Module 2: Department Order No. 2: Importance of Osh in Construction
Module 2: Department Order No. 2: Importance of Osh in Construction
Module 2: Department Order No. 2: Importance of Osh in Construction
2
IMPORTANCE OF OSH IN CONSTRUCTION
industry
• “Certified first-aider” means any person trained and duly certified or qualified to administer first-aid by the
Philippine National Red Cross or by any organization accredited by the same.
• “Construction project manager/consultant” means a person or entity who is hired by the project owner, to act in
the owner’s behalf concerning supervision and monitoring of all matters related to the overall execution of a
construction project. The construction project manager shall be a separate entity from the general constructor or
any subcontractor of the construction project.
• “Construction safety and health committee” means the general safety and health committee for a construction
project site that shall be the overall coordinator in implementing OSH programs.
• “Construction safety and health officer” means any employee/worker trained and, in addition to their regular
duties and responsibilities, tasked by his employer to implement occupational safety and health programs in
accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS).
• “Construction safety signage” refers to any, but not limited to, emergency or danger sign, warning sign or safety
instruction, of standard colors and sizes in accordance with the specifications for standard colors of signs for safety
instructions and warnings in building premises as described in Table II of the OSHS
• “Constructor” is deemed synonymous with the term “builder”. It refers to any person or organization who
undertakes or offers to undertake or purports to have the capacity to undertake or submits a bid to, or does himself
or by or through others, construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any
building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other structure, project, development or improvement, or to do any
part thereof, including the erection of scaffolding or other structures or works in connection therewith. The term
constructor includes subcontractor and specialty contractor
• “General constructor” means a constructor who has general supervision over other constructors in the execution
of the project and who directly receives instructions from the owner or construction project manager (if one is
appointed by the owner).
• “General safety and health inspection” refers to inspection of the work environment, including the location and
operation of machinery other than those covered by technical safety inspections, adequacy of work space,
ventilation, lighting, conditions of work environment, handling, storage or work procedures, protection facilities and
other safety and health hazards in the workplace
• “Imminent danger” means a condition or practice that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious
physical harm before abatement under the normal enforcement procedures can be accomplished.
• “Occupational health personnel” refers to a qualified first-aider, nurse, dentist, or physician, engaged by the
employer to provide occupational health services in the establishment/undertaking.
• “Resident engineer” means a duly licensed engineer who shall be tasked to be present at the construction site at
all times, whenever work is being undertaken, and shall have the responsibility of assuring the technical
conformance of all designs, materials, processes, work procedures rendered for the execution of the construction
project, including safety and health of all persons within the construction site.
• “Safety and health committee” means a group tasked with the authority to monitor, inspect, and investigate all
aspects of the construction project pertaining to health and safety of construction workers.
• “Safety organization” means any organization recognized and accredited by the DOLE to conduct occupational
safety and health training and/or safety and health audit.
• “Safety personnel” refers to any person engaged by any constructor, trained, accredited by DOLE and tasked to
provide occupational safety and health services for the workers/employees in any construction project.
• “Skills standards” refers to the written specification of the minimum stock knowledge and skills a worker should
possess to perform the functions identified in the job description of his occupation.
• “Technical safety inspection” refers to inspection for the purpose of safety determination of boilers, pressure
vessels, internal combustion engines, electrical installations, elevators, hoisting equipment and other mechanical
equipment.
D.O - 13 GUIDELINES GOVERNING OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
• “Treatment Room” refers to any enclosed area or room equipped with the necessary medical facilities and
supplies and located within the premises of the establishment where workers maybe brought for examination and
treatment of their injuries or illnesses in cases of emergency.
• “Tool box meeting or gang meeting” refers to daily meeting among workers and their respective supervisors for the
purpose of instruction, discussion and proper briefing on the planned work, the assessment of past work, the
possibility or actual occurrence of accidents at the site, tips and suggestions on how to prevent possible accidents
and other related matters.
• “Unguarded surface” refers to any working surface above water or ground, temporary or permanent floor platform,
scaffold construction or wherever workers are exposed to the possibility of falls hazardous to life or limb.
• As embodied in Article 162, Chapter 2, Title I of Book Four of The Labor Code of the Philippines, "The Secretary of
Labor and Employment shall by appropriate orders set and enforce mandatory occupational safety and health
standards to eliminate or reduce occupational safety and health hazards in all work places and institute new
and update existing programs to ensure safe and healthful working conditions in all places of employment."
• As embodied in Article 165, Chapter 2, Title I of Book Four of The Labor Code of the Philippines, "(a) The
Department of Labor and Employment shall be solely responsible for the administration and enforcement of
occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards in all establishments and workplaces wherever
they may be located"
• Chartered Cities and Municipalities may be allowed to conduct Technical Safety Inspections and general safety
audit of construction project sites within their respective jurisdiction where they have adequate facilities and
competent personnel for the purpose as determined by the DOLE and subject to national standards established by
the latter, provided they submit for approval an application for such authority.
• Private Safety Organizations with adequate facilities and competent personnel for the purpose, may be accredited
by DOLE to conduct technical and/or general Safety and Health Audit of construction project sites, for and in behalf
of the company or establishment.
• Accreditation of safety organizations and practitioners shall be in accordance with Rule 1030 of the OSHS.
5.1 The Construction Safety and Health Program shall state the following:
• Composition of the Construction Safety and Health Committee, if one has been formed, otherwise, an
undertaking to organize such committee and appoint its members before the start of construction work at
the project site; specific safety policies which the General Constructor undertakes to observe and maintain
in its construction site, including the frequency of and persons responsible for conducting toolbox and gang
meetings;
• Penalties and sanctions for violations of the Construction Safety and Health Program; frequency, content and
persons responsible for orienting, instructing and training all workers at the site with regard to the
Construction Safety and Health Program under which they operate; and
• The manner of disposing waste arising from the construction.
5.3 The cost of implementing the Construction Safety and Health Program shall be integrated into the project’s
construction cost, provided, that said cost shall be a separate pay item, duly quantified and stated in the project’s
tender documents and construction contract documents
Provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) shall be in accordance with Rule 1080 of the OSHS. The equivalent
cost for the provision of PPE (life span, depreciation, replacement, etc.) Shall be an integral part of the project cost.
6.1 The employer shall provide adequate and approved type of protective equipment. Workers within the
construction project site shall be required to wear the necessary PPE at all times.
6.2 Construction workers who are working from unguarded surfaces six (6) meters or more above water or ground,
temporary or permanent floor platform, scaffold or where they are exposed to the possibility of falls hazardous to
life or limb, must be provided with safety harnesses and life lines.
6.3 Specialty construction workers must be provided with special protective equipment, such as specialized
goggles or respirators for welders and painters or paint applicators.
6.4 All other persons who are either authorized or allowed to be at a construction site shall wear appropriate PPE.
7.1 The General Constructor must provide for a full-time officer, who shall be assigned as the general construction
safety and health officer to oversee full time the overall management of the Construction Safety and Health
Program. The general construction safety and health officer shall frequently monitor and inspect any health and
safety aspect of the construction work being undertaken. He shall also assist government inspectors in the
conduct of safety and health inspection at any time whenever work is being performed or during the conduct of
accident investigation.
7.2 The General Constructor must provide for additional Construction Safety and Health Officer/s in accordance
with the requirements for Safety Man/Officer of Rule 1033 (Training and Personnel Complement), depending on the
total number of personnel assigned to the construction project site, to oversee the effective compliance with the
Construction Safety and Health Program at the site, under the direct supervision of the general construction safety
and health officer.
7.4 Each construction subcontractor must provide for a representative, who shall have the same qualifications
as a Safety Man/Officer, to oversee the management of the Construction Safety and Health Program for the
subcontractor’s workforce and the specific area of work operations in accordance with the requirements of
Rule 1033 of the OSHS. All safety personnel who will be employed by an employer on full-time basis should be
accredited by the BWC of the DOLE.
• The services of a certified first-aider when the total number of workers is fifty (50) or less;
• The services of a full-time registered nurse when the total number of workers exceeds fifty (50) but not more
than two hundred (200);
• The services of a full-time registered nurse, a parttime physician and a dentist, and an emergency clinic when
the total number of workers exceeds two hundred (200) but not more than three hundred (300); and
• The services of a full-time registered nurse, a full-time physician, a dentist and an infirmary or emergency
hospital with one (1) bed capacity when the number of employees exceed three hundred (300). In addition,
there should be one (1) bed capacity for every one hundred (100) employees in excess of three hundred (300).
8.3 The engagement of an Emergency Health Provider for the construction project site shall be considered as
having complied with the requirement of accessibility to the nearest hospital facilities.
8.4 The employer shall always have in the construction site the required minimum inventory of medicines, supplies
and equipment as indicated in
• Mandatory requirement on the usage of personal protective equipment prior to entry to the project site.
• Areas where there are potential risks of falling objects.
• Areas where there are potential risks of falling.
• Areas where explosives and flammable substances are used or stored.
• Areas where there are tripping or slipping hazards.
• Approaches to working areas were danger from toxic or irritant airborne. Contaminants/substances may exist
which should indicate the name of the contaminant/substance involved and the type of respiratory equipment to
be worn
• All places where contact with or proximity to electrical/facility equipment can cause danger.
• All places where workers may come in contact with dangerous moving parts of machineries or equipment.
• Location of fire alarms and firefighting equipment.
• Instructions on the usage of specific construction equipment.
• Periodic updating of man-hours lost.
D.O - 13 GUIDELINES GOVERNING OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
• Signages should be regularly inspected and maintained in good condition. Signages that are damaged or
illegible or that no longer apply should be removed and replaced by the safety officer, as needed.
10.1 Pre-Construction
The General Constructor must ensure that appropriate certification is obtained from DOLE duly accredited
organizations for the following:
• All heavy equipment operators assigned at the project site must be tested and certified in accordance with a
standard trade test prescribed by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in
coordination with its accredited organization/s.
• All heavy equipment must be tested and certified in accordance with the standards prepared by DOLE or its
recognized organization/s prior to commissioning of said equipment.
The General Constructor and the equipment owner shall maintain a separate logbook for data on maintenance,
repairs, tests and inspections for each heavy equipment. Such logbook shall be used as a necessary reference during
the conduct of equipment inspection.
To ensure that these rules and the Construction Safety and Health Program are observed and enforced at the
project site, each site shall, at the start of the construction have a construction safety and health committee
composed of the following personnel as described under Section 7 above:
The chairperson shall convene the Construction Safety and Health Committee at regular intervals so as to
effectively and efficiently monitor the implementation of the Construction Safety and Health Program. As such, he
shall have the following duties:
• Plan, develop and oversee the implementation of accident prevention programs for the construction project;
• Direct the accident prevention efforts for the construction project in accordance with these rules and the
Construction Safety and Health Program;
• Initiate and supervise the conduct of brief safety meetings or toolbox meetings every day;
• Review reports of safety and health inspections, accident investigations;
• Prepare and submit to DOLE reports on committee meetings;
• Provide necessary assistance to government inspecting authorities in the proper conduct of their
enforcement and other activities;
• Initiate and supervise safety and health training for employees;
• Develop and maintain a disaster contingency plan and organize such emergency service units as may be
necessary to handle disaster
• Perform all duties provided in the Construction Safety and Health Program or those that are necessary and
incidental to the fulfillment of their duties herein described.
12.2 No person shall be deployed in a construction site unless he has undergone a safety and health awareness
seminar conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), BWC and other concerned offices of
DOLE or by safety professionals or safety organizations or other institutions DOLE has accredited or recognized.
The DOLE in collaboration with constructors shall promote programs for the implementation of these awareness
seminars for construction workers.
12.3 Every worker shall receive instruction and training regarding the general safety and health measures common
to construction sites which shall include:
12.4 The instruction, training and information materials, shall be given in a language or dialect understood by the
worker. Written, oral, visual and participative approaches shall be used to ensure that the worker has assimilated
the material.
12.5 Each supervisor or any designated person (e.g. foreman, lead man, gang boss, etc.) shall conduct daily tool
box or similar meetings prior to starting the tasks for the day to discuss with the workers and anticipate safety and
health problems related to every task and the potential solutions to those problems. The supervisor shall remind
the workers on the necessary safety precautions that need to be undertaken
All safety personnel involved in a construction project shall be required to complete such basic training course. Every
constructor shall provide continuing construction safety and health training to all technical personnel under his
employ. Continuing training shall be a minimum of 16 hours per year for every full-time safety personnel.
In case of any dangerous occurrence or major accident resulting in death or permanent total disability, the concerned
employer shall initially notify the DOLE Regional Office within twenty- four (24) hours from occurrence. After the
conduct of investigation by the concerned construction safety and health officer, the employer shall report all
permanent total disabilities to DOLE Regional Office on or before the 20th of the month following the date of
occurrence of accident using the DOLE/BWC/HSD-IP-6
In this regard, all construction workers in critical occupations shall undergo mandatory skills testing for certification by
TESDA.
All provisions of other existing occupational safety and health standards, rules and regulations not specifically
provided herein shall remain in full force and effect.
In the event that any provision of this Guidelines is declared invalid by competent authority, the rest of the provisions
thereof not affected shall remain in full force and effect.
Any such violation committed by construction contractors, whether general constructors or sub-contractors, shall
constitute as prima facie case of a construction malperformance of grave consequence due to negligence,
incompetence or malpractice contemplated under R.A. 4566 (Constructors’ Licensing Law), as amended, and its
Implementing Rules and Regulations.
19.2 In cases of imminent danger situations, the DOLE Regional Director shall issue a stoppage order, in
conformance with the guidelines specified under Rule 1012.02 of the OSHS and other pertinent issuances for
stoppage of operation or for other appropriate action to abate the danger. Pending the issuance of the order, the
employer shall take e appropriate measures to protect his workers. The stoppage order shall remain in effect until
the danger is removed or corrected. Non-compliance with the order shall be penalized under existing provisions of
labor laws.
Nothing herein shall be construed to authorize diminution or reduction of benefits being enjoyed by employees at the
time of issuance hereof.