Senate ratifies reconciled version of occupational safety bill

Sen. Joel Villanueva at the ratification of the reconciled version of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Bill on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. (Photo from his Facebook page)

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) Bill moved a step closer to becoming a law after the Senate ratified on Tuesday its reconciled version.

The bill – which seeks to penalize companies that do not comply with OSHS standards – hurdled the bicameral committee on Monday.

Once the President signs the bill into law, employers would no longer be able to ignore occupational safety and health standards, Sen. Joel Villanueva, main author of the bill, said in a statement.

“The lives of workers are at stake whenever there’s negligence,” he said in Filipino.

The measure would provide for the visitorial power of the labor secretary to enter workplaces at any time of the day or night to investigate working conditions of employees.

A company will be fined P100,000 per day that it fails to comply with standards, sarting the notice of violation.

“More should be done to prevent workplace injuries or deaths and ensure that workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility, but in the future, through a clear and effective policies on occupational safety and health standards, we can attain a safe and healthy workplaces for all, a consciousness of safety in our everyday activity,” Villanueva said.

In explaining his vote to ratify the measure, Villanueva cited recent workplace mishaps that harmed workers. /atm