UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Caloocan

COURSE: NCE_4401 : Construction Occupational Safety and Health

ACTIVITY NO. : M1: ACTIVITY NO.1

TITLE: Reaction Paper on: Health and Safety in the Construction Industry
in Catanduanes, Philippines

NAME: Baloloy, Selwyn Brian M.

SECTION: 4CE - 1B

PROFESSOR: Christine P. Torio

DATE: August 28, 2022

RATING:
 Reaction Paper on: Health and Safety in the Construction Industry in
Catanduanes, Philippines

Occupational Safety and Health Law (RA 11058) is a major help for the
workers to be safe in all aspects of time. It is like the rules mandated by parents for
their kids. These rules are usually created not because they just wanted to, but
simply to protect us for the reason that they didn't want anything bad to happen. We
are important being under their guidance. Just like in the construction industry,
people are considered the core of a construction project because, without them, the
success of the project is not feasible. According to Creative Safety Supply (2022),
workers are more productive if they know that they are secure in terms of safety and
a healthful work environment. Implementation of safety standards is being done in
every workplace to protect one's quality of life because "health is wealth".

In different places, whether it is rural or urban, these international and national

standards in health and safety are being monitored especially in the construction
industry. As reported by NSC Injury Facts (2022), the construction industry belongs
to the 4 industries tag as most dangerous when it comes to work-related injuries and
fatality trends.

To place emphasis, this article focused on the rural place in the Philippines, to
be specific, the Province of Catanduanes. It’s stated that workers know how
important safety and health are. However, they are being influenced by their
discomfort, beliefs, and bad habits that’s why they chose to disobey these standards.

The results and discussions show how unacceptable some of the answers
from the workers. At some point in the article, it’s stated that workers didn't practice
wearing personal protective equipment because for them, it is an obstruction to their
performance at the site. This excuse falls at discomfort. Usually, it is a very frequent
lame reason why workers didn’t choose to practice wearing PPE. Based on my
experience at the on-the-job training and observation in the construction sites near
our residency, many of the workers wore only the typical clothes we wear at homes
such as a shirt and shorts. There are also instances wherein workers are half-naked
while working.
 Like I've said a while ago, they act like this due to the discomfort they
experience while working. Nonetheless, they also have the courage to act like this
because they feel like they are only at their houses. We knew that some workers
came from different places. Usually, in small projects, workers’ stayed at the
construction site to do their daily tasks after work like taking a rest, etc. Maybe in
some psychological reasoning, since they felt comfortable and secure being there,
they think for it even though they are on their working hours that’s why they didn’t put
too much effort to be safe.

Moreover, their beliefs are also one of the factors why they’re having a hard
time following health and safety standards. “If it is your time, it will be your time”, this
is one of the statements of the workers which only shows how vague and hollow
their perception of life and accidents. The statement is not always true because
many of the people who die nowadays didn’t practice the orders in preventing
accidents given by the authority. Proverbially, “prevention is better than cure”.

Lastly, the bad habits. As the worker said, “I’ve been working here for so long.
I already know how it is being done”. Being in the construction industry for a long
time is such an astonishing thing. However, if you didn’t observe health and safety
standards, then you should not be proud of it. It will cause for the new workers to
disobey the rules. It’s like a domino effect wherein new workers will do the same
thing as the old workers because, they saw that they can do whatever they want
even engineers, etc. are at the site. Sadly to say, I witnessed some site engineers
who didn’t also wear hardhat because there are no available PPE at the site. My
point is, how will workers obey these rules if the leaders didn’t follow the rules. The
workers will surely say, “bakit ako susunod? sila nga hindi nagsusuot.”

On a final note, they're resisting following the health and safety standards
because that's how their attitude goes. They want everything makes easier. They
didn't see that all of these rules are for the protection and preservation of their family
in avoidance of injuries and at worst, their deaths. As an engineer on the site, we
should be a good model for them to realize things little by little. As much as possible,
we must have patience in pointing out that safety and health are a must through
pieces of training, talks or meetings, etc. Because at the end of the day, only those
who work together will join forces for the same success.
References:

Creative Safety Supply (2022). Why is workplace safety so important?

Retrieved from. https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/qa/workplace-
safety/why-is-workplace-safety-important#:~:text=Keeping%20workers%
20safe%20will%20improve,also%20works%20to%20reduce%20risk.

NCS Injury Facts (2022). Most Dangerous Industries.Retrieved from.

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/industry-incidence-rates/most-dangerous-
industries/