PD 856

CODE ON SANITATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

INTRO

 PD 856, otherwise know as the Code Sanitation of the Philippines, contains sanitary regulations, including
regulations of water analysis laboratories and examination of the water supply, in keeping with the modern
standards of sanitation.
 December 23, 1975
 Mandates the accreditation of water analysis laboratories.
CLASSIFICATION

 As to ownership- government or private laboratories

 As to institutional character-institutional based or free-standing laboratories
 As to service capability- bacteriological analysis lab., biological analysis lab., physical analysis lab., chemical
analysis lab., and radiological analysis lab.
 The laboratory workplace shall correlate with the volume and type of analysis to be undertaken including
provisions for periods of peak of overload.
 Freestanding laboratories shall have a minimum of 20 sqm workspace requirement.
ACCREDITATION

 General rule: laboratories of drinking water analysis are required to register with the HFSRB, and no laboratory
shall operate without any valid certificate of accreditation(COA).
 Exception: laboratories utilized purely for academic training and/or research and other laboratories performing in-
house monitoring are excluded from the regulation.
 Furthermore,
 **for the initial issuance of the COA- HFSRB shall exercise its regulatory function.
 **for the renewal of the COA-Center for Health Development (CHD) shall be responsible.
 NRL for drinking water analysis is the EAST AVENUE MEDICAL CENTER.
 COA- valid for 2 years.
CERTIFICATE OF ACCREDITATION

 The ff. are the Guidelines for the COAs:

 1. the COA is valid for 2 years and expires on the last day of December stated in the certificate. Failure to submit an
application for renewal of accreditation within 60 days of the expiration date will result in lapse of accreditation and
cancellation of registration.
 2. the COA granted cannot be assigned directly or indirectly to any party.
 3. a separate COA is required for all laboratories or branches maintained in separate premises but operated under the
same management.
 4. the COA should be placed in an area that is readily visible to the public.
 5. a laboratory for drinking water analysis laboratory that is a unit/section/ division of a clinical laboratory is not
required to secure a separate COA. Hence, permission to perform an examination of drinking water shall be
included in the License to Operate of a clinical laboratory.
 in applying for a COA, an applicant must first submit an application to the HFSRB or, in case of renewal, to the
CHD, accompanied by the current proficiency test result. Thereafter, the HFSRB/ CHD representative shall
conduct an on-site survey to determine compliance with the standards and technical requirements within 30 days
from filing of the application. If the applicant complied with the requirements, a COA will be issued, and a written
report outlining the laboratories shall be provided.
 *application that is not processed within 60 days from filing shall be deemed granted and a COA shall be issued.
SUPERVISION, MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING

 Laboratories for drinking water shall be under the direction and supervision of a Licensed sanitary engineer.
 If the laboratory is attached to a licensed clinical laboratory, the clinical laboratory pathologist licensed to
supervise the laboratory for drinking water analysis.
 If the area where there is no available licensed sanitary engineer, a licensed chemist, RMT or registered
pharmacist may provisionally supervise its operation.
 Rmt, registered pharmacist, licensed chemist or microbiologist are qualified to take up the post of an analyst in
the laboratory for drinking water analysis.
REPORTS AND RECORDS

 The analyst in charge of the official laboratory report and the head of the laboratory are the only individuals
authorized to sign the official water analysis report.
 VIOLATIONS AND PENAL PROVISIONS
 The secretary of health, through HFSRB, is charged with the responsibility of strictly enforcing the provisions of
P.D. 856, particularly for the registration of laboratories for drinking water and its implementing rules.
APPEAL

File a notice of
Secretary of health’s
Decision of the appeal to the
decision will be final
HFSRB/CHD Secretary of health
and executory
within 15 days