Salettinian Open Academic Review

Vol. 2, September 2020, pp. 56-65

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARD

PRACTICES OF WELDING INDUSTRIES OF A CITY IN
NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Dr. Belinda A. Ramos, MsPH, FPAMS

Director, Research & Development, University of La Salette, Inc.

Gemlee O. Baptista, LPT

Statistician, Office of Research & Development, University of La Salette, Inc.

Lorna V. Fulong, MBM

Faculty Researcher, Office of Research & Development, University of La Salette, Inc.

ABSTRACT

Welding is a process used in Engineering especially in building edifices and material productions.
Technology has had a great impact on the process with the invention of robotics. However, human
labor is still cheaper than using robots in doing the welding job thus, importation of welders from
the third world countries are hired to do the dirty work of welding. In this regard, the researchers
would like to find out the occupational safety and health standard practices of welders from a city
in northern Philippines to identify the gaps between practice and compliance. The researchers
made use of the survey questionnaire and adopted the compliance assessment tool of the
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) with the 48 male welders who consented to
participate in the study. Results showed that there is no difference in the practice and compliance
with participants’ ages, civil status and educational attainment. There is also no relationship
between their practices on occupational safety and health standards and their compliance to the
guidelines of the DOLE. Unstructured interviews revealed that the welders are aware of the
hazards of their welding job but are forced to provide other protective equipment for themselves
because of the inadequate number of personal protective gears provided by the company they
work with. There is no training given because most of them are contractual or job order men. In
this regard, the researchers recommended that trainings and seminars on occupational safety and
health standards be included in the orientation of workers and regular monitoring visits be
conducted by responsible agencies that include licensing bodies other than the DOLE.

Keywords: practices, compliance, occupational safety, health standards, welding,

robotics, human labor, third world countries

_____________________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

The industrial revolution has been optimized by the advancement of technology affecting all
disciplines and walks of life (Boilard, 2018; Vickers & Ziebarth, 2019). Engineering and
construction of buildings and edifices had been so much improved. Engineering processes and
techniques have further advanced by the modernization of tools and equipment (Teodorescu,
2014). One of the advancements of engineering is welding (Gyas, Kah & Martikainen, 2014).
Welding started as the process of joining two metals together but later on to the fusion of two
same and/or different materials (Nguyen, 2012). The uses of welding vary depending on the
material's purpose later on (The Manufacturer, 2015). Regardless of the purpose for which
welding is done, the hazards for all welders remain the same but can be limited or eliminated by
engineering control and personal protective gears (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and
Safety, 2017). It is a well-known fact that welding is a hazardous activity exposing the welder to many
health problems (Safety Network, 2015). Welders may be are aware of these health hazards of their job,
but it does mean it is translated into protective and preventive actions (Tadesse, Bezabih, Destaw & Assef,
2016).

As the need for welding increased due to the expansion of industries in developed countries,
welding jobs are outsourced in developing countries like the Philippines. Welding processes
depend much on human expertise thus requiring better technical competence, thus the need for
capability testing for individuals aspiring to be welders, thus the Department of Science and
Technology formulated the Welding Industry Report of 1994 (Metal Industry Research and
Development Center, DOST, 2016). The report showed that as most countries rely much on
technology such as robotics, the Philippines focused on manpower training and developing
welding capabilities. There are existing interrelationships between the workforce and the welding
industry operations (Gyasi, 2013). With the dependence of the welding industry on human power,
the Philippine Department of Labor and Industry in 1989 has formulated the Occupational Safety
and Health Standards and amended it in 1990, and updated in 2019 to cope with the advancement
of technology and progressive industrialization, resulting in more number and types of
occupational hazards that Filipino workers are exposed to (DOLE, 2020). Strengthening this
mandate is the passing of the Republic Act No. 11058, known as the Occupational Safety and
Health Standards Act of 2018, which provided for compliance and penalties for violations of the
Act (CSC, 2020; Tanggol, 2018).

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards manual stipulated the guidelines for both the
operations and the conditions by which the process of welding could be undertaken as provided
in its Rule 1100 – the Welding Standards. Employees, the welders, and individuals assisting them
were provided by the provisions stipulated in rule 1100.02 of personal protective equipment to
prevent or at least limit any undue exposure to the hazards of the job. With these as a basis, the
only question is why there are still high occupational diseases concerning welders (WHO, 2001;
safetynetwork.com)? In this regard, the researchers would like to find out the practices of this
component of the industrial workforce in relation to the compliance with the guidelines of the
Occupational Safety and Health Standards of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Research Questions

The study aimed to find out the occupational safety and health standard practices of the welders
in a city in Northern Philippines and determine the association with their compliance with the
guidelines provided by the RA 11058. Specifically, it would like to answer the following questions:
1. What are occupational safety and health standards practices of the welders?
2. What is the level of compliance to the occupational safety and health standards of the
welders in relation to their practices?
3. Is there a difference in the practices and compliance to the occupational and health
standards among the welders when grouped according to their profile?

METHODOLOGY
The study was conducted using the descriptive correlational design. The survey questionnaire was
used as a data collection instrument to find out the practices, and the DOLE-assessment tool for
occupational safety and health standards was used to measure the compliance of the welders, both
of which were based on the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Manual of the Department
of Labor and Employment. There were 48 male welder participants who are employed in welding
shops and companies in the City. The welders were chosen through the purposive referral
sampling method. The questionnaires were administered via a visit to the shops/companies,
observations using the compliance assessment tools, and unstructured interviews were done to
validate their answers to the questionnaire. Data on practices and compliance were interpreted
and analyzed using the frequency, percentage, and weighted mean. The correlation of variables
was computed using the ANOVA, t-test, and Pearson R. Confidentiality and informed consent to
participate was strictly observed by the researchers.

RESULTS

After the data were collected, tallied, and subjected to the statistical treatment, the following are
the salient findings of the study. The majority of the participants of the study belong to the age
group 30-39 years old, married, and are high school graduates. The respondents were all males.
Males still dominates the welding world. Though women are not prohibited from such jobs, men
are more likely to be hired than women (Cherry, Arrandale, Beach, Galarneau, Manette &
Rodgers, 2018). Welding is a profession that can be pursued without a college education but can
be lucrative enough to compete with another college degree in pay (Tough, 2019). Welding is a
skill-based job; this could mean training in a reputable welding school or company (Smith, 2014).
In the Philippines, welding education is usually dominated by the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) created by Republic Act 7796 through the DOLE and DepEd
(www.tesda.gov.ph) to help in the training of welders who are in demand locally and abroad.
Today, welding is taught in senior high school, especially along the technical and vocational
stream (Arayata, 2020).

A. Profile of the Respondents

Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents (n=48)

Frequency Percent
Age
20-29 10 20.8
30-39 21 43.8
40-49 14 29.2
50 & above 3 6.25
Civil Status
Single 10 20.8
Married 35 72.9
Widower 2 4.2
Separated 1 2.1
Educational Attainment
Elem graduate 3 6.25
HS undergraduate 9 18.75
HS graduate 23 47.92
College undergraduate 6 12.50
Vocational graduate 5 10.42
College graduate 2 4.17
 B. The practice of Occupational Safety and Health Standards

Table 2. Weighted Mean of Practices of Occupational Safety and Health Standards of the Welder
Respondents
Practice
Items Mean
Interpretations
1. Keep cleanliness and orderliness for good housekeeping and 3.23
Sometimes
prevent obstruction
2. Keep tools, equipment, and materials in their proper storage 3.46
Sometimes
with proper labels
3. Dispose of welding waste materials in their appropriate 3.63
Often
disposal receptacle
4. Dispose of liquid waste in their proper disposal system 3.33 Sometimes
5. Use adequate lighting in working areas during the welding 3.63
Often
process
6. Keep windows open and ventilation source during working 3.85
Often
hours for adequate air supply
7. Use personal protective equipment during working hours 2.75 Sometimes
8. Make sure that machine guards, railings, or casings are in use 2.35
Seldom
during welding works are on-going
9. Keep proper work spaces between machine and manpower 2.27 Seldom
10. Files welding reports for every work done, including time and 2.46
Seldom
day
11. Reports every work accidents, minor or major to the Safety 2.35
Seldom
Officer, or to the supervisor
12. Attends every training on occupational safety conducted by the 3.52
Often
owners or DOLE
OVERALL MEAN 3.07 Sometimes

The above table showed that the participants ‘sometimes’ practice occupational safety and health
standards for welders. Practices, especially those concerning health, vary according to the factors
that influenced these behaviors (Gallant & Dorn, 2001). Health beliefs and practices, according to
the American Academy of Pediatrics (2018), are influenced by socioeconomic, cultural factors and
changing environmental as well as current trends concerning health. When practice is the basis
for compliance, the trust in leadership mandate is an important factor for safety behavior, even if
cultural background is seemingly contradictory to the beliefs of the workers (Chaswa, Kosamu,
Kumwenda & Utembe, 2020; Sabitu, Iliyasu, & Daude, 2009; Zimmerman & Woolf, 2014).

C. Compliance on Occupational Safety and Health Standards

Table 3. Weighted Mean of Assessment of Compliance of the Welders on the Occupational

Safety and Health Standards by the DOLE
Compliance
Items Mean
Interpretations
1. The welders have good housekeeping practices 3.00 Moderately compliant
2. The welders designated a storage room for proper
2.94 Moderately compliant
material handling and labelling
3. The welders dispose waste materials in proper
3.23 Compliant
disposal areas and receptacles
4. There is adequate lighting maintained in working
2.90 Moderately compliant
areas
 5. Windows are kept open and adequate ventilation
3.67 Compliant
maintained for air supply during working hours
6. Practice the use of proper personal protective
4.06 Compliant
equipment during working hours
7. Use machine guards, railings or casings when
required during working hours and when welding 2.83 Moderately compliant
process is on-going
8. Maintain adequate working spaces between
1.98 Slightly compliant
welders and machines
9. Files welding reports which includes minor and
major accidents to the Safety Officer or immediate 1.60 Slightly compliant
supervisor
10. Attends trainings/ seminar on occupational safety
1.58 Slightly compliant
conducted by owners and DOLE
OVERALL MEAN 2.78 Moderately compliant

Table 3 shows that the welder respondents were “moderately compliant” based on the assessment
of the researcher using the DOLE evaluation tool for compliance checklist. Compliance is
influenced by many factors such as the individual’s perceptions, beliefs and perspectives of
leadership (Kasosi & Brandon, 2018). This is in accordance with the influences of trust to the
regulatory bodies, the administration and of co-workers as manifested by their knowledge sharing
on issues that concerns them all (Siddiki, 2011). It is important for regulatory bodies to enforce
mandatory compliance for guidelines and protocols to encourage attention to potential hazards
by stakeholders and the government to facilitate actions for discourage non-compliance (May,
2005).

D. Relationships between Practice, Compliance and Profile of Age, Civil Status and
Educational Attainment

Table 4. Relationship between Practices, Compliance and Ages of Welders

Variables Age N M SD df F p-value
Practice 20-29 10 3.08 0.31 3 0.377 0.77
30-39 21 3.11 0.27
40-49 14 3.02 0.33
50 & above 3 2.97 0.13
Compliance 20-29 10 2.70 0.25 3 0.715 0.548
30-39 21 2.81 0.23
40-49 14 2.81 0.20
50 & Above 3 2.70 0.27

As shown by the table 4 above, there is no significant differences between practices, compliance
and the ages of the welders as computed through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) which
means the four age groups have the same practices [F(3=3.77, p=0.77] and compliance
[F(3)=0.715, p=0.548] on occupational safety and health standards.

Practices and behaviors are usually governed by the person’s age as other factors influence the
development of such component of the personality (Nofte & Fleeson, 2010). Age related risk
perception depends on what daily risks are experienced and influenced by their immediate
interactions with people as shown in the findings of Knoll, Leung, Foulkes and Blakemore (2017)
in their study. The results of their study showed that influences are stronger among younger age
groups than those older ones and that behavior is affected by the opinions of people around them.
Practices on occupational safety and health standards are governed by the risk perceptions of the
workers (Chaswa, Kosamu, Kumwenda & Utembe, 2020).

Table 5. Relationship between Practices, Compliance and Civil Status of Welders

Variables Civil Status N M SD t df p-value
Practice Single 10 3.1 0.317 0.45 43 0.655
Married 35 3.053 0.285
Compliance Single 10 2.87 0.157 1.37 43 0.179
Married 35 2.76 0.239
Note: widower and separated were not included in the analysis due to very small sample size.

Using the Independent Sample t-test to compute for the relationships of practices and compliance
on occupational safety and health standards that there is no difference among the welders when
grouped according to their civil status. This means that they have the same practices [t (43)=0.45,
p=0.655] and their compliance [t(43)=1.37, p=0.179].

According to the study of Tadesse, Bezabih, Destaw & Assef (2016), being married or being single
affects the awareness of the welders on the occupational and health hazards of welding which is
not the findings of this study. Behavior, in this case practices and compliance of the occupational
and safety hazards, are not significantly related to the awareness unless the degree of
understanding and level of self-efficacy is high enough to cause behavior change (Kite, Gale,
Grunseit, Li, Bellew & Bauman, 2018). Health practices are strong factors that influence marriage
dynamics among couples (Umberson, Donnelly & Pollitt, 2018).

Table 6. Relationship of Practices, Compliance and Educational Attainment of Welders

Educational
Variables N M SD df F p-value
Attainment
Practices Elem graduate 3 3.09 0.63 4 0.977 0.431
HS undergraduate 9 2.97 0.21
HS graduate 23 3.06 0.24
College undergrad 6 3.24 0.38
Vocational grad 5 3.18 0.16
Compliance Elem graduate 3 2.80 0.27 4 0.434 0.783
HS undergraduate 9 2.78 0.16
HS graduate 23 2.78 0.24
College undergrad 6 2.87 0.32
Vocational grad 5 2.68 0.18
Note: College graduate was not included in the analysis due to very small sample size.

The above results showed no significant differences in the practices and compliance on
occupational safety and health standards of the welders when grouped according to their
educational attainment using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with
practice[F(4)=0.977, p=0.431] and compliance [F(4)=0.434, p=0.783] among the four groups.
This result is different from the findings of several studies emphasizing the effects of educational
attainment to practices of safety measures across all professions and types of work (Chaswa,
Kosamu, Kumwenda & Utembe, 2020; Kite, Gale, Grunseit, Li, Bellew & Bauman, 2018; Knoll,
Leung, Foulkes & Blakemore, 2017; Sabitu, iliyasu, Daude, 2009; Tadesse, Bezabih, Destaw &
Assef, 2016). Zimmerman and Woolf (2014) in their discussion paper has explained the role of
level of education on the overall health outcome of the individual. According to their paper,
education place a person in a situation wherein the understanding of the relationships with his
surroundings, his social interactions, his attitudes and behavior on a given condition – health
outcomes of his job. The higher the educational attainment the better perception of safety and better
compliance to safety measures (Gyeke& Salminen, 2007).The probable explanation to the findings of
this study is the sample size as well as the levels of education are almost similar, thus posing a
limitation.

Table 7. Correlations of Practices and Compliance of Occupational Safety and Health Standards
of the Welders
Variables Practices
r p-value
Compliance
0.255 0.80

Pearson Product Moment Correlation was conducted to determine how strongly the practices and
compliance of the occupational safety and Health Standards is associated. The test results
revealed that there is no association between the variables of practices and compliance with
F(4)=0434, p=0.783 and not statistically correlated. The result of the study means that practices
are not manifestations of compliance to occupational safety and health standards guidelines.
According to the World Health Organization – International Labor Organization (2017) it is not
the lack of regulatory measures but the inadequate enforcement of the occupational safety and
health standards (Siddiki, 2011). This is especially true among the developing countries where
more than 85% of its workers belong to the informal sector. Health risk initiatives must not only
come from the workers themselves but also from the companies they work with (Kite, Gale,
Grunseit, Li, Bellew & Bauman, 2018).

Results of Unstructured Interview

Majority of the respondents (65%) said that they are aware of the occupational and health hazards
of welding job such as burns, cough and temporary loss of hearing and vision but due to
inadequate number of personal protective gears, they are forced to improvise such as using
sunglasses or face masks. Trainings were not provided because most of the welders are outsourced
and hired only when need arises (48%). There is no regular monitoring from concerned
government agencies (56%).

Outsourcing workers for a particular job although cheaper pose the disadvantage of quality and
safety control ((Strain, 2019). Losing some control of the production and safety side of things
brings about other hidden issues and problems to the industry (Riggins, 2017). Monitoring safety
environment is a strategy of knowledgeable managers to prevent and limit expensive damages in
the workplace not only to its employees but also to the physical plant of its company (Vesterinen,
2016).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the salient findings of the study, the following are the conclusions drawn:
1. The welders “sometimes” practice occupational safety and health standard required for
their job;
2. The welders are “moderately compliant” of the occupational safety and health standard
guidelines set by the DOLE manual;
3. There is no significant differences in the practices and compliance of the welders when
grouped according to age, civil status and educational attainment;
4. There is no significant correlation between the welders’ practices and compliance on the
occupational safety and health standard guidelines for welding;
 5. The welders said they are aware of the health hazards of their welding jobs but “sometime”
practice occupational safety and health standards due to the following reasons:
a.) inadequate number of personal protective equipment available;
b.) trainings on use of personal protective equipment and issues on occupational safety
and health standards were not conducted; and
c.) No monitoring were experienced by the welders from responsible agencies.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In view of the above conclusions, the following recommendations were given:

1. Regular seminar/trainings be conducted, yearly if need be by the DOLE and related
agencies such as DOH for welders and other industrial workers to update their current
knowledge and skills on occupational safety and health standards of their profession;
2. Provision of adequate and appropriate personal protective gear to the welders by the
company that hires them, regardless of their employment status. This should be part of
the licensing and accreditation requirements of the industrial/engineering company;
3. Regular, random and scheduled visit from responsible agencies such as DOLE and DOH
to ensure the guidelines of occupational safety and health standards are complied with.
The visit would also be part of the assessment for benchmarking safety practices of
workers not only those in the welding workers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would also like to acknowledge the untiring assistance of Engr. Luke Mark Rivera
and Engr. Rodito Caranguian for their intellectual inputs to the accomplishments of this paper.

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