Objectives
- Promote health and safety protections for seafarers.
- Prevent accidents, injuries, diseases, and deaths during employment onboard ships.
Definitions
- Clarifies terms such as Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) training, crew accommodation, disabling injury/illness, ergonomics, gross tonnage, hazardous materials, hot work, personal protective equipment (PPE), safety and health officer, shipowner, seafarer, workplace violence, among others.
Duties of Shipowners
- Ensure safe work practices that do not endanger seafarers.
- Implement reasonable procedures to reduce risks using industry standards.
- Provide safety and health education to seafarers in understandable language.
- Ensure designated Safety and Health Officers receive appropriate training.
Duties of Seafarers
- Follow established safety standards and shipowner’s safety policies.
- Report unsafe conditions to Safety and Health Officers or Committees.
Occupational Safety and Health Policy and Program
- Shipowners must adopt and enforce OSH policies consistent with DOLE Guidelines and ILO Code of Practice.
- Establish Safety and Health Committees onboard ships with five or more seafarers.
- Designate trained Safety and Health Officers holding required certifications.
Safety Protection and Accident Prevention
- Regulates confined space work requiring permits and protective equipment.
- Mandates electrical work follow Philippine or international standards with proper protection.
- Hot work requires fire extinguishers, proper storage of gas cylinders, and no flame in hazardous atmospheres.
- Provides fall protection systems for high or dangerous work areas.
- Sets standards for materials handling and storage, including mechanical equipment use, secure storage, and housekeeping.
- Requires fire prevention, firefighting equipment, emergency procedures, training, and emergency communication facilities.
- Specifies provision and maintenance of appropriate PPE at shipowner's expense.
Hazard Prevention Program
- Development and implementation of hazard control strategies involving ergonomic risks and harmful chemical exposure.
- Continuous monitoring of work environment, safe procedures, and PPE use.
Work Environment Conditions
- Maintain adequate ventilation to prevent poor air quality and temperature extremes.
- Prescribes lighting standards, emergency lighting, and illumination levels for different ship areas.
- Noise control limits sound exposure to below 85 dB, with mandatory protective measures.
- Controls vibration exposure in accommodation and work areas.
- Hazardous substances must be labeled according to internationally recognized systems.
- Provision of Safety Data Sheets and seafarer instructions on hazardous materials.
- Enforcement of threshold limits for airborne chemicals.
Occupational Health
- Occupational Health Program to prevent illness and promote seafarer health.
- Compliance with medical examination and preventive health services requirements.
- Mandated medical services onboard and access to care ashore including emergency treatment and dental care.
- Detailed responsibilities of Safety and Health Officers in medical care and first aid.
- Requirement for medicine chests, medical equipment, proper storage, and inspection onboard.
- Confidentiality and access rights concerning medical records.
- Policies on HIV/AIDS, drug and alcohol prevention, workplace violence, and sexual harassment consistent with relevant DOLE orders and laws.
Crew Accommodation Standards
- Applies to ships constructed after MLC, 2006 enforcement; older ships follow existing conventions and standards.
- Adequate headroom, safe deck coverings, and proper ventilation in crew accommodations.
- Specifications on sleeping quarters location, size, furniture, ventilation, temperature, sound levels, and gender separation.
- Mess rooms provision with cultural and social considerations.
- Sanitation facilities maintenance, cleaning, inspection schedules, sanitary equipment specifications, and potable water provisions.
- Hospital accommodation for ships with 15 or more seafarers and voyages exceeding three days.
- Recreational facilities to include reading, sports, and communication means.
- Mandatory potable water quality testing and qualified food handling personnel.
Reportorial Requirements
- Shipowners must submit regular reports on health and safety organization and incidents to DOLE.
- Reports for serious accidents must be submitted within 24 hours; others monthly.
- Maintain records of minor injuries with detailed logs.
Compliance and Enforcement
- Mandatory adherence by all Philippine shipowners engaged in domestic and international shipping.
- Enforcement aligned with DOLE Department Orders Nos. 129 and 130.
Miscellaneous Provisions
- Regular review and revision of guidelines in consultation with stakeholders.
- Penal provisions under applicable labor laws.
- Requirement for existing Safety and Health Officers to secure necessary certifications within one year.
- Immediate effectivity upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation.