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Workers' group seeks measures to protect employees amid severe heat
A workers’ rights group on Monday called on employers to implement measures to aid workers amid the scorching heat affecting most of the country.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged workplaces to convene its Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Committee to plan policies and address the impact of high temperatures on employees' health and safety.
An OSH Committee composed of representatives of employees and employers whose main role is to help ensure workplace safety by participating in the development, implementation, and monitoring of company health and safety policy and procedures.
"We have been consulting our members across the country since the temperatures have been rising early this year,” said FFW Vice President Julius Cainglet in a press statement.
“Most of the workers' responses have been through their own doing, like loading up on liquids; or some unilateral policy by management, thus with no benefit of meaningful dialogue on safety and health backed by science," he said.
State weather bureau PAGASA expects high heat indices ranging from 42°C to 47°C in 36 areas in the country on Monday.
According to Cainglet, the FFW is willing to provide more value to the OSH Toolkits by zeroing in on the role of workers in promoting a culture of safety and health in the workplace.
"By all indications we are in this for the long haul. We cannot be satisfied with stop gap measures to address this direct impact of climate change,” he said.
“We need standards to start the 'just transition' process for permanent changes we need to introduce to cope with the extreme heat that is dangerous to humans and all other living creatures, as well as to industrial machines not built for the changing conditions," he added.
