TESDA reminds welders that they offer free training, occupational safety skills

Given the allegation that a welder accidentally started the Valenzuela City factory fire in which 72 people were killed, the Technical Education and Skills Development Administration (TESDA) on Friday appealed to welders with no formal training to get in touch with the agency and get certified.

TESDA Public Information Office Executive Director Marta Hernandez made it clear that the training was free, and the curriculum included occupational safety skills. "Kasama rin doon ung pagaaral tungkol sa paggamit ng fire extinguisher. So kailangan din nilang malaman ano ba ang pwedeng paggamitan ng fire extinguisher na yun kung ito ay for... chemicals." Hernandez explained.

Welder training at TESDA lasts three months, with 35 slots per batch. The agency also offers scholarships at private welding schools for trainees TESDA cannot accommodate.

Meanwhile, safety professionals at TESDA said that though welders clad only in flip-flops, shorts, and sleeveless shirts may be a daily sight in neighborhood machine shops and steel works, these did not meet standard safety procedures for welders.

Welders should be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as: a fiber glass welding mask, a leather apron or jacket, leather gloves, and leather leggings.  

TESDA welding instructor Shirley Alah said that they had come across trainees who resisted instruction to use PPEs. "Kasi nakikita daw nila sa tatay nila, sa tito nila, na basta lang magwe-welding wala silang pakialam. Sabi nga nila nakakatamad daw magsuot." Alah recounted.

Hazard control

However, PPEs were just a small part of welding's safety protocols, and was even the lowest rung in the hazard control ladder.

At the top of the hazard control ladder or hierarchy is what safety professionals call Elimination - the removal of hazardous elements in the operation or project plan. Next is Substitution or the replacement of the hazardous element with a safer alternative. Third is Engineering Control or designing the workplace for safety.

Installation of safety equipment and construction of building safety features are included in Engineering Control, explained Alah. "Meron tayo ritong mga lava shield... Ang lava shield po ay isang curtain na ginagamit para maiwasan ang pagtalsik ng anuman... Kailangan naman po may proper ventilation para maiwasan naman po ang anuman posibleng mangyari tulad ng pagkahilo."

Fourth among the safety protocols is Administrative Control or making management decisions for the safety of the operation, such as: designation of workplaces, assignment of work shifts, and processing of permits. Securing the Hot Work Permit before a welding project from the Bureau of Fire Protection is one of the imperatives of Administrative Control in welding operations.

"Dine-determine po natin sino yung magwe-welding, yung skilled worker,”  BFP Fire Safety Enforcement Division Chief Engr. Ariel Mirada said. “Sino po yung person in authority o yung magsu-supervise doon. Kailan siya mag-uumpisa mag-welding, anong oras siya matatapos."

Gener Cortez, a welding instructor at a private firm said their company fires as many as 10 welders everyday due to failures in complying with safety procedures. "Usually rason nila, nakalimutan kasi hindi sila exposed o hindi sila sanay sa ganoong procedure. Parang bara-bara na lang." Cortez said. — DVM, GMA News