Occupational Health and Safety

by Pet Melliza on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 11:48am


ILOILO CITY, Philippines (10 September 2011) -- Dr. Tino Alerta, resource person in today's episode of Kape kag Isyu, tackles occupational medicine as topic. 


A faculty member of the College of Medicine, Central Philippine University (CPU) in Iloilo City, Alerta asks companies to exercise "corporate responsibility" in dealing with communities and workers. They have to comply with the Labor Code, health and environment laws of the Philippines to ensure safety of their workers and clean environment of communities.

Deaths of employees, whether job related or not, by accident or otherwise, must be reported to the DOLE which has the duty to monitor conditions at places of work.

Alerta, who wrote on health issues in one local daily, cites one principle in hiring "PEME" which stands for "pre-employment medical examination" to establish a "baseline" for regular monitoring of the health conditions of employees.

"This is important to determine whether diseases that eventually develop in the course of years is cause by work conditions", he says. "If two or more workers contract hearing problems, we can determine whether it is a pattern and thus, cause by work conditions".

Atty. Dwight Trasadas brings out the issue of foul odor from the back of SM City mall that could be smelled by shoppers in a nearby mall. The obnoxious air stems from the sewage treatment plant of the giant mall which "only shows that its STP (sewage treatment plant) is not working", explains Alerta.

Waste matter produces acids like ammonia, methane and sulfur. At lower levels, their odor hurts the nose. However, their accumulation "can lead to the real danger". Alerta says that heavy concentration of these gasses makes them odorless or sweet smelling, no longer repelling to the public who can't smell the dangerour air they are breathing.

The Crew
Dr. Alerta (L) asking businesses to practice "corporate responsibility". At the right is Pet Melliza
From R-L): Co-host Joel Estuche, Dr. Alerta, host Peter Jimenea, and Atty. Dwight Trasadas

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