Workplace Safety and Security Management Practices in the Construction Industry of Nueva Vizcaya

Abstract

One of the challenges in the modern infrastructure development of the Philippines under the “Build, Build, Build” program is ensuring the safety and security of its workers. The success and implementation of infrastructure projects depend on how the projects are executed, including the management of health and safety standards. Failure to comply with these standards would affect the cost, time, and quality of the project. Hence, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Department Order (D.O.) No. 13, s. 1998, was created to address issues and concerns related to safety and health management. In Nueva Vizcaya, although safety and health programs and management plans are already incorporated into project activities, there are still skill gaps that need to be addressed, with the ultimate goal of not only sustaining the existing standards but also improving them. The respondents’ sociodemographic profiles (Safety Officers, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers) and the profiles of the construction firms operating in Nueva Vizcaya were analyzed and found to be compliant with D.O. No. 13, s. 1998. Likewise, the level of safety and security management practices and the workers’ level of satisfaction with safety and security were found to be high. The study also shows a significant relationship between the level of safety and management practices implemented and the level of satisfaction with safety and security among workers in construction firms. Based on the study, monitoring of compliance with safety and health activities in project implementation should be institutionalized not only within internal implementing agencies but also among external monitoring bodies, such as the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (RPMEC), Provincial Project Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (PPMEC), DOLE, and other monitoring bodies. This is aimed at assessing non-compliant contractors for possible sanctions.