DOH IRR on School Sanitation P.D. 856

Scope and covered schools

The rules apply to all public and private schools, whether sectarian or non-sectarian.
The rules apply to seminaries or theological schools, review centers, graduate schools, special schools, schools for persons with disabilities, foreign schools, and technical/vocational schools.
The rules apply to special training or trade schools, training centers, and day care or child care centers, including nursery and kindergarten schools, and children’s institutions.
The rules apply to the conduct and operation of the establishment insofar as health, sanitation, safety, and required school health services are governed by these rules and the Code on Sanitation.

Definitions used in these rules

A Children’s Institution is a place, other than a boarding home, orphanage or children’s hospital, where children under twelve (12) years of age are received for day/night care and given tutorship, for compensation or otherwise.
The Department means the Department of Health.
Day Care Center means a school taking care of children three (3) to five (5) years old when their parents/guardians are out.
Egress is an arrangement of facilities to assure a safe means of exit from the building.
Emotional Environment covers factors affecting the emotional health of students and members of faculty, non-teaching personnel, and other support staff.
Establishment means a collective term construed to include all schools mentioned within the rules’ scope.
Foreign School is a Philippine-authorized school operating education programs adhering to the educational policies and standards of another country or system of education, other than the Philippines.
Health Certificate is a written certification in the prescribed form issued by the city or municipal health officer after required physical and medical examinations and immunizations.
Sanitary Permit is a written certification by the city or municipal health officer (or, in his absence, the chief or head of the sanitation division/section/unit) attesting that the establishment complies with existing requirements after evaluation/inspection under Presidential Decree Nos. 522 and 856 and local ordinances.
Local Health Authority is the governor for the provincial level and the mayor for a city or municipality.
Local Health Officer is the provincial, city or municipal health officer.
Vermin Abatement Program is a series of preventive and control procedures and activities for vermin control.
Infestation means the presence within or around the establishment of insects, rodents, or other pests.
Vermin includes flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, lice, bedbugs, mites, ticks, fleas, mice, and rats, as disease vectors.

Sanitary permit requirement and governance

No person or entity may operate any establishment covered by the rules without a Sanitary Permit issued by the local health officer.
Any extension, additional construction, or alteration requires a new sanitary permit before operation.
A sanitary permit application or renewal must be filed with the city/municipal health office having jurisdiction over the establishment.
A sanitary permit is issued only upon compliance to at least a satisfactory rating using the sanitary inspection of public places establishment form (EHS Form No. 103-B).
Fees for application, renewal, and noting are paid upon filing, and the amounts are set through local ordinance.
Within 14 working days after any change in ownership, the new owner must apply to have the change noted in records, secure a certificate, and pay the corresponding fee for noting.
A sanitary permit is valid from the day of issuance until the last day of December of the same year, and is renewed at the beginning of every year thereafter.
Upon recommendation of the local health officer to the local health authority, the sanitary permit may be suspended or revoked for violation of any sanitary rules and regulations.
The sanitary permit must be posted in a conspicuous part of the establishment and must be available for inspection by health and other regulatory personnel.
Each city/municipality must keep a record of all establishments with sanitary permits and renewals, showing:
- the name and address of the holder (who is the actual operator),
- the location of the establishment,
- the nature/kind of business,
- the date first issued and dates of renewals,
- every change of ownership,
- sanitary conditions under which the permit was issued or renewed,
- and the revocation of the sanitary permit.
The record must be available at reasonable times for inspection by any authorized Department of Health or local government unit officer.

Minimum site and structural standards

Schools must promote a physical and emotional environment and must comply with the listed minimum site requirements.
A site clearance must be secured from the regional health office with jurisdiction before any construction is made.
Before construction for school purposes, the owner/operator/administrator must submit a location plan for site clearance.
The school site must not be on a steep hill or slope and must be positioned to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.
The school site must be large enough for building expansion, recreational areas, and other facilities.
The site must not be adjacent to railways, broken by highways, or near factories or similar sources likely to interfere through noise, odors, dust, soot, gases, or other disturbances.
The site must be accessible to the community it serves and must have accessible water supply.
The area must be easily drained.
The school site must be located away from disturbances and nuisance sources such as cockpits, dancing halls, bars or questionable recreational places, bowling alleys, movie houses, markets, garbage dumps, funeral parlors, jails, cemeteries, and other nuisance sources.
Noise levels at the school site must not exceed 70 decibels, and acceptable room noise levels are set as:
- Classrooms: 35 to 40 decibels
- Hearing Test Rooms: Less than 40 decibels
- Music Rooms: Less than 40 decibels
- Health Rooms: Less than 45 decibels
- Cafeterias/Canteen: 50 to 55 decibels
- School Sites (outdoor noise level): Less than 70 decibels
The school site must be remote from sources of pollution such as manufacturing plants, refineries, oil burning dumps, sanitary landfill operations, polluted streams, smoke/fumes/objectionable odors, poultry/piggeries, and smoke-belching vehicles.
Distance requirements from property line to certain public places are:
- 50 meters from cemeteries and memorial parks or other places of interment,
- 200 meters from bars, cocktail lounges, karaoke and sing-along joints, abattoirs, markets, moviehouses, billiard and pool halls, bowling alleys, video machines, amusement and recreational places and the like,
- 1000 meters from jails, night clubs, cabarets, disco houses, massage clinics and sauna baths, motels, booking outlets of racetracks and lotto, cockpits, and other places of vice.
The school site must have level general contour with no irregular boundaries, and must be free from unnecessary abrasive materials and dangerous rock outcrops.
Buildings must receive the maximum natural light in classrooms, adequate natural light in corridors and stairways, and supplementary artificial lighting must be provided.
School buildings must not be designed so that parts used for private residences or other purposes may interfere with proper school functioning.
Healthful air conditioning must be provided through effective ventilation, either natural and/or mechanical.
Adequate protection against fire and other life and health hazards must be provided.
Classrooms and facilities must provide satisfactory acoustic conditions and must meet individual health needs.
School construction must conform with the National Building Code.
Sanitary facilities must be properly designed and installed, and buildings/premises must be aesthetically designed.
Classrooms and facilities must have ample size to prevent overcrowding.

Detailed sanitation, water, waste, and vermin control

Toilet facilities must provide adequate and sanitary toilets for male and female and must be easily accessible to students and personnel.
Toilets must have adequate lavatories within or adjacent to the toilet rooms, must be properly lighted and ventilated, and must have good ventilation by windows or exhaust fans.
Basement toilets must be avoided due to lack of sunlight, difficulty of ventilation, and sewer connections.
Toilet facilities must be provided on all floors of the building.
Odor absorbent materials (such as saw dust and activated carbon) must be installed out of reach of children, and toilet rooms must be finished in light color.
In pre-schools, toilets must be located within or adjacent to playrooms or classrooms.
In pre-schools and elementary schools, toilets must have enough low toilet seats with height of 35 cms for small children.
Toilet accessibility for persons with disability must be ensured.
Toilet space requirements are set:
- Toilet: 1.50 sq. meters per unit
- Lavatories: 1.10 sq. meters per unit
- Urinals: 1.10 sq. meters per unit
Toilet ceiling height must be at least 2.50 meters, lighting must be at least 10 foot-candles (107.60 lux), and natural ventilation window space must be at least 25% of toilet room floor area; mechanical ventilation must use an exhaust fan.
Employee toilet/locker rooms must be separate for each sex and include fixture units per shift as specified in the tables:
- For 1–29 persons: 1 toilet bowl, 1 urinal, 1 lavatory for females; 1 toilet bowl, 1 lavatory for males (as reflected in the provided fixture unit table), and additional rows apply for 30–49, 50–99, and 100-up with one fixture unit for each additional 50 employees.
Student toilet fixtures must be provided separately for each sex with numbers as specified for:
- Male: Below 50 (1 toilet bowl, 1 urinal, 1 lavatory), 50 to 100 (2 toilet bowls, 1 urinal, 2 lavatories), and one set of additional 100 males fixtures per table.
- Female: Below 30 (1 toilet bowl, 1 lavatory), 30 to 100 (2 toilet bowls, 2 lavatories), and one toilet bowl for each additional 50 females and one lavatory for each additional 100 females.
For schools with gymnasium, showers must be provided at a ratio of 1:15 pupils/students per session.
Hand-washing requirements require lavatories inside or adjacent toilet rooms with water and soap.
Schools without piped water must provide two (2) large pitchers or pots, or bucket and dipper, and must provide minimum water of 100 liters for every 50 pupils/students.
Schools must provide a facility for brushing of teeth after each meal.
Water supply must be adequate and potable from public or private systems, and must comply with the Code on Sanitation’s water supply provisions, implementing rules, and Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water.
All water sources must have a certificate of portability based on water analysis by a DOH accredited laboratory.
The minimum water provision is 40 liters per capita per day.
Schools must submit water samples for examination by a DOH accredited laboratory, and must do frequent monitoring of the water supply system.
Running water under adequate pressure must be provided in all areas where food is prepared/processed/handled and where utensils are washed.
Drinking fountains or equivalent facilities must be provided at a ratio of 1:100 pupils/students per session.
Drinking water not supplied by piped systems must be handled, transported, dispensed, and stored in approved sanitary containers or reservoirs.
Bottled potable drinking water must be handled and stored to prevent contamination and must come from approved sources and be dispensed from the original container filled by the supplier; it is prohibited to serve bottled water already poured into students’ glasses.
Ice must come from ice plants with sanitary permit or be made from water meeting Philippine National Standard for Drinking Water; ice making machines must prevent contamination.
Ice must be delivered/handled/transported/stored/dispensed protected from contamination, dispensed in measured quantities from an approved ice maker dispensing unit, and no contaminating items may contact ice.
Food served within school compounds must comply with the Food Establishments rules under the Code on Sanitation and its implementing rules and regulations.
Sewage disposal requires connection to a public sewerage system if available, or to an imhoff or septic tank or other wastewater treatment facility and subsurface absorption field.
Storm water must be discharged to a storm sewer system in areas where it exists.
Schools with restaurants/food outlets must provide properly designed grease traps consistent with the Code’s sewage collection and disposal/drainage chapter.
Solid waste management requires:
- every room to have at least two (2) refuse receptacles with swing cover of impervious material: one for biodegradable and one for non-biodegradable wastes,
- tightly covered receptacles that are vermin-proof and easily cleaned,
- black trash bags for non-biodegradable and green trash bags for biodegradable,
- daily collection of refuse by school personnel,
- refuse receptacles in public areas such as lobby, elevator doors, and floor landing of stairs,
- watertight, tightly lidded container storage for putrescible wastes and removal as frequently as necessary for approved disposal,
- no allowance of refuse accumulation into vermin breeding/harborages, and disposal practices consistent with the Code’s refuse disposal chapter.
Vermin control requires the owner/operator/administrator to maintain a vermin abatement program in buildings and premises.
School rooms, toilet rooms, and openings to outdoor space must be effectively screened unless air-conditioned.
Water-accumulating containers (including flower vases) must be emptied everyday.
Below-grade openings and exterior openings and areas must be rat-proofed, and specific rat-proof measures apply in heavy infestation.
The school must be established away from potential insect or rodent breeding sources such as open dumps, barnyards, or manufacturing establishments where organic materials are processed.
Growth of bushes, weeds, and grasses must be controlled to prevent tick/bug harborage.
Deratting, disinfestation, and disinfecting must be done by accredited urban pest control applicators under supervision of the local health office.
Housekeeping rules require:
- the school administrator to assign a custodial worker and supervise housekeeping with suitable training and experience,
- daily tasks (paths/grounds, floors, carpets, lavatories, toilets, showers, mirrors, lockers, furniture and fixed classroom fixtures, and daily refuse/solid waste collection and disposal),
- weekly tasks (dusting walls, cleaning high places, washing floors/baseboards, and vacuuming carpets),
- monthly tasks (cleaning light fixtures, lawn mowing/grass cutting, removing wall marks, and washing glass windows),
- prohibitions on excessive wax application directly to floors and on wax application to stairways,
- cleaning before and after school hours,
- keeping floors clean and dry around water fountains and hand-washing facilities,
- at least two waste receptacles in each room (biodegradable and non-biodegradable),
- maintaining windows, floors, glasses, frames, and venetian blinds clean at all times.

Safety standards for buildings and school operations

School buildings with 2 or more storeys must have stairways at least 1.8 meters wide on each side for safe entrance and exit, with good lighting, at least one handrail running full length, and elevated porches/stoops enclosed with railing.
Corridors must be at least 1.8 meters wide, well lighted and ventilated, and cleared of obstructions.
Elevator installations must conform to existing elevator construction and safety laws.
Where windows are barred, sufficient egress must be provided and egress must be kept open while class is in session.
Broken or hazardous building elements (loose boards, splintered floors, cracks, raised boards, broken windows/mirrors, etc.) must be repaired or replaced immediately.
Building steps must be kept in good condition with rounded edges and firm tread; desks must be smooth and rounded and must not tip/turn over.
Grounds must be free from broken glass, rocks, cinders, tree limbs, old boards, weeds, and other refuse.
Abandoned wells, excavations, small holes, and soakage pits must be filled to ground level.
Playground equipment must be of good design and maintained in good condition.
Fire and disaster precautions require:
- fire escapes for buildings with 2 or more stories and always-cleared paths leading to them,
- sufficient egress: two doors at least 1 meter wide and 2 meters high; if only one door, it must be at least 2 meters wide,
- exit doors equipped with panic locks and passageways kept free of obstruction,
- doors and gates opening towards the outside,
- daily removal of rubbish/refuse/ashes and prohibition of accumulation,
- prohibition on storing combustible materials under stairways, in closets, and congested places; combustible items must be in metal containers with tight lids,
- electrical wiring must be regularly checked; damaged wiring/switches/fixtures must be repaired or replaced immediately,
- an efficient means of putting out fire must be on hand; fire extinguisher is desirable, and if not available, a fire blanket and bucket of sand may be used; extinguisher must be checked frequently,
- fire drills and earthquake drills at least once a month,
- compliance with fire department regulations for combustible/inflammable materials stored in school or immediate vicinity,
- matches kept in a glass jar or metal container and away from children,
- gas appliances vented to the outside or suitable stack, with avoidance of horizontal pipe sections or abrupt turns,
- stoves/appliances/equipment kept in good repair, burners/drafts adjusted to reduce carbon monoxide formation,
- prohibition on using flexible gas hoses, prohibition on installing gas-type appliances where ventilation does not permit proper combustion under normal conditions,
- testing every gas-type appliance for leaks,
- chemistry laboratory rooms with sufficient hose/devices for exit of irritating or poisonous gases.

Special facilities, day care, and child services

Laboratories must have adequate size/volume and fixtures for offered science courses, with satisfactory lighting and ventilation, discharge of air to a clear area, and odor absorbent materials.
Laboratories must have ergonomic design for tables/chairs/equipment and must provide lavatories, emergency showers, and waste disposal facilities.
Each school must provide a stocked first-aid kit for emergency cuts and burns in accessible locations, and keep it out of children’s reach.
Schools preserving specimens for dissection must provide a small storage tank near the laboratory.
Poisonous/harmful plants/animals/chemicals must be kept in appropriate secured areas.
Viral and bacterial cultures must be kept under standard laboratory security measures.
Chemistry laboratories must have sufficient hoods or devices for exhaust of irritating or poisonous gases.
Schools using radioactive materials must conform to requirements and guidelines prescribed by the Radiation Health Office of the Department of Health and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, and labs must comply with industrial hygiene requirements under the Code.
Gymnasiums must be located as remote as possible from classrooms, with adjacent locker rooms ideally in a separate wing, and must have acoustically treated ceilings and be adequately equipped and sized.
Auditoriums must be as remote as possible from classrooms, with acoustically treated ceilings and walls.
School quarters/dormitories must be sufficiently far from fire hazards, allow study/homeworks without undue interference, and must not interfere with other school activities; they must be planned for prompt safe evacuation in case of fire, typhoon, earthquake, and other disasters.
Dormitories/quarters must have drinking water facilities consistent with the Code’s water supply provisions, and must have toilet/handwashing/shower facilities as required for employee/student sanitary facilities.
Dormitory/quarters must not be in basements and must be properly lighted and ventilated; rooms must have furniture and doors opening outwards towards a corridor or open space.
Dormitories/quarters must be maintained clean and vermin-free.
Receiving rooms must be provided for visitors.
Fire exits must be provided per the Fire Code of the Philippines, and cafeteria/food outlets must comply with Food Establishments requirements.
Computer rooms must be ergonomically designed, must have appropriate lighting and ventilation, and must maintain temperature at 26°C to 28°C.
Swimming pools must operate in compliance with the Code’s Public Swimming or Bathing Places provisions and implementing rules and regulations.
Libraries and other school facilities must comply with the National Building Code, Fire Code, Code on Sanitation, National Plumbing Code, and other existing laws and local ordinances.
A pre-school service, day-care service, or children’s institution must not be permitted inside factory, mercantile or business buildings unless approved by the local health office; approval is conditional on the place being free from fire, traffic, pollutants, or other health hazards.
Cellars must not be used as school facilities.
All parts must be adequately lighted and ventilated, with window safety guarding for rooms above ground floor where sills present hazards.
Floors in such child facilities must be non-skid.
Toilets for day care/pre-school/children’s institution must be convenient to playrooms, classrooms, and dormitories; comfort rooms must be separate for boys and girls with partition not less than 1.70 meter high.
Toilets, urinals, and handwashing facilities must be appropriate in height and size for children without assistance.
Soap and individual paper or cloth towels or sanitary dryers must be provided adjacent to wash basins and within reach of children; if personal items are provided, each child must have his own.
Drinking water must be potable under Philippine National Drinking Water Standards.
Plumbing must comply with the National Plumbing Code.
Furnishing must be readily washable or easily cleaned; high-dust furnishing like heavy draperies, upholstery, and carpets must not be used in rooms occupied by children except for educational purposes if kept clean.
Tables/chairs must be appropriate to children’s size and needs and readily washable.
Play equipment must foster physical and motor development, be easily accessible, readily washable, clean, in good and functional condition, and free from hazards and toxic/poisonous finishes.
Day care/pre-school must provide a first-aid kit stocked for cuts and burns, accessible for use, and kept out of reach of young children.
Indoor and outdoor areas must be available, safe, clean, accessible, adequate in size, and suitable to children’s needs, with shaded areas provided outdoors.
Food storage or service to children must apply the Food Establishments rules under the Code.
Food must be wholesome, nutritious, good quality, properly prepared, and varied according to a balanced diet.
Milk must be kept at a temperature below 7°C.
No child may remove caps from milk bottles/containers intended for other persons or assist in dispensing milk except under adequate supervision.

Personnel, students, and school health services

Teaching and non-teaching personnel must undergo annual physical, medical and dental check-ups.
No person may be employed in any school without first securing a health certificate (EHS Form 102-A, B) from the city/municipal health officer where the establishment is located.
Health certificates for employees are non-transferable and must be renewed annually.
For employees working in food outlets or establishments within the school, the health certificate must be clipped visibly on the upper left front portion of the uniform while working.
All pupils/students enrolled must undergo annual physical, medical and dental examinations.
Periodic immunizations required or necessary must be provided in coordination with the local health office.
Guidance and counseling services for promotion of physical, mental, and emotional health of pupils/students must be provided.
All schools must establish a medical and dental clinic to deliver preventive and promotive health services and treat minor ailments and emergencies.
Schools with 3000 or more students must allocate clinic space of at least 65 square meters, divided into compartments for different health needs.
School clinics must be well lighted and ventilated and must have a lavatory or handwashing facility with adequate potable water.
School clinics must provide basic medical/dental equipment, stretcher, portable oxygen tank with regulator, and basic drugs/medicines and dental supplies.
Health personnel must be present in school clinics during class hours.
A referral system for health/medical/dental services must be established with the local health office, government/private hospitals and clinics for complicated cases.
A list of referral hospitals, clinics, and practitioners (with addresses and telephone numbers) must be available in the clinic.
A first-aid kit must be available in every teachers/faculty room.
Only teachers trained in first-aid may perform first-aid measures; otherwise, first-aid must be referred to school health personnel in the clinic.
First-aid kit contents are required, including items and quantities as set in the provided table (with quantities determined by population and activities for items marked with conditional sizing).

Inspection and evaluation of schools

The city or municipal health officer must cause inspection and evaluation of every school requiring a sanitary permit at least every three (3) months.
Additional inspections and re-inspections may be conducted as needed to enforce the rules.
Inspection must be conducted within seven (7) working days after payment of the inspection fee to the city/municipal treasurer concerned.
Inspection fees must be in amounts prescribed by local ordinances.

Special requirements for special schools and cadavers

For special schools involving medical, surgical, and scientific purposes, the provisions of the Organ Donation Act of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7170) as amended by Republic Act No. 7885 are applied and enforced for the donation of human organs.
Unclaimed remains may be used for studies and research by medical schools and scientific institutions, subject to prohibitions and conditions:
- cadavers of persons who died of or with a dangerous communicable disease may not be used;
- if death was from non-dangerous communicable disease, certification is required that the cadaver was unclaimed for 48 hours after death and the cause of death was the applicable disease;
- where the cadaver was donated, an affidavit is required from the nearest of kin with two witnesses, subscribed and sworn before a Notary Public.
Duly accomplished applications to use cadavers for scientific purposes must be forwarded to the regional health director for approval.
Only paramedical institutions authorized by CHED to operate specified paramedical courses (medicine, nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, midwifery, and other paramedical courses) may apply for permission to use cadavers.
Applications must be filed by the applying institution (not by a funeral establishment or an individual).
Cadavers must be properly embalmed, certified by the embalmer by affixing his signature at the back of the Death Certificate under “CERTIFICATE OF EMBALMERS”.
If the cadaver is involved in a medico