BAGUIO CITY – Labor, employment and occupational safety and health officials expressed optimism on the significant increase in the number of companies in Baguio City and the Cordillera join the search for the winners of the 11th Gawad Kaligtasan at Kalusugan.
Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) Executive Director Noel C. Binag extended the invitation to all complaint private establishments, government offices, and OSH consultants and practitioners to vie for the prestigious award which is conferred to top performing individuals and companies who have been to be excellent in the practice of occupational safety and health in their workplaces.
The GKK is biennial award given by the labor department to companies and individuals with exemplary occupational safety and health practices, programs, innovations and contributions in the aggressive promotion of occupational safety and health in their workplaces.
The search is open to private companies who are complaint with both the general labor and occupational safety and health standards based on the inspection results of the labor department, government offices, micro-enterprises and informal section and informal sector and DOLE-accredited practitioners, specifically consultants and professionals.
The GKK will be conducted in a 2-tiered scheme with regional and national levels wherein interested participants must submit the documentary requirements to the OSHC main office in Quezon City or the nearest OSHC regional extension unit which includes the Baguio-based OSHC regional unit.
The individuals and companies who are able to hurdle the documentary review and initial screening will be scheduled for a stringent regional violation and the regional screening committee which will be chaired by the DOLE regional director will determine the regional champions.
Further, the declared regional GKK champions will then vie for the national GKK champions in various categories that will be done for the said purpose.
Among the GKK national champions that received international recognitions include Sun Power Philippines Manufacturing Ltd. Which won in the 9th and 10 GKK industry category and Bagnos Multipurpose Cooperative which won in the 10th GKK micro-enterprise category informal sector category and were subsequently awarded in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Occupational Safety and Health Network Awards.
On the other hand, two more GKK winners, Maynilad Water Services and Knowles Electronics Philippines, Inc., were both awarded with the ASEAN Red Ribbon for Outstanding Workplace in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Binag underscored the importance of individuals and companies having to comply to the occupational safety and health standards to ensure that workers, who are considered the backbone of the companies in the workplaces, will be spared from being exposed to danger that could compromise their lives and properties thereby resulting to loss of confidence to the said companies by the people who patronize their products and services.
By Dexter A. See