DOLE goes ZAP; develops safety and health program for Hanjin workers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has developed an occupational safety and health (OSH) action program for the shipbuilding facility of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.- Philippines (HHIC-Phil.) at Subic Bay Freeport aimed at ensuring occupational health and safety (OSH) and preventing fatal accidents at the Hanjin worksite.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the program would assist HHIC-Phil. in developing an OSH system geared towards the implementation of a plant-level zero accident program (ZAP) at its worksite within the shortest possible time.

Roque said the program was formulated by the DOLE team consisting of the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC), and the DOLE-Region 3 office in San Fernando City, Pampanga with Undersecretary Lourdes Trasmonte as chair.

The DOLE Chief formed the team to address the safety concerns of Hanjin following the series of accidents at its worksite that had killed 17 workers since 2007.

He said the team conducted a workplace safety and health assessment at Hanjin and subsequently devised the OSH action program in a bid to correct hazardous practices, ensure compliance to OSH standards, and put a stop to fatal accidents at the shipbuilding facility.

He said the program recommended the conduct of mandatory safety training courses which began last month with Hanjin workers and subcontractors as initial participants in construction safety training. Another OSH appreciation courses are being conducted this week for participants from the shipbuilding section.

Roque said all the participants are required to come up with re-entry plans for integration in their OSH programs adding the re-entry plans would be necessary in the development of the ZAP program for Hanjin.

" We aim for zero accident at Hanjin," Roque said as he urged Hanjin management and workers to build a workplace culture that gives prime importance on full obedience to safe practices and regulations.

The DOLE OSH action program also recommended the setting up of an OSH committee, which will be in charge of developing and implementing the ZAP program. It also asked Hanjin to institute a system that would correct, update, and disseminate information on potential hazards and risks to its workers especially the newly hired ones.

http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/details.asp?id=N000002242