A global research showed how more than 70 percent of industrial greenhouse gases have been linked to only 100 companies since 1988.
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Labor groups are demanding stronger measures from the government and employers to address health and safety concerns in the workplace as the heat index continues to rise.
Nadia De Leon, executive director of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), said that low compliance with occupational safety and health standards makes workers vulnerable to heat-related illnesses like heat stroke, sunburn, and heat rash. “We have received reports that workers have to bring their portable electric fans to survive the extreme heat in their workplaces.”
Labor group Kilos Na Manggagawa released an advisory, gathering the situation of the employees in the workplaces amid the extreme heat and their recommendations to productively workaround.
Meanwhile, the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said on April 3 that the proposed heat breaks should neither be compulsory nor legislated.
De Leon, however, said that IOHSAD is urgently pushing for the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a department order containing essential provisions that will ensure workers’ safety.
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Secretary-General Jerome Adonis also slammed ECOP’s statement, stressing that “these capitalists who are exposed to aircon all day are always heated when the rights and welfare of their workers are being discussed.”
Adonis said that governments and big corporations should be held responsible for putting workers and communities at risk over extreme weather conditions.
A global research showed how more than 70 percent of industrial greenhouse gases have been linked to only 100 companies since 1988.
In 2023, DOLE issued an advisory recommending measures to avoid heat stress. Among these are adequate ventilation and heat insulation in workplaces, temperature-appropriate uniforms, provision of drinking water, and adjusting rest breaks or work locations.
KMU said that this advisory needs to address the welfare of workers who are deployed outdoors. IOHSAD agreed because “it is insufficient to protect workers amidst the escalating temperatures.”
“This does not include the workers in the informal sector such as vendors and jeepney drivers, among others. It should be the responsibility of the government to address their safety, especially since there is no clear employer-employee relationship in their setup,” Adonis said.
This does not mean that the employees in the formal work arrangement are secured during these times. KMU said that even those inside factories and offices are vulnerable to extreme heat. Outdoor workers in agriculture, docks and construction, as well as delivery riders and other platforms workers, are also at a higher risk.
“Extreme heat brought about by climate change has become a major health and safety issue among workers in various sectors. It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that workers are protected and risks are mitigated. We demand immediate and resolute action to address this urgent issue,” De Leon said.
Qatar, for example, requires companies to conduct risk assessment in mitigating heat stress. This makes companies more proactive, prompting them to identify both hazards and solutions.
The average temperature during warm months is 28.3 degrees Celsius, according to the Department of Science and Technology. However, as of this writing, the majority of the regions across the country suffer from 42 to 43 degrees Celsius in the heat index temperature, already considered dangerous level.
Global productivity losses equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs are protected in the year 2030 due to the increasing heat stress, according to the report of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The Philippines is one of the vulnerable countries to these risks and continues to face employment challenges. (JJE, RTS, DAA) 
