DAVAO CITY — With the high heat index being experienced this summer and aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon, the regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is encouraging businesses to allow work-from-home arrangements.
DOLE is also monitoring ventilation in workplaces.
“Principles still apply— no work, no pay— but we have this work-from-home arrangement or work-from-home engagement so that we can address or decongest places na masyadong mainit, this arrangement is highly encouraged,” DOLE-Davao Regional Director Randolf Pensoy said.
He clarified that adopting a work-from-home setup is not mandatory but is just encouraged among establishments.
“We are not obligating them, but we are encouraging every employer to facilitate this arrangement to address this kind of phenomenon na masyado mataas ang heat index sa Davao so people working can be well ventilated and we can address the conditions of the people,” Pensoy said.
Davao City has experienced days of high heat index going up to 40 to 43 degrees with hot weather to last until May.
Pensoy said the DOLE is monitoring workplaces to see if they have sufficient ventilation.
“Most of our inspectors are not only monitoring compliance with minimum wage rates or overtime pay; we also monitor the health conditions and the working environment, which is well-ventilated ba, lalo na with El Niño, we are looking at that,” Pensoy said.
Coping with heat
Dr. Aicy Joy Larracochea, medical officer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the Southern Philippines Medical Center, said that despite the high heat index, there are no heat stroke or heat exhaustion-related cases admitted at the hospital.
She said the absence of cases can be attributed to people’s awareness of what to do with the hot weather.
“Maybe they are well-informed of the high heat index and weather forecast, and they know what to do somehow;they already know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and naagapan (proper response) at home,” Larracochea said.
She said that heat exhaustion and heat strokes are two different things.
Heat exhaustion symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sometimes headaches, pinagpapawisan (perspiring); pag heat stroke hindi ka na pinagpapawisan sobrang taas na ng temperature mo 40 degrees and above you have central nervous system disturbances like delirium, seizure pwede rin magpass out yung isang tao. Heat stroke is an emergency case. The way I look at it, heat exhaustion pa lang naagapan na,” Dr. Larracochea said.
(Heat exhaustion symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sometimes headaches, and sweating. On heat stroke, you do not perspire, you will have a high temperature above 40 degrees and if you have above and you have central nervous system disturbances like delirium seizures, a person can pass out. Heat stroke is an emergency case;, the way I look at it, when people experience heat exhaustion, they have already had addressed it.)
She advised people to hydrate by drinking 2-3 liters of water a day, avoid too much exposure to the sun, wear loose clothing, and know the signs and symptoms of heat stroke. PIA DAVAO
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