Chapter 12 | Promoting Health and Safety

Introduction to Workplace Health and Safety

• Focus on promoting health, well-being, and safety of workers.

• WHO's definition of a healthy workplace:

  • Collaborative environment with shared vision for worker and community well-being.

  • Provides physical, psychological, social, and organizational support.

  • Empowers workers and managers to control and improve their health.

Why Healthy Workplaces Matter

• Achieving a healthy workplace requires joint effort from employees and management.

• It includes health protection and promotion—not just physical safety but also mental and social well-being.

• Though there are costs, WHO advocates for healthy workplaces because:

  • It is ethically right.

  • It makes business sense.

  • It is legally mandated.

Creating a Safe and Healthy Work Environment

• Workers spend at least 8 hours daily at work—safety must be ensured.

• Organizations can promote health and safety through:

  • Choosing non-toxic, safe production inputs (e.g., safer chemicals).

  • Installing machine guards to prevent injuries.

  • Applying ergonomic principles in equipment and workspace design.

  • Providing proper lighting and ventilation.

  • Enforcing zero tolerance for workplace bullying and sexual harassment.

  • Educating workers on health and safety practices.

Health and Safety as an Investment

• Safer, healthier practices lead to:

  • Healthier, less fatigued, more productive workers.

  • Higher comfort and morale from proper lighting and equipment.

  • Workplace security through anti-harassment policies.

  • Reduced healthcare costs via protective equipment.

  • Improved long-term behavior from safety education.

Legal Requirements for Health and Safety (Philippines)

• Governed by Book Four of the Labor Code:

  • Mandates medical and dental services for employees.

  • Requires first-aid kits and trained personnel in all organizations.

• Medical staffing requirements by workplace size:

  • 51–200 employees: Registered nurse + clinic.

  • 201–300 employees: Emergency clinic with nurse, part-time physician & dentist.

  • 300+ employees: Infirmary with nurse, full-time physician & dentist; 1 bed per 100 employees.

Government Support and Standards

• Enforcement through Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) (since 1978).

  • Aims to protect workers’ physical, social, and economic well-being.

  • Employers must:

    • Ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

    • Provide safety training and instructions.

    • Use only approved safety equipment.

    • Comply with safety regulations.

• Employees are covered by the Employees' Compensation and State Insurance Fund for income and medical benefits in case of work-related injury or death.

Approaches to Health and Safety

• The Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) provide the framework for health and safety programs in the Philippines.

• OSHS requires:

  • Establishment of health and safety committees in every workplace.

  • Training of employees on health and safety.

  • Record keeping of accidents and occupational illnesses.

• OSHS outlines rules and standards covering:

  • Workplace premises and their safety.

  • Occupational health and environmental control.

  • Use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

  • Handling of hazardous materials.

  • Gas and electric welding/cutting operations.

  • Hazardous work processes, explosives, and materials handling/storage.

  • Boilers, unfired pressure vessels, internal combustion engines.

  • Machine guarding and electrical safety.

  • Elevators and related equipment.

  • Piping system identification and power piping lines.

  • Construction safety and logging operations.

  • Fire protection and control.

  • Use of pesticides and fertilizers.

  • Provision of occupational health services.

• Organizational health and safety programs typically include:

  • Formation of a dedicated health and safety committee.

  • Promotion of positive attitudes toward safety and well-being.

  • Provision of safety equipment and safeguards to minimize accidents.

  • Emergency medical services and facilities to enhance health and well-being.

Toward a Healthy Workplace:

• While most programs emphasize safety, maintaining a healthy workforce is equally important.

• Health initiatives in organizations often include:

  • Pre-employment medical examinations to ensure healthy new hires.

  • Annual physical checkups for early diagnosis and prevention of illnesses.

  • Promotion of lifestyle changes to prevent diseases like:

    • Type 2 diabetes

    • Hypertension

    • Heart disease

    • Atherosclerosis

    • Diseases linked to alcohol and smoking

• Contributing factors to lifestyle-related diseases include:

  • Poor dietary choices

  • Sedentary lifestyle

  • Disrupted biological clock

  • Poor posture

• Some organizations aim not just for health but for overall wellness of employees:

  • Wellness helps reduce stress, prevent illness, and improve social interactions.

  • Defined as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”

• Organizational efforts to promote wellness include:

  • Training on healthy eating and disease management (e.g., diabetes).

  • Influencing employee attitudes toward healthy lifestyles.

  • Providing physical activity facilities (e.g., tennis, basketball courts).

    • Examples: Meralco, TMX Philippines, Toyota Motors Philippines

  • Sponsoring sports tournaments in rented venues for companies lacking space.

• Some companies also offer:

  • Healthy food options in office cafeterias.

    • Examples: Asian Development Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

Toward a Safe Workplace

• Establishment of a Safety Committee (as required by OSHS):

  • Leads health and safety programs.

  • Ensures compliance with safety standards.

  • Handles violations.

  • Includes representatives from various organizational levels for comprehensive communication.

• Development of Safety Policies:

  • Based on the framework provided by the OSHS.

• Behavioral Change Efforts:

  • Education and training are key to changing unsafe behaviors.

  • Orientation includes:

    • Awareness of potential hazards.

    • Employee roles in preventing accidents.

    • Procedures to follow when accidents occur.

• Specific Training Topics:

  • Proper use of protective gear.

  • Use of machine guards and other injury-prevention devices.

• Provision of Safeguards:

  • Safety devices on machines to prevent operator injuries.

  • Protective gear (goggles, hard hats, lab gowns) for hazardous work.

  • Ensuring a hazard-free workplace, including:

    • Proper building construction per OSHS standards.

    • Adequate ventilation and lighting.

    • Availability of fire exits and clear exit corridors.

• Monitoring and Evaluation:

  • Track compliance with safety rules.

  • Reward positive behavior, penalize violations.

  • Publicize incident reports and safety trends.

    • Raises awareness and encourages safer practices.

    • Informs management of areas needing improvement.

  • Assess effectiveness of safety programs:

    • Understand what works and why.

    • Ensure proper implementation and continuous improvement.

Issues Concerning Workplace Safety, Health, and Wellness

• Focus Areas:

  • Workplace violence

  • Bullying

  • Sexual harassment

• Definitions of Workplace Violence:

  • ILO (2003): Any action or behavior departing from reasonable conduct that leads to assault, threat, or harm during or due to work.

  • CCOHS (2012): Any act of abuse, threat, intimidation, or assault at work.

  • Includes both physical and non-physical (verbal/written threats, bullying, harassment, homicide).

• Impact of Workplace Violence:

  • Affects not just victims, but also witnesses and coworkers.

  • Harms relationships, trust, and security within the workplace.

  • Leads to:

    • Reduced employee performance.

    • Damaged company image.

    • Decreased client numbers.

    • Increased employee turnover.

• Scope of “Workplace”:

  • Extends beyond office—includes off-site events, conferences, and any place connected to work.

• Risk Factors for Workplace Violence:

  • Job nature:

    • Handling money (cashiers, tellers).

    • Service providers (health-care workers).

    • Change management (managers, HR).

    • Transport (taxi drivers, delivery workers).

    • Alcohol service (restaurant/hotel staff).

  • Physical environment:

    • Isolated or poorly lit areas.

    • High-crime zones.

  • Trigger events:

    • Performance interviews.

    • Layoffs and downsizing.

    • Labor strikes.

• Organizational Commitment to Safety:

  • Must start with a written workplace violence policy.

  • Communicated via:

    • Manuals

    • Bulletin boards

    • Intranet

    • Training programs

  • Policy should:

    • Define workplace violence.

    • Explain risk assessment and reporting procedures.

    • Detail response actions during incidents.

• Absence of OSHS Guidelines:

  • OSHS lacks specific mention of workplace violence.

  • Still, many Philippine companies (e.g., TeleTech, Fluor Corporation, Citigroup, Golder Associates) have policies addressing it.

• Implementation Strategies:

  • Training:

    • Educates employees on policy content.

    • Helps them assess and prevent violent situations.

  • Workplace Design:

    • Designate restricted areas for visitors.

    • Install safety features like:

      • Cash-handling barriers

      • Bright lighting

      • Fences and security systems

    • Limit travel in high-risk areas to daytime.

    • Vary deposit schedules to reduce robbery risk.

Workplace Bullying

• Workplace Bullying: Forms, Reasons, And Explanations

  • Workplace bullying happens for various reasons and takes several forms

    • Some bullying stems from escalated conflicts where one party sees bullying as a way to destroy the other (Matthiesen and Einarsen 2010)

    • Perpetrators often wait for the target to make mistakes and highlight them to undermine the target's skills or worth

  • Predatory bullying occurs when a bully targets a convenient victim, usually someone with less power or part of an out-group (Einarsen 1999)

    • Examples of predatory bullying include scapegoating, oppressive management, and acting on biases

    • Filipinos commonly use humor in various situations, including the workplace

  • Humor-oriented bullying begins innocently but can become aggressive and humiliating when persistently targeted at one individual (Matthiesen and Einarsen 2010)

    • Teasing based on regional accents, such as the Visayan accent, is common in some Philippine workplaces

    • Physical traits like weight or skin color are also common topics of jokes that may become bullying

    • Newcomers are often targeted through teasing, insults, and exclusion as a form of rite of passage (Matthiesen and Einarsen 2010)

    • This exclusion may lead to isolation, a hostile work environment, and in some cases, resignation

  ---

  Explanations Of Bullying

  • Bullying is a complex phenomenon explained by individual, social, and organizational factors

  • Individuals with threatened self-esteem may bully, especially if they depend on external validation (Zapf and Einarsen 2011)

  • Poor self-control and social competence can lead to bullying behavior, such as yelling at subordinates

  • Some perpetrators lack self-awareness and justify their actions by blaming stress or circumstances

  • Research on victims’ personalities is inconclusive, but many tend to have low social competence and conflict management skills

  • Some victims lack a sense of humor and perceive jokes as attacks, which makes them common targets (Einarsen 1999; Brodsky 1976)

  • In the Philippines, individuals who are easily irritated ("Ang Pikon, Talo") are often the focus of jokes

  • Not all targets fit the stereotype; some are self-aware and high-achieving individuals who still become victims

  ---

  Addressing Bullying

  • Clear job descriptions and orientation about management expectations can help reduce bullying

  • Reward systems should be reviewed to discourage unhealthy competition or resentment

  • Organizations should implement periodic reviews and monitoring of anti-bullying efforts

Sexual Harassment

• Another form of workplace violence is sexual harassment

• Sexual harassment is defined as "any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individual's employment and creates a hostile work environment" (Robbins and Judge 2013, 455)

• In the Philippines, RA 7877 or the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 declares sexual harassment unlawful

• The law applies to the employment, education, or training environment

• Sexual harassment is committed when a person in authority, influence, or moral ascendancy demands or requires any sexual favor, even if the request is not accepted (RA 7877)

• Implicit in the law is the unequal power dynamic between target and perpetrator

• Resolution No. 01-0940, or the Administrative Disciplinary Rules on Sexual Harassment Cases (SC 2001), covers public sector cases, including those involving peers, associates, and clients

• The locale of sexual harassment includes non-traditional spaces like social functions, conferences, travel, and calls

Current Developments And Proposed Changes

• The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) seeks to:

  • Redefine sexual harassment

  • Include harassment by peers

  • Strengthen monitoring mechanisms (PCW 2013)

Antecedents Of Sexual Harassment

• Organizational climate is a strong predictor of sexual harassment (Willness, Steel, and Lee 2007)

• Factors that increase the risk include:

  • Absence of clear policies

  • Organizational tolerance

  • Poor implementation of procedures

• The job gender context also matters:

  • In male-dominated occupations, the risk of harassment is higher

Consequences Of Sexual Harassment

• Job satisfaction is negatively affected, especially regarding coworkers

• Peers, not just supervisors, are common perpetrators

• Organizational commitment declines with harassment experiences

• Work withdrawal (e.g., absenteeism, lateness) is more likely than immediate job withdrawal

• Harassment lowers work-group productivity

• Both psychological and physical well-being of victims are impacted

Addressing Sexual Harassment

• Management has a responsibility to minimize or eradicate harassment

• One key enabling factor is the organizational climate

• Useful resources for policy-making:

  • RA 7877

  • Resolution No. 01-0940

• It's not enough to have a policy—it must be communicated and explained

• Organizations should provide:

  • Counseling services for both victim and perpetrator

  • Confidential handling of cases

  • Protection from retaliation

  • Monitoring of policy implementation