DOLE: Nearly 10,000 businesses failed to comply with safety, health standards amid COVID-19

Amid the threat of COVID-19, almost 10,000 business establishments failed to comply with safety and health standards to protect workers, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In a House budget hearing on Wednesday, DOLE Assistant Secretary Maria Teresita Cucueco said they inspected 40,943 establishments but only 31,000 were found to be compliant.

“As of August, 40,943 establishments have been inspected and we already have seen 31,000 establishments that have been complying, with a compliance rate of 75%,” she said.

Aside from DOLE, Cucueco said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and concerned local governments will help establishments with violations resolve their deficiencies in health standards.

She noted that DOLE inspected the workplaces based on their compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards law and the national guidelines against the spread of COVID-19.

During the House panel deliberation on DOLE’s budget, Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia encouraged businesses to train employees as health officers amid the pandemic.

“’Yung mga negosyo po sana makapag-comply tayo,” he said.

On Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the clustering of COVID-19 cases are mainly found in communities, modes of transportation, and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.—AOL, GMA News