Question & AnswerQ&A (DOH)
Industrial Hygiene is defined as the science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace which cause sickness, impair health, and inefficiency among workers as well as surrounding communities.
The Secretary of Health is responsible for formulating policies, standards, guidelines, and programs for the promotion and protection of workers' health.
The Secretary of Health prescribes Threshold Limit Values for contaminants, develops control measures for industrial contaminants, promulgates illumination and noise level standards, provides technical assistance to local government units, monitors law implementation, conducts research, and may recommend suspension or closure of establishments found violating provisions.
A Hazardous Workplace includes establishments exposing workers to dangerous environmental elements such as chemicals, radiation, fire, and infectious biological agents; or engaging workers in high-risk jobs like construction, mining, explosives handling, and those exposed to power-driven or powder-actuated tools.
The Local Health Officer leads industrial hygiene inspections, issues sanitary permits upon compliance, recommends issuance or revocation of business permits, coordinates with other agencies, handles complaint investigations, and submits yearly reports to the Department of Health.
Any person operating without the sanitary permit may be punished by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months, or a fine not exceeding P1,000, or both, as a misdemeanor under the implementing rules and regulations.
Industrial establishments must provide adequate potable water, approved sewerage systems or septic tanks where sewers are not available, maintain proper toilet, restroom, bathing, and dining facilities following detailed ratio requirements, and ensure cleanliness, privacy, and proper ventilation.
Employers must provide health personnel ranging from full-time first-aiders for small establishments to full-time occupational health physicians, dentists, nurses, and emergency clinics or hospitals for larger workplaces, with specific service hours and facilities depending on workforce size and hazard classification.
An occupational health physician must be licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines, have completed basic training in occupational health medicine, and for hazardous large establishments, must hold a diploma or master's degree in occupational health or equivalent qualifications, be certified by the Bureau of Working Conditions, and registered with DOLE Regional Office.
Applications must be filed before operation; renewal is due before January 20 annually; issuance requires passing a sanitary inspection; failure to comply leads to issuance of sanitary orders; repeated non-compliance may result in revocation after hearings; permits may be reinstated after corrective actions; operating without a permit is a penal offense.