to protect workers from work-related hazards and risks in the
above-mentioned industries.

As work patterns change, trends on accidents and diseases may also reflect how
workers are affected. In the late 20th century and until the present, we see that
predominance of the service sector (wholesale and retail trade, education, hotels and
restaurants, banks, health-care etc.), and we are now confronted with data that reveal
work-related muscle and joint injuries experienced by the service sector workers and
the emergence of the science of ergonomics which will be discussed at length in the
Occupational Health module.

Objectives:
Working on this module should help you:
- articulate a heightened awareness of the OSH situation, both local and
international
- identify the problems, issues and challenges associated with OSH conditions in
the country

Global OSH figures

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Safework Introductory Report in 2008

showed that close to 50% of work-related deaths occur in Asia. In developing
countries, fatality rates are five to six times higher than in industrialized nations and
in developing countries where, every year, around 170,000 agricultural workers and
320,000 people die from exposures to biological risks such as viral, bacterial, insect or
animal related risks.

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 8 of 250
The latest ILO figures reveal that,

“Every 15 seconds, 160 workers have a work-related accident. Every 15 seconds, a

worker dies from a work-related accident or disease.

Everyday, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related

diseases – more than 2.3 million deaths per year. Over 337 million accidents occur on
the job annually; many of these resulting in extended absences from work. The human
cost of this daily adversity is vast and the economic burden of poor occupational safety
and health practices is estimated at 4% of global Gross Domestic product each year.

The safety and health conditions at work are very different between countries,
economic sectors and social groups. Deaths and injuries take a heavy toll in developing
countries, where a large part of the population is engaged in hazardous activities such
as agriculture, fishing and mining. Throughout the world, the poorest and least
protected – often women, children and migrants – are among the most affected.”
(Safety and Health at Work, International Labour Organization, accessed September 6, 2011
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/lang--en/index.htm )

To see figures in other countries, you may refer to these websites

United States of America

http://www.bls.gov/iif#tables
http://www.bls.gov/data/home.htm

Canada
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/information/information/injury_statistics.html

Japan
http://www.jniosh.go.jp/icpro/jicosh-old/english/statistics/index.html

Philippines
http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph
http://www.bles.dole.gov.ph

International Labour Organization

http://laborsta.ilo.org
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/index.htm

Philippine Labor and OSH statistics

According to the latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO),
the Philippine labor force/ economically active population, which refers to persons 15
years old and above who are employed or underemployed, totals 38.905M in October
2010.

“Of the estimated 36.0 million employed persons in 2010, more than half (51.8%)
were engaged in services and about one-third (33.2%) were in agriculture. Most of
those who worked in the services sector were into wholesale and retail trade, repair of
motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods (19.5% of the total
employed).
Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training
Page 9 of 250
Of the total employed persons, the laborers and unskilled workers comprised the
largest group (32.3%). This was followed by farmers, forestry workers and fishermen
(16.0%); officials of government and special interest organizations, corporate
executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors (13.8%); and service
workers, shop and market sales workers (10.6%). The rest of the major occupation
groups each comprised less than 10 percent ranging from 0.4 percent to 7.7 percent.
The majority (54.4%) of the employed were wage and salary workers, most of whom
were in private establishments (40.4% of the total employed). Thirty percent were self-
employed without any paid employee, four percent were employer in own family-
operated business or farm while nearly 12 percent worked without pay in own family-
operated farm or business.

More than half (63.5%) of the total employed were full time workers or have worked
for at least 40 hours per week. On the average, employed persons worked 41.7 hours a
week in 2010.

The number of underemployed workers in 2010 was 6.8 million, representing an

annual underemployment rate of 18.7 percent. Underemployed workers are persons
who express the desire to have additional hours of work in the present job, or to have
an additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours. The lowest
underemployment rate was observed in Central Luzon (9.1%) while the highest was
noted in Bicol Region (36.8%).

About 2.9 million Filipinos were unemployed in 2010 representing an unemployment

rate of 7.3 percent for the year. The unemployed persons who have attained high
school accounted for 45.2 percent of all unemployed. The proportion of unemployed
males was greater than that of their female counterparts (63.3% compared to 36.7%).”
(2010 ANNUAL LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS, released February 8, 2011,
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/press release/2011/pr1111tx.html)

According to the July 2011 Current Labor Statistics of the DOLE Bureau of Labor and
Employment Statistics (BLES), there are 8M OFWs with 1.47M deployed in 2010. Of
the OFWs deployed in 2010, 1,123,676 are land based and 347,150 are sea-based.
After knowing these statistics, the question that comes to mind is “how many Filipino
workers are protected from accidents and illnesses while they work?”

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 10 of 250
Taken in 2007-2008 and released in 2010, the
latest Bureau of Labor and Employment
Statistics (BLES) Integrated Survey (BITS) on
cases of occupational injuries and diseases
that affected private sector establishments
covered 6,460 sample non-agricultural
establishments with 20 or more workers. It
has expanded its coverage 65 industries
including building and repairing of ships and
boats (manufacturing industry); bus line
operation (transport, storage and
communications); accounting, bookkeeping
and auditing activities; tax consultancy,
architectural, engineering and related
technical consultancy; call center activities,
medical transcription and related outsourcing
activities (real estate, renting and business
activities); and animated films and cartoons
production (other community, social and
personal service activities) industries.

The BITS results reveal that a total of 44,800 occupational accidents occurred in 4,600
non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or more workers in 2007, a figure lower
by 14.7% than the 52,515 accidents that affected 4, 824 establishments in 2003.
Occupational injuries resulting from workplace accidents declined by 20.7% from
58,720 in 2003 to 46,570 in 2007.

Cases that required absence/s from work stood at 23,265 in 2003 and 20,386 in 2007
or a reduction of 12.4%. Almost all cases with workdays lost in 2007 were temporary
disabilities (20,109). This is 12.4% lower than the caseload of 22,964 in 2003.

Fatalities decreased by 31.8%

Figure 2
(from 170 in 2003 to 116 in
2007. However those
permanently incapacitated
increased by 23.7 % (from
131 in 2003 to 162 in 2007).

Contributing factors to
occupational accidents and
injuries include machines,
equipment, hand tools,
materials, buildings,
structures and chemical
substances.

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 11 of 250
On the other hand, training on the proper handling and correct operation of
machines, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) precautions and carefulness in
work prevent accidents and promote safety in establishments.

The largest caseload of injuries with workdays lost in 2007 was recorded in
manufacturing establishments at 61.0% (12,427). This industry also posted the biggest
share at 61.9% four years earlier. The rest of the industries had lower shares ranging
from 0.2% (financial intermediation) to 9.2% (hotels and restaurants) in 2007 and
from 0.3% (mining and quarrying) to 11.6% (wholesale and retail trade) in 2003. (Table
1).

Relative to their specific industry totals, private education injury cases with workdays
lost had multiplied by as much as three times its 2003 level (from 132 in 2003 to 436
in 2007). Other noticeable percentage increases were recorded in mining and
quarrying at 58.3% (from 60 in 2003 to 95 in 2007) and in hotels and restaurants at
57.1% (from 1,195 in 2003 to 1,877 in 2007). On the other hand, remarkable
decreases were noted in other community, social and personal service entities at
66.1% (from 546 in 2003 to 185 in 2007) and in financial intermediation activities at
52.0% (from 100 in 2003 to 48 in 2007).

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 12 of 250
Definition of Terms:

Occupational accident - an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, including acts of violence

arising out of or in connection with work which results in one or more workers incurring a
personal injury, disease or death. It can occur outside the usual workplace/premises of the
establishment while the worker is on business on behalf of his/her employer, i.e., in another
establishment or while on travel, transport or in road traffic.

Occupational injury - an injury which results from a work-related event or a single

instantaneous exposure in the work environment (occupational accident). Where more than
one person is injured in a single accident, each case of occupational injury should be counted
separately. If one person is injured in more than one occupational accident during the
reference period, each case of injury to that person should be counted separately. Recurrent
absences due to an injury resulting from a single occupational accident should be treated as
the continuation of the same case of occupational injury not as a new case.

Temporary incapacity - case where an injured person was absent from work for at least one
day, excluding the day of the accident, and 1) was able to perform again the normal duties of
the job or position occupied at the time of the occupational accident or 2) will be able to
perform the same job but his/her total absence from work is expected not to exceed a year
starting the day after the accident, or 3) did not return to the same job but the reason for
changing the job is not related to his/her inability to perform the job at the time of the
occupational accident.

Permanent incapacity - case where an injured person was absent from work for at least one
day, excluding the day of the accident, and 1) was never able to perform again the normal
duties of the job or position occupied at the time of the occupational accident, or 2) will be
able to perform the same job but his/her total absence from work is expected to exceed a year
starting the day after the accident.

Fatal case - case where a person is fatally injured as a result of occupational accident whether
death occurs immediately after the accident or within the same reference year as the accident.

Injuries incurring days away from work recorded a Frequency Rate (FR) of 2.79 in
2007. This was 1.28 percentage points lower than the FR of 4.07 in 2003. Expectedly,
this was coherent to the 12.4% reduction in the number of cases of occupational
injuries to 20,386 in 2007 from 23,265 in 2003.
Categories by incapacity for work on cases with workdays lost recorded frequency
rates as follows:

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 13 of 250
Definition of Terms:

Frequency Rate (FR) – refers to cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per 1,000,000
employee-hours of exposure.

Incidence Rate (IR) – refers to cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per 1,000
workers.

Severity Rate (SR) – refers to workdays lost of cases of occupational injuries resulting to
temporary incapacity per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure.

Average Workdays Lost – refer to workdays lost for every case of occupational injury resulting
to temporary incapacity.

Cases of occupational diseases in non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or

more workers decreased by 14.8% from 55,413 in 2003 to 47,235 in 2007. Incidences
of occupational diseases decreased in almost all types of diseases in 2007 except in
bronchial asthma (+29.9%), occupational dermatitis (+18.6%) and essential
hypertension (+7.8). Work-related musculoskeletal diseases were most prevalent in
non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or more workers both in 2003 and
2007. This type of disease accounted for 37.2% (2003) and 28.1 % (2007) of the totals.
Other types which made up more than 10% of the total diseases in 2007 were
bronchial asthma (18.5%), infections (13.8%), essential hypertension (13.0%) and
occupational dermatitis (12.6%).

Source of data: Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics, BLES Integrated Survey (2003/2004 and
2007/2008).

The present local data does not present a total picture of OSH situation in the
Philippines. As you can see, the BITS survey is limited only to the 6,460 companies
covered out of the estimated 780,500 existing establishments in the country. Many
companies do not report accidents and injuries.
Data gathering has been problematic because of the following conditions:

 Under reporting of work-related accidents and illnesses. Rule 1050 of the

Philippine Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) requires all
employers to report all work accidents or occupational illnesses resulting to
disabling conditions to the DOLE Regional Office in their area. However, very
few companies submit reports.

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 14 of 250
  Limited coverage of the OSH information and education and OSHS
implementation. Vulnerable groups such as the informal sector (which
amounts to 28M or 80% of the Filipino workforce) are often left out in the OSH
education, information and program implementation because they are do not
have the capacity to pay for trainings and most of the time are not even aware
that they can protect themselves from accidents and illnesses. Many of them
think that the diseases and accidents they experience is part of the nature of
their work and cannot be prevented. On a positive note, OSHC has been doing
a lot of OSH awareness campaigns for informal workers.

 Inadequate number of trained OSH personnel. There has been an upsurge of

OSH awareness worldwide and companies both here and abroad require
companies to hire trained OSH personnel. This has caused an exponential
increase in the number of workers who have undergone and are wanting to
avail of OSH trainings but because accidents continue to happen, more
dedicated and trained personnel are needed.

 Absence of strict penalties. There is no system of fines for violations of the

different provisions of the OSHS.

 Weak enforcement of OSH laws –problem is traceable also to the absence of

strict penalties on violations of OSH standards.

 Fragmented OSH administration. There is no central authority to coordinate all

OSH efforts.

 Public apathy on OSH concerns. Most people do not generally pay attention to
OSH concerns.

 Low priority on OSH concerns by both management and labor. The former is
more concerned about profit while the latter is with wages and other
monetary benefits.

Emerging issues in OSH

 Aside from the problems already identified, participants should also be aware
that there are emerging OSH issues – such as women workers’ issues, OSH and
child labor, OSH in the informal sector, agriculture, in schools and lifestyle
diseases such as AIDS and diabetes, and many others.

 Women are often faced with multiple burdens. They have take on the burden
of the home they perform the role of a wife and a mother. These may also
affect her performance at the workplace and add to the stresses that come
with the job. The hazards that a women worker is exposed to while at work to
can affect her reproductive health and for a pregnant worker, her unborn
child.

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 15 of 250
  There are 250 million child laborers around the world of which 3.7 million are
found in the Philippines. Of these, 2.2M are in hazardous jobs. Employing
children in these types of work greatly affects the quality of their life and in
serious cases, may even cause serious disabilities or death. The OSHC
researches on the footwear industry, fishing, mining, and agriculture, helped in
the formulation of policies, in advocacy campaigns to take children out of
hazardous work.

 The use of pesticides in farms is also another issue. Farmers or farm workers
who handle pesticides may be unaware of the hazards that they are exposed
to. Constant exposure of a worker, has enormous adverse effects his or her
health. Workers handling pesticides may even bring home residues of the
chemicals and, affecting their families and the community.

 There is also little mechanism on OSH for the informal sector considering that
they represent more than half of the total workforce and is the sector badly in
need of OSH information since they have the tendency to ignore such concerns
just to get their daily incomes.

 In schools, students are also exposed to hazards such as chemicals and

electricity, while bullying and hazing (both psycho-social issues) are becoming
more common. Many school buildings are also risks themselves.

Although the number of work-related accidents and illnesses has decreased in the
recent years here in the Philippines, cases of occupational injuries and diseases
continue to occur. We at the OSHC subscribe to the principle that “one life lost is one
too many.” Everyone must therefore be involved in the effort to contain OSH concerns
to enhance one’s working life. After all, most of us work mainly for economic
purposes - “ang hanap-buhay ay para ikabuhay, hindi para ikamatay.”

Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training

Page 16 of 250