Analyzing Child Labor in Agriculture Towards Amending D.O. No.

4 –
1999 on Hazardous Work and Developing Guidelines on Allowable Work
for 15 – 17 years old

Assessment of the Working Conditions Of

Crop Agricultural Workers
Aged 15 to 17 Years (Phase II)
Presented By:
Engr. Melba F. Marasigan
Sr. Industrial Hygienist
OSHC-DOLE
Introduction
 Updating and amending the coverage on hazardous work and activities list
of Department Order No. 4 – 1999 on Hazardous Work and Developing
Guidelines on Allowable Work for 15 – 17 years old is one of the initiatives of
Department of Labor and Employment in cooperation with International
Labour Organization (ILO) – International Programme on the Elimination of
Child Labour (IPEC)

 Phase I - Hazards at Work: Child Labor in Agriculture conducted by ILS

 Phase III – Conducted by Bureau of Workers and Special Concern
 Background:
 Agriculture is one of the hazardous industries in developing
countries where occupational safety and health of workers
should be prioritized regardless of age. The working children
younger than 18 years old are susceptible to environmental
stresses as their minds and bodies are still developing and fragile.
 The International Labor Organization has defined the work
performed by children engaged in agriculture affects them
mentally, physically, socially, and morally. At an early age, the
children become out-of-school or farm-working student to
contribute to their family income working in excessively long hours
and heavy workload.
 Background:
In view of the hazardous conditions, the DOLE under the
Philippine Employment Plan 2011 – 2016 had included
the review and updating of the D.O. No. 4 – 1999 in
compliance with ILO Convention no. 182 as a priority
action to strengthen measures to prevent and eliminate
the worst forms of child labor.
 OBJECTIVES:
Phase 2
To assess the exposure of child laborers in various agricultural
production processes to various work environment hazards

Describe the workplace general conditions of agricultural

child laborers particularly the unsafe acts and conditions in
different agricultural crops

Provide description of the general working profile such as

work experience, employment conditions, and safety and
health outlook of the child laborers.
 METHODOLOGY
 A checklist for the walk-through ocular survey was used to evaluate the
workplace general conditions and observations, welfare facilities, and unsafe
acts and conditions.
 Work Environment Measurement was conducted by Industrial Hygienists to
assess the exposure of child laborers to respirable and total dust, heat stress,
chemicals and illumination levels
 Face-to-face interview of at least 30 child laborers was conducted for the
general working profile including work experience, employment condition,
safety and health outlook, and other concerns
 Coordination with the DOLE regional office, provincial, municipalities, and
barangay level and ILO-IPEC enumerators were conducted to identify child
laborers
 COVERAGE:
The study covered five (5) agricultural crops:
1. Corn and sugarcane - Region 10 (Bukidnon)
 Brgy. San Jose, Malaybalay
 Quempres, Butong, Quezon
2. Rice and coconut - Region 4A (Catanauan, Quezon Province)
 San Isidro, Tuhian, Ilaya, Madulao
3. Abaca - Region 5 (Albay)
 Brgy. Ogob, Malinao
 Brgy. Jocoan, Tiwi
Limitation of the Study:

 However, there were some limitations in the conduct of

work environment measurement and interview due to
weather conditions and farm crop activity at the study site
limits the number of respondents since some child
agricultural workers are attending school at the time of the
survey.
 Evaluation of the results of work environment measurement
utilized the Occupational Safety and Health Standards of
Department of Labor and Employment for adult workers In
the absence of the threshold limit values (TLV) for children.
 RESULTS of the STUDY

 Child laborers experienced ergonomic stresses caused by heavy physical

workload in carrying agricultural crops and other materials, and are
exposed to safety hazards in the use of dangerous tools and equipment.

 Moreover, certain conditions that gave rise to health concerns/issues of

back pain, over fatigue, numbness, headache etc. were attributed to
heavy physical workload in carrying agricultural products and the use of
sharp tools.

 Assessment of the work environment revealed that agricultural child

laborers are exposed to chemical hazards such as dusts, toxic gases and
heat stress.
 General Working Profile
 Number of respondents : 36
 Mean Age of children : 15.3 years old
 Education : 60% are out of school; 40 % are studying
 Most of the subject child laborers have been working for (2 - 3) years in the farm
and started working at the age of 12 years old.
 Generally children migrate from farm to farm.
 The highest salary received per day at the time of site visit is Php 250.00 and the
least is Php 50.00. Most of the children are receiving Php 50 – 100 per day. There
are variable earnings like in “per harvest” salary.
 Work schedule : 7am – 4pm
(Republic Act 9231 states that the working hours of the child laborers below 15
years old should be 20 hours / week and not more than 4 hours / day and for 15
– 18 years old, it should be 40 hours / week and not more than 8 hours / day.
 Results of the Study: Welfare Facilities
Workplace conditions disclosed the absence of welfare facilities such as toilet,
first aid kits, place to rest and potable drinking water.

Welfare Facilities Description/s Observation/s

1. Toilet and Hand washing
area
2. First-aid Kit
3. Place to rest and sheltered
eating area
4. Drinking Water
Most do not have Usually in the nearby houses and spring
toilet and hand (“sapa”)
washing area
None for all Using herbal such as “Hagonoy” and
banana leaves/ peel
None for all Usually under the tree.
None for all Child laborers are drinking from the “bukal”,
bringing their own water, or going home
when the workplace is near their house.
Results of the Study: Workplace Conditions

Parameters Description
Description of workareas Open area except for abaca, corn and
rice warehouse. Multi –purpose building
are utilized as storage area.

Source of Dust exposure From the crop itself during harvesting, de-
meating of coconut, weighing and
loading of coconut-filled basket crates
into trucks and soil dust.

Type of lighting Natural lighting

Source of Heat From direct sunlight. Some areas are
shaded within the farms
 General Working Conditions : Coconut

De-husking using Loading of coconut husk into the Concrete kiln

“tapasan” traditional kiln / “tapahan”.

Unsafe storage
of “bolo”
De-meating using “tikalan” Checking/ counting of coconut
 Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers

Rice Crop
1) Hand weeding
 Exposed to high
temperature due to sunlight
resulting to heat stress
exposure exceeding the
Screening Criteria for Heat
Stress.
 Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers

Coconut Crop
1) Charcoaling and  coconut

2) de-husking
 Both activities exposed
child laborers to high
temperature exceeding the
Screening Criteria for Heat
Stress.
Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers
Coconut Crop
3) Loading of fuel (husk) into coconut kiln
or “tapahan”
4) Heating of piled coconut

 Both work processes exposed

children to heat stress
exceeding the Screening
Criteria and exposed to
carbon monoxide (CO); 130
to 682 ppm) and Volatile
Organic Compound (VOC);
12 ppm
Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers
Coconut Crop
4) De-meating
5) Weighing and lifting of coconut-filled crates
into trucks
Both activities exposed children to heat
(33.8 degrees C) and to high levels of
nuisance respirable dust (maximum
concentration of 6.18 mg/m3)
 General Working Conditions - Rice

Slips, Trips and Falls

Resting after work

Prone to insect and animal
bites
 General Working Conditions - Corn
 Corn

Unloading of filled sacks

from horse back De-kernelling using
improvised tool

Transport of filled sacks

from farm to semi-
open storage area.

Interview process during the survey at

De-kernelling using
the open multi-purpose building.
bare hands
 Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers

Corn Field

Semi-open area for storage

Corn Crop
1) Filling of corn cobs into sacks
Heat stress exposure and total / respirable dust
exceeded the Threshold Limit Value of 5 mg/m3.
 Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers
 Corn Crop
2) Loading of filled sacks (~50kg) at the back
of the horse
3) Walking as a “horse guide” during transport
of filled sacks from farm to semi-open area
4) Unloading
 These activities exceeded the screening
criteria for heat exposure.
5) Manual removal of corn kernel from cob
 The children were exposed to respirable dust
concentration is at the “action level of 2.5
mg/m3
Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers

 Sugarcane Crop
1) Weeding using bolo
Heat stress exposure is
at the “action level”.
 General Working Conditions - Abaca

 Abaca Warehouse

Finish product area

Classifying of abaca fibers

 General Working Conditions - Abaca
 Abaca plantation
Open within the forest

“kag-ot”- bolo knife with a curve end;

“pamakos” – tuxying/ stripping knife
(pointed knife)
Loading and Carrying of dried
abaca fibers

Accidents through slips and fall

going to the place of work and at Stripping process
the workarea “Panghag-ot”, used for making
abaca fibers
 Hazardous Work Processes for Child Laborers

 Abaca Crop
The finished product area
(warehouse) that stores the
classified abaca fibers are
generally dim.

Illumination level in the

storage area did not
meet the recommended
level of 50 lux.
 RESULTS of INTERVIEW

 Most of them are giving cash as contribution to family needs from

their earnings. Nonetheless, parents are within the economically
productive age usually as farmer and housewife.

 They are being employed by family members as it is easy to find

employment within the family circle as contractuals on a per work
done basis. More so, they had a hard time in using farm tools and
equipment. At the same time, they are using improvised Personal
Protective Equipment to protect themselves from safety and
health hazards.

 It is important to note that a certain number of the child laborers

are unaware of Safety and Health Concerns on their surroundings.
 Recommendation:
 Activities in farming that put the child laborers at risk must be considered in the
amendments of Department Order No. 4-1999 particularly as part of
“Coverage under Section 3 and as part of Section 4.

 Section 3 enumerates “work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools,

or which involves manual handling or transport of heavy loads” while Section
4 enumerates “work in an unhealthy environment which may expose children
to hazardous processes to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging
to their health, to toxic, corrosive, poisonous, noxious, explosive, flammable
and combustible substances or composites, to harmful biological agents, or to
other dangerous chemicals including pharmaceuticals.

 Information or awareness on safety and health must be provided to the

children including their parents in coordination with the barangay officials.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION