Philippines launches Healthy Workplace Initiative on SafeDay

In celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the Philippines unveiled the National Policy Framework on the Promotion of Healthy Workplace. The launch held on 28 April 2023 gathered together major government agencies and partners. The Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Civil Service Commission (CSC) along with the International Labour Organization (ILO), World Health Organization (WHO), United States Agency for International Development, FHI 360 and other development partners, workers’ and employers’ organizations and various workplaces, led the celebration.

As a health promotion implementation strategy, the Healthy Workplace will develop policy and various technical tools to advocate for the Health Promotion Framework Strategy’s priority areas and its corresponding seven healthy habits. Specifically, the need to move more, eat right; be clean, live sustainably; get vaccinated; do not smoke; avoid alcohol; say no to drugs; care for yourself, care for others; practice safe sex; and do no harm, put safety first. This policy framework is in line with the Universal Health Care Act, RA 11223, aims to provide an integrated and comprehensive approach to health care for Filipinos, including promoting health literacy, healthy living conditions and protection from health hazards.

Under the initiative, the ILO Bringing Back Jobs Safely Project funded by the Government of Japan, will support the development of an evidence-based toolkit for healthy workplace actions with particular focus on environment health and violence and injury prevention. It will also help improve collection and use of data on work-related disease and injury under the pilot implementation.

“A safe and healthy working environment is no longer an option or a moral choice. It is a fundamental right. The ILO will help strengthen partnership with key stakeholders for ensuring and promoting a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right,” said Director Khalid Hassan of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

The ILO will provide support by building a preventive safety and health culture through the National Policy Framework on the Promotion of Healthy Workplace. In addition, the ILO through the Healthy Workplace Initiative will work towards extended protection of marginalized workers, including those in the rural sector and informal economy, in collaboration with the Universal Health Coverage agenda by the DOH and WHO.

The policy framework aims to promote a culture of health and safety in the workplace through the development of assessment tools, called FIT-ools, and interventions to improve health literacy and reduce risks of unhealthy behaviors. “While the framework opens new grounds for collaborations between all organizations here, we are all propelled by the greater vision of a healthy and productive workforce serving the Filipino,” said CSC Chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles.

Making healthy behaviors the easier choice in workplaces will only be possible through collaboration across all sectors. “We affirm our duty and commitment in protecting and promoting the fundamental right of all workers in the private and public sector for a safe, healthy, and happy work environment,” said DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma. This commitment includes the most vulnerable, as the initiative aims to involve the informal sector to truly achieve a Healthy Pilipinas.”

Psychosocial factors affect physical and mental health. This includes stress, violence and harassment, smoking and substance abuse. Thus, the ILO will also bring in an integrated approach under the initiative given its impact on workers’ health, absenteeism and ultimately, on the enterprise.

“Today, we take a crucial step forward in further improving the health, safety and welfare of our workers as we sign our Joint Administrative Order on the National Policy Framework on the Promotion of Healthy Workplace and launch the implementation of our Healthy Workplace Programme. This policy and programme is a collaborative work to promote health, safety, and well-being of all workers, both in the public and private sectors,” said DOH Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Maria Rosario Vergeire.