AFTER a spike in the number of accidents at small-time construction sites, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 has started a program to train barangay officials and tanods (village watchmen) on how to uphold Occupational Safety Standards in their communities.
The program is called Barangay Ospatrol, short for Occupational Safety Patrol at the Barangay-level.
Dole 7 Director Roy Buenafe introduced the program, which aims to teach barangay leaders and tanods basic safety rules on occupational safety. This will enhance their monitoring of compliance by various employers with regulations for their workers’ safety on small construction projects in their areas.
“We are seeing too many accidents in the barangays,” said Buenafe during the 2025 Kalayaan (Independence Day) Job Fair on Thursday, June 12, at SM Seaside City Cebu. “Most of these are small constructions like houses, where safety rules are often not followed.”
From January to June, Dole 7 recorded 41 work-related accidents in Central Visayas. Many of these involved electrocution, especially in home construction and small-scale or informal construction.
Buenafe said the program will pilot in Barangays Lahug and Mabolo in Cebu City, which will be the first to try the new safety patrol program in the upcoming weeks.
Technical training
Dole 7 will provide technical training to selected barangay officials and tanods to identify potential safety risks and violations, and to reprimand employers to comply with the regulations.
Earlier this week, Dole 7 issued a work stoppage order against an employer and an ongoing construction project after a mason died at a residential building site after he was hit in the head by a fallen GI pipe.
Buenafe said the accident happened due to a lack of compliance with proper safety measures. An administrative penalty of P100,000 will be imposed against the employer due to the incident, he added.
“I signed the order even on a Thursday. This kind of accident should not happen again,” he said.
Dole is also looking at the possibility of filing criminal charges against employers who fail to protect their workers. Buenafe said he will meet with the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police to discuss this.
“We understand that these are small projects, but lives are at stake. Some employers think [they can] just pay the family and think it’s okay. It’s not,” he said.
Employers are required by law to register their workers with the Social Security System. If not registered, they will have to pay all hospital and funeral costs in case of accidents.
Most of the accidents, Dole said, happen because workers are not given protective gear like hard hats, or the construction sites do not have warning signs or clear safety rules.
Buenafe also said that messy wires from internet or cable providers can cause electrocution. Dole 7 recently met with electric companies and plans to hold another meeting with the National Telecommunications Commission to fix the problem.
Dole 7 hopes to expand the Barangay Ospatrol to more barangays in the coming months. / EHP