Safety and Health Communication at Work - Part II

by Madonna Dio - Thursday, 30 April 2020, 11:56 PM

Number of replies: 9

Hello everyone.

Here is part II of my colloquium topic.

The Role of Strategic Communication in the Implementation of

Occupational Safety and Health Program in Selected Companies in Batangas

Introduction

The right to work in a safe and healthful environment is guaranteed under the 1987
Constitution of the Philippines.  Article II, Section 18 of the Declaration of Principles and
State Policies provides: “The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shall
protect the rights of workers and promote their welfare.” Prior to this and pursuant to the
constitutional mandate of the 1973 Constitution, the “Occupational Safety and Health
Standards (OSHS or “Standards”) was formulated in 1978 which was considered a landmark
in Philippine labor and social legislation. The “Standards” was amended in1989 to be truly
responsive to the workers’ needs, premised on the continuing technological innovations
that have correspondingly increased the number and types of occupational hazards that the
workers are exposed to (Torres, R., 1990).

The Philippines’ state policies and issuances mandate all kinds of workplaces to have a
program on occupational safety and health and its implementation to be a shared
responsibility between the employers through the management, and the rank and file or the
“labor” (representatives). This state of affairs is strengthened by the issuance of Department
Order No. 198 Series of 2018 “Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No.
11058 Entitled “An Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health
Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof” that took effect on January 25,
2019.

Of the 19 provisions under OSH Program and Policy under Chapter IV, Section 12, of D.O.
198-18, seven provisions involve communicative activities such as: No. (2) Medical
Surveillance for Early Detection and Management of Occupational and Work-related
Diseases; (3) Promotion of Drug Free Workplace, Mental Health Services in the Workplace,
Healthy Lifestyle; (7) Safety and Health Promotion, Training and Education - Orientation of
all Workers on OSH, Conduct of Risk Assessment, Evaluation and Control and Continuing
Training on OSH for OSH Personnel; (8) Toolbox/Safety Meetings, Job Safety Analysis; (9)
Accident/Incident/illness Investigation, Recording and Reporting; (14) Emergency and
Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan to Include the Organization and Creation of
Disaster Control Groups, Business Continuity Plan and Updating the Hazard, Risk and
Vulnerability Assessment and (16) Compliance with  Reportorial Government Requirements.

Given the scope and degree of responsibility integrated in the implementation of the
occupational safety and health program, strategic communication is essential. Strategic
communication involves communicating a concept, process or data that satisfies a long
term strategic goal of an organization through advanced planning (en.wikipedia.org). This
will facilitate compliance with the mandate of the law and the implementing and regulating
agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Working
Conditions and Occupational Safety and Health Center regarding the prevention of
workplace accidents, injuries and diseases. The goal however is not merely to conform with
the requisites of the “Standards” but to develop a safe and healthy workplace culture with
an end of zero accident towards preservation of lives and properties.

 Theoretical Framework

Communication theorized under Craig’s sociopsychological tradition where communication

is regarded as a process of expression, interaction and influence is the underpinning of this
study. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects are produced through human behavior’s
psychological mechanisms, states, traits and interaction with other individuals. Utilizing said
framework, the causes and effects of safe and unsafe acts and conditions will be
ascertained. People (aside from environment, equipment and materials) form part of the
work system and exert intentional control over the behavioral causes and effects of
occupational accidents. Communication problems in the sociopsychological tradition are
thus thought of as situations that call for the effective manipulation of the causes of
behavior (safe and unsafe acts) and presence of unsafe conditions, in order to produce
objectively defined and measured outcomes like zero accident and improved occupational
safety and health culture and compliance.

Research Focus

Attempting to characterize strategic communication and its role in the implementation of

Occupational Safety and Health Program in selected companies in Batangas, it is necessary
to address the following queries: 

1.    What are the effects of implementing the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
Program with or without the existence of an OSH Communication Plan?

2.    What is the status and efficacy of the OSH Communication Plan in regard to compliance
with the ”Standards” and other related issuances?

3.    How can the mechanism of a Strategic Communication Plan be adopted or enhanced to
achieve zero accident and improved OSH culture and compliance?
 Methods and Materials

The researcher intends to provide or increase knowledge on how strategic communication

can create value and contribution towards the attainment of safety goals through the
implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Program (OSHP). To this end, a mix of
quantitative and qualitative methods will be applied. For the quantitative method, a survey
for selected companies will be carried out using random sampling strategy. To discover
similarities and differences on the perspectives and attitudes of the respondents towards
various areas of strategic communication, three groups will be requested to accomplish the
survey: the rank and file, the managers and the communication, safety and health
professionals. These professionals may either be internal or external respondents. On the
qualitative aspect, interview with selected participants representing labor and management
will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the communication process and the
components of the OSHP.  Likewise, content analysis of the OSHP documents consisting of
plans, reports, accomplishments and other available safety and communication records will
be performed. Supplemental to this is the conduct of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to
solicit the perceptions attitudes, beliefs, opinion or ideas of the members of the Safety and
Health Committee.

           

References:

Bello III. S. (2018). Department Order 198, Series of 2018, “Implementing Rules and
Regulations of Republic Act No. 11058 Entitled “An Act Strengthening Compliance with
Occupational Safety and Health Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof”,
DOLE, Intramuros, Manila.

Bureau of Working Conditions (2016). Occupational Safety and Health Standards (as
amended), Department of Labor and Employment, Manila.

Craig, R. (1999). Communication Theory as a Field, Communication Theory.

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Strategic_communication.

Judge, J.L.P. (2018). A Qualitative and Quantitative Examination of Factors Underlying Safety
Climate.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/

www.scribbr.com › Knowledge Base › Methodology/Content Analysis.