History

Occupational Safety and Health was

strongly believed to have emanated from
the introduction of machineries. This
transition of manpower to machine power,
exposed workers to moving gears, cutting
blades and power operation, which
brought about the various hazards
confronting workers at the workplace.
 PREHISTORIC
● Defensive weaponry
● Silicosis from hard quartz
● Mining for flint

BABYLONIANS
● 2000 B.C. – 6th Ruler, Hammurabi
● Code of Hammurabi
● Set precedent the early form of
worker’s compensation insurance
● “If a man has caused the loss of a
gentleman’s eye, his own eye shall be
caused to be lost”
 EGYPTIANS
● Organized construction of temples, pyramids and tombs
● Rameses II ( 1500 B.C.)
• Canal from Mediterranean to Red Sea
• Constructed huge temples “Ramesseum”
• Provided medical services for workers to maintain a “healthy”
workforce

GREEKS
● Nicander, poet & physician
● Wrote poem, “Alexipharmaca” describing lead poisoning
● Hippocrates, Father of Medicine
● Described effects of tetanus
● Hippocratic Oath
 ROMANS
● Built extensive aqueducts, sewage systems,
public baths, latrines and ventilated houses
● Poets and philosophers wrote about ills of
certain occupations, toxic substances, plague
etc.
● Alexander the Great – first medical services for
the army
● Pliny the Elder – first respirators made of ox
bladders for workers exposed to mercury
 TH TH CENTURY
6 – 17
● Construction and world exploration
● Some power-driven factories
● Start of textile industry
● Poor living conditions and plague
 18th
● Ramazzini “CENTURY
Father of Occupational
Medicine”
● Wrote Discourse on Disease of Workers
● Suggested physicians ask: “What is your
occupation?”
● Mass manufacturing textiles cotton & wool
followed by metal, wood and leather goods
 Industrial Revolution –
1837
The extensive use of power
machinery initially imported
from England during a time
referred to as the Industrial
Revolution ushered in a
period of work deaths and
disability never seen before
or since.
 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

● Inanimate power sources - coal & steam

● Substitution of machines for human skills
● Invention of new methods of
manufacturing.
● Organization of work in large units

● What effect did these changes have on

the safety and health of workers?
The greatest upsurge in
industrial growth occurred
around 1880 with the rapid
increase of steel production.
Weaving machines
& equipment –
steam powered and
later by electricity
Labor was untrained and
unskilled.
 The Worker’s Plight – 1900

11 to 13 hrs exposure to
accident potential.

Public sympathy rises

(Labor Organization)
The old employer’s liability law was of no
help to the worker because doctrines of
the common law supplied employers with
an adequate defense against suits
brought about by injured workers or their
families
 COMMON LAW
1. The employee Contributed to the cause
of the accident.
2. Another employee contributed to the
cause of the accident.
3. The employee knew of the hazards
involved in the accident before the injury
was sustained and still agreed to work in
the condition for pay.
4. There was no employer negligence.
 ORGANIZED LABOR
● Organized labor has fought for safer working
conditions and compensation for injured workers.
● Overturned the anti-labor laws:
• Fellow-servant rule – employers were not liable for
workplace injuries that resulted from negligence of
other employees
• Contributory negligence – If actions of employees
contributed to own injuries
• Assumption of Risk – workers who accept a job
assume the risks of the job and consequences of the
risk
It was extremely difficult to obtain an adequate
settlement since common law gave injured
workers very little chance for compensation
due to :
● injured worker will usually hesitate to put his
job in jeopardy by suing his employer;
● does not have much chance to prove
his case in court;
● out of court settlement proved to be more
beneficial on the part of the worker than legal
action.
 A Demand for Change: Legislative
Progress
• 1870 – Employer’s Liability Acts (first
corrective measures)
• 1907 – The British Act also served as a model for
the first compensation law in the US (1908)
• 1911 – The Compensation Law of Wisconsin
(first significant legislation in the US)
•1913 – The US Dept. of Labor was created
• 1915 – The American Society of Safety Engineers
was organized.
 Comprehensive Federal Law in US

• 1948 – all states in the US had

workmen’s compensation laws
•1970 – US Congress passed OSHA of 1970
● Until the beginning of the 20th century, many
owners & society at large took a fatalistic view of
safety.

● Accidents are seen as regrettable, but not

preventable.

● Farm workers & immigrants willing to risk their

lives & limbs went to the city for decent wage.

● The occurrence of accidents led social reformers &

labor unions push for more humane workplaces.
 Progress of Safety Movement and OSH
Legislations in the Philippines

The first period is characterized by the adoption of

a reactive policies:
1903 – Development of OSH in the Philippines
1908 – Employer’s Liability Act was instituted requiring
employers to compensate workers who were
injured while performing their job
1908 – DOLE started as a small Bureau.
1927 – Workmen’s Compensation Act No. 3428 was passed
which provided payment of damages by the employer
for illnesses, in addition to injury or death due to
employment
1933 – DOLE became a Department on Dec. 8, 1933
 Philippine
Constitution

Article XIII Section 3 of

Philippine
Constitution
● The state shall afford
full protection to labor,
.....
● They shall be entitled to
security of tenure,
humane conditions of
work, and a living
The second period is characterized by the adoption of
proactive measures/policies
1936 – Commonwealth Act No. 104 was passed. The first
legislation that directly enjoined management to
ensure the promotion of safety & health in the
workplace. Called the First Industrial Safety Law
1945 – Commonwealth Act No. 696 was approved to include
safety in the installation & operation of boilers and
pressure vessels.
1948 – Philippines became a member of ILO
1954 – Enactment of RA No. 1054 (Free Emergency Medical
& Dental Treatment Act)
1967 – Proclamation No. 115-A was issued
declaring the year & every year thereafter as
SAFETY & ACCIDENT PREVENTION YEAR.
January General Orientation

February Air Transportation

March Fire Prevention

April Vacation Hazards

May Land Transportation

June Sea Transportation

July Schools

August Farms

September Heath and Sanitation

October Industry & Commerce

November Mines

December Holiday Hazards & Homes

The second period is characterized by the adoption
of proactive measures/policies
1974 – PD 442 (LCP) was passed.
1975 – Started the program on accreditation for
safety training organization to conduct OSH
training
1977 – Tripartite body was created to study the
proposed OSHS
1978 – OSHS was approved. National
Tripartite Committee was created to
study the improvement of the OSHS
1984 – Tripartite consultation was held to amend OSHS
Rule 1410 was amended
1988 – OSHC was inaugurated, created per EO 307
(the first in Southeast Asia)
• Law : P.D. 442
: Labor Code of the Philippines
• Title
• Year Passed : 1974

• Relevant Provisions : Book IV, Titles I & II

• Implementing Agency: DOLE

• Content: A consolidation of labor and social laws to

afford full protection to labor, promote employment and
human resources development and ensure industrial
peace based on social justice.
Book IV, Title I
Chapter I
Medical & Dental Services
Chapter II
Occupational Safety
Legal Basis of the Occupational Safety
& Health Standards
■ Article 162, Chapter
II, LCP:
Safety & Health
Standards:
The Secretary of Labor
shall, by appropriate
orders, set and enforce
mandatory Occupational
Safety and Health
Standards to eliminate or
reduce occupational
safety and health hazards
in all workplaces and
institute new, and update
existing programs to

Book IV, Title I – Medical,
Dental and Occupational
Safety
Occupational Safety and
Health Standards, (OSHS)
*Rules and Regulations
Implementing Art. 162,Title I,
PD 442, Passed in 1978
The second period is characterized by the
adoption of proactive measures/policies
1989 – Major amendments of OSHS took place.
1998 – Tripartite Council on OSH in Construction
Industry was created.
1998 – Department Order No. 13 (Implementing
Guidelines in the Implementation of OSH
in Construction Industry) was issued.
1998 – Memorandum Circular No .02 – Guidelines
for Classifying Hazardous & Non – Hazardous
Workplaces.
2000 – MC No.01–Guidelines for the Conduct of
Work Environment Assessment (WEA)
2000 – MC No. 02–Guidelines in the Application of
Workplace Component of RA 8504 known as
“Phil. AIDS Prevention & Control Act of 1998”
2001 –Amendments of OSHS (Rule 1030, Rule
1160,
Rule 1170, Rule 1180 & New Rule 1240)
2003 – Department Order No. 16 amending Rule
1030 of the OSHS (Training & Accreditation of
Personnel in OSH) was approved.
2004 – Department 54 – 07 (New Labor Standards
Enforcement Framework) & Department Order
53 – 03 (Guidelines in the Implementation of
a Drug–Free Workplace Policy & Programs in
the Private Sector) was approved.
➢ There is low priority given to OSH.
➢ Lack of education & training on
OSH among workers &
➢
management.
➢
Lack of trained OSH personnel.
➢ Weak enforcement of OSH
➢ Standards.
➢ Lack of OSH facilities.
Statistics does not give reliable
Needs to reinforce
data due to low rateinformation.
of
compliance, absence of strict
penalties, and fragmented BWC
administration.
Employers and Workers are Obliged to :

To fulfill the SOCIAL obligation

- We must save lives
- Do whatever it takes

To fulfill the FISCAL obligation

• We must save money
• Do what we have to

To fulfill the LEGAL obligation

We must stay out of trouble
Do only what we have to
■ People causes unsafe ACTS &
unsafe CONDITIONS which are
sources of hazards.
■ Safety must be a way of life. It
provides corrective, preventive &
predictive measures to minimize
accidents.
■ Loss avoidance through
systematic approach in safety
■ management.
Safety is required by LAW.
➢ PROFITABILITY – a business
must make money (profit) in order
to survive.
➢
GROWTH – to increase its profit, it
must expand, go into other types
➢
of business.
CONTINUITY – any interruption or
disruption of a business operation
will affect its productivity and
profitability.
COMPANIES are now geared to
meet customers’
requirements.

Many of them are now working for

ISO Certification Programs on
QMS (ISO 9001:2000), EMS
(ISO 14001:2004) & OHSMS
(OHSAS 18001:2007).
➢ QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM …
Customer Satisfaction

➢ ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM …

Zero Waste

➢ SAFETY & HEALTH MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM … Zero Accident Performance
▪ DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
▪ NO RE-WORK.
▪ JUST IN TIME.
▪ WORKING TOGETHER, GROWING TOGETHER.
▪ COST REDUCTION, INNOVATION.
▪ 5S, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Etc.
SAFETY – freedom from HAZARDS.
HAZARD – anything that may likely cause
personal injury or damage to property,
or their combination.

Since NO WORKPLACE with ZERO hazards:

SAFETY is control of hazards to attain
an acceptable level of RISKS.
RISKS is the degree of exposure or chances
of exposure to hazards.
ACCIDENT – is an [unplanned,
unexpected, unwanted, unforeseen]
EVENT that interrupts or disrupts
the normal and orderly progress of
any activity which may result in
injury (minor, serious or fatal) to
people and/or damage or
destruction of property that result to
losses; or their combination.
Accidents (with or without injuries)
occur when a series of unrelated
events coincide at a certain time
and space.
- This can be from a few events to
a series of a dozen or more events,
thus actual accidents only happen
infrequently.
The immediate causes of accidents
are the :
● unsafe ACTS
● unsafe CONDITIONS.
➢ Negligence
➢ Anger/Temper
➢ Hasty
➢ Decisions
➢ Indifference
➢ Distractions
➢ Curiosity
➢ Inadequate
➢ Instructions Poor Work
➢ Habits
Over-Confidenc
e Lack of
An unsafe act occurs in
approximately 85%- 95% of all
analyzed accidents with
injuries
- An unsafe act is usually the
last of a series of events
before the accident occurs (it
could occur at any step of the
event)
- By stopping or eliminating the
unsafe act, we can stop the
accident from occurring
Although an accident could occur with
the first unsafe act, studies have
shown that between 300 to 1000
of the same unsafe acts occur
before an injury is sustained
- This is mainly due to the other
series of events that may not
align.
● Presence of defective
tools/equipment/materials
● Congestion or restricted body movement
● Inadequate warning systems
● Presence of Fire/explosion hazards
● Poor housekeeping/disorder
● With Noise/radiation exposure
● Exposure to extremes of temperature
/ ventilation
● Inadequate guards / barriers
■ Laws contain administrative requirements,
general safety & health rules, technical
safety regulations & other measures to
eliminate or reduce hazards in the
workplace.
✓ Laws are meant to be
implemented/enforced
by the government

✓ Laws are meant to be

followed by the citizens
LAWS ■ Labor Code of the Philippines
■ (DOLE) OSH Standards (DOLE/BWC)
■ Fire Code of the Philippines (DILG)
■ Sanitation Code of Philippines (DOH)
■ Building Code of the Philippines
■ (LGU) Philippine Electrical Code
■ Philippine Society of
Mechanical Engineers, etc.
LIFE

■ BUSINESSES & INVESTMENTS

■ WORKERS
 INVESTORS/BUSINESSMEN

NEED TO PROTECT

Properties Workers

THEY are their ASSETS

■ They have price
■ They have life
■ They are needed
■ They comprise his workplace
■ Property :

● damage/spoilage
● , thief/fire, etc.

■ Workers :

● injury/harm/deat
● h Illness/sickness
1 HAZARDOUS

2 HIGHLY HAZARDOUS

3 NON–HAZARDOUS
● It preserves the lives of

✓ workers, and the

✓ company

● It is mandated by law
● It is a form of
● motivation It creates
understanding
“SAFETY …is without doubt,
the most crucial investment we
can make, and the question is
not what it costs us
but what it saves.”
Frank Bird