Teaching of proper exercises at work urged

Aside from requiring “standing breaks” for desk-bound workers, the labor department should also release demonstration videos to show what exercises would help those who were required to sit at a desk for long periods.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) made the suggestion after the issuance of Department Order (DO) No. 184, requiring the standing breaks.

“We are looking at the primary objective of the new DO as to minimize job-related stresses, diseases, sicknesses and deaths caused on workers due to stationary or sedentary nature of their work,” said Alan Tanjusay, ALU-TUCP spokesperson.

“We expect the Department of Labor and Employment to roll out and inform all employers about the new workplace rule for the wellness of their employee in today’s very stressful times,” he added.

Tanjusay said that they were also hoping there would be no additional cost to employees once the DO was implemented in workplaces.

“We hope that the employers [will] look at it as a policy for their workers to be healthy and productive in their work and not as an additional cost,” he said.

In DO 184, the labor department sought to enforce safety and health standards, and eliminate health risks related to sedentary work or sitting while working for long hours.

Under the DO, employers are required to provide workers with regular five-minute breaks every two hours from sitting time.