Critique on the Legislation on Industrial Hygiene in the Philippines

The Philippines had been operating and developing industries that provide us with
products that can be useful for the people. These industries had been fast growing such that every
province in the Philippines have one or more industrial plants. Some examples of these plants
are food manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical industries & petroleum industries. Because of
this, it is inevitable that there would be hazards in these industries.

During the reign of Ferdinand Marcos, he ordered and implemented the Presidential
Decree 856, which is the Code on Sanitation. This states that all the efforts public service should
be directed towards the protection and promotion of health. Industrial Hygiene is highlighted in
the Chapter VII of this Code. This includes:

Section 45. Sanitary Requirements for Operating an Industrial Establishment

Section 46. Responsibility of the Secretary

Section 47. Responsibilities of the Employer and Employees

Section 48. Environmental Provisions

Section 49. Personal Protective Equipment

Section 50. Health Services.

According to Section 45, the Industrial Establishment must have a sanitary permit for it to
operate. Although this has been implemented, there is still no assurance that the establishment
has been maintaining a sanitary and clean site. It also stated that all wastes of the industrial plant
shall be collected, stored, or disposed of in a manner to prevent health hazards, nuisances, and
pollution. Unfortunately, the implementation of this statement had been inadequate because some
industries consider the atmosphere and the seas as a disposal for their wastes. This may be
because the statement is not specific enough as to what kind of waste it is referring to.

In Section 46, this highlighted the role of the secretary or the one that audits the amount
of contaminants that would affect the health of the people. It may be possible to reduce the
contaminants that is released than just calculate the maximum amount that would cause an
impairment to a persons health. In line with this, Section 48 highlights the environmental
provisions for the protection of the health of the workers and of the people living nearby.
 Section 47 stated the responsibilities of the employer and the employee in a plant. This
would require the employer to have seminars on regarding the nature of the chemicals used in
the plant. The employer should make sure that his employees are strictly following preventive
measures. Such is stated in Section 49, the employer and employees should always wear
properly their personal protective equipment. The government should also assure that this is
followed and that their personal protective equipment is suited for the work they are handling.

In Section 50, the law states that Medical services shall be provided to all employees. Many
industrial plants are owned by private companies, this may mean that their medical services are not
funded by the government. If so, the government should make their way to provide health care services
also to those working for private companies.

Although some specifications should be added to the statements. Overall, this law is very
important for Industrial Plants because it prevents damages or disasters to happen in the field and also to
the community living near the plant.