The Philippines, Occupational Safety and Health Standards
RULE
1040
HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE
Source:
Occupational Safety and Health Standards (As Amended).
Bureau of Working Conditions, Department of Labour and
Employment, Manila, Philippines. Second Publication, as amended,
1990. Copyright Reserved per P.D. 49
RULE 1040
1041 : General Requirements:
In every place of employment, a safety committee shall be
organized within sixty (60) days after this Standards takes
effect and for new establishments within one (1) month from the
date the business starts operating. In both cases the Safety
Committee shall reorganize every January of the following year.
1042 : Types and Composition of Health and Safety Committee:
1042.01 : Type A:
In every workplace having a total of over four hundred (400)
workers the following shall compose the Health and Safety
Committee:
Chairman - The manager or his authorized representative
who
must be a top operating of official.
Members - Two department heads
- Four
workers (must be union members, if organized)
- The
company physician
Secretary - The safety man
1042.02: Type B:
In every workplace having a total of over two hundred (200) to
four hundred (400) workers, the following shall compose the
Health and Safety Committee:
Chairman - The manager or his authorized representative
who
must be a top operating of official.
Members - One supervisor
- Three
workers (must be union members, if
organized)
- The
company physician or the company nurse
Secretary - The safety man
1042.03 : Type C:
In every workplace with one hundred (100) to two hundred (200)
workers, the following shall compose the Health and 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
1042.04 : Type D:
In every workplace 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)
- The
nurse/first-aider
Secretary - The part-time safety man
In this workplace, the line type as defined in 1048.02 may be
organized.
1042.05 : Type E: Joint Committee
When two or more establishments are housed under one building,
the safety committee organized in each workplace shall form
themselves into a Joint Coordinating Committee to plan and
implement programs and activities concerning all the
establishments.
The Joint Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the
following:
Chairman - The chairman of the establishment
committee
Members - Two supervisors from two different
establishments
- Two
workers from two different establishments
(union members, if organized)
Secretary - Appointed by the Chairman (in highrise, the
Secretary shall be the building administrator)
1042.06 : Membership of Committee:
The membership as provided are minimum requirements and nothing
shall prohibit increases in the number of members as may be found
necessary.
Where the workers are not organized, they shalt be selected by
a simple majority of votes of the workers.
1043 : Duties of the Health and Safety Committee:
1043.01 : Health and Safety Committee:
The Health and Safety Committee is the planning and policy making
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.
1044 : Term of Office of Members:
1044.01 : Health and Safety Committee:
In order to provide an opportunity for other workers to become
member and participate in safety program planning, a periodic
change in membership is encouraged. For this purpose, the term
of office of the department head in the committee may be one (1)
year. The term office of the worker members in Type A and Type
B may be for two (2) years each; in Type C, D and E Committees,
may all be one (1) year . The chairman, physician or nurse and
the safety man shall be permanent members of the committee.
1044.02 : 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.
1045 : Duties of the Employers:
Safety committees play very important roles in eliminating work
hazards. Developing workers interest and participation in the
planning and development of safety program is the responsibility
of the employer. The employer must exercise the leadership
necessary and provide support to make the program work. The
principal duties of the employer are:
(1) Establishes and adopts in writing administrative policies
on safety in conformity with the provisions of this
Standards outlining therein his responsibility and
authority delegated.
(2) Reports to the enforcing authority in two (2) copies of the
policies adopted and the safety organization
established to
carry out the program on safety and health within one
month
after the organization or reorganization of the safety
committee
(3) Reports to the enforcing authority having jurisdiction at
least once in every three (3) months, counting from
January, the safety program of the organization
outlining
the activities undertaken including its safety
performance,
safety committee meetings and its recommendations and
measures taken to implement such recommendations.
(4) Acts en recommended measures by the safety committee by
adopting the elements of the safety program in the
production process or workplace and in case of
non-adoption
of the Safety Committee's recommendation to inform the
committee of his reasons.
1046 : Duties of the Workers:
(1) Works in accordance with accepted safety practices and
standards established by the employer incompliance with
the
provisions of this Standards.
(2) Report's unsafe conditions and practices to the supervisor
by making suggestions for correction or removal of
accident
hazards.
(3) Serves as members of the Safety Committee.
(4) Cooperates actively with the Safety Committee.
(5) Assists government agencies in the conduct of health and
safety inspection or other programs.
1047 : Duties of the Safety Man:
The principal function of the Safety Man is to act as the
employers' principal assistant and consultant in the application
of programs to remove the hazards from the workplace and to
correct unsafe work practices. For this purpose, the Safety Man
has the following duties:
(1) Serves as Secretary to the Safety Committee. As such, he
shall:
a. prepare minutes of meetings;
b. report status of recommendations made;
c. notify members of the meetings; and
d. submit to the employer a report of the activities of the
committee, including recommendations made.
(2) Acts in an advisory capacity on all matters pertaining to
safety for the guidance of the employer and the
workers.
(3) Conducts investigation of accidents as member of the Safety
Committee and submits his separate report and analysis
of
accidents to the employer.
(4) Coordinates all safety training programs for the employees
and employer.
(5) Conducts safety inspection as member of the committee.
(6) Maintains or helps in the maintenance of an efficient
accident record system and coordinates actions taken by
supervisors to eliminate accident causes.
(7) Provides assistance to government agencies in the conduct
of safety and health inspection, accident investigation
or
any other related programs.
(8) For purposes of effectiveness in a workplace where
full-time safety man is required, he shall report
directly
to the employer.
1048 : Other Types of Safely organizations:
Subject to the approval of the Secretary or his duty authorized
representative, the employer may establish in his place of
employment the line or staff type of organization.
1048.01 : Line Type:
A form of organization where the general manager or head of the
establishment directs the safety programs and assumes overall
responsibility for the safety in the establishment. He in turn
delegates the application of safety programs to plant personnel
occupying line positions.
1048.02 : Staff Type:
Staff safety organization or safety engineer type consists of a
line organization with specialized personnel employed to advise
and assist management in all matters of safety. Said personnel
are responsible to the top executive exercising staff functions,
serve all departments in an advisory capacity and supervise the
application of the safety program in the workplace.
The International Labour Organization is a United Nations specialized agency.