ON the heels of two workplace tragedies in Quezon City, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) yesterday called for a bigger budget allocation for labor inspection, particularly to check for violations of occupational safety and health standards (OSHS).
In a statement, FFW president Sonny Matula said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) needs 5,000 labor inspectors to check the 1,080,810 establishments nationwide but has around only 1,200.
He said a bigger funding for labor inspection activities will prevent more deaths in workplaces arising from violations of safety standards.
“We call upon Congress to allocate more funds dedicated to worker inspection and visitorial initiatives,” he said.
“This call includes the increase in the budget of the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) so as to intensify efforts at raising the awareness of workers and enterprises on safety and health and the close monitoring of adherence to OSHS,” he added.
He said injuries or the loss of lives can be prevented if basic occupational safety and health measures are observed.
Weeks ago, a construction worker died while three others were injured after a concrete wall that was being demolished at the Quezon City Hall collapsed.
Last week, 15 workers died after a t-shirt factory in Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City was engulfed by fire. — Gerard Naval
