THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) is implementing necessary measures to protect workers of industries locating in registered economic zones (ecozones) by ensuring compliance to occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, its top official said.
Peza Director General Charito Plaza, who spoke at the Orientation Forum on OSH Standards for business process outsourcing (BPO) and Peza Zones at Negros First Negosyo Center in Bacolod City Tuesday, January 30, said industries located in ecozones are compliant to OSH standards.
Plaza said they have a complete inspection team composed of engineers and other types of professionals that complement the requirements in inspecting compliance to OSH standards and Fire Code of the Philippines.
“Peza is very strict in ensuring compliance among Peza registered industries,” she said, adding that “for 22 years of Peza’s existence, we are proud to say that we only recorded three fire incidents involving registered industries.”
These are the fire in House Technology Industries (HTI) in Cavite, Resorts World Manila in Pasay City, and New City Commercial Center (NCCC) Mall in Davao City, all happened last year.
The Peza resolved that the HTI complied with fire and occupational safety requirements so it was purely an accident.
For Resorts World Manila, the agency said it was mainly caused by a person who ran amuck and the casino where the fire started is not registered under the Peza.
The fire in NCCC Mall started at the area, also not Peza registered, below the call center office where 38 employees died, it added.
Plaza said the Peza has its own fire station in every ecozone whether horizontal or vertical.
Horizontal ecozones include factories while vertical ecozones are BPO sites and hotels, among others.
Plaza pointed out that most vertical ecozones are normally mix-use like the Resorts World and the NCCC Mall. Meaning, Peza only conducts inspection of registered industries.
Other industries not registered by the Peza are being inspected by the local government units (LGUs) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), she added.
The Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT) had earlier said that about 90 percent of the BPO firms in the province are located in Peza ecozones.
Thus, most industry workers are assured of their occupational health and safety.
“It is a basic right of the workers to have a workplace with less risks and health hazards. It is also the duty and responsibility of the state to protect its people," Plaza said.
Non-compliant companies can be suspended or cannot be issued permits, she added.
Other measures
During the orientation attended by about 30 stakeholder-representatives in Negros Island mostly from BPO firms, Plaza announced that Peza has entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the BFP.
Under which, the fire bureau will be the one to conduct the inspection and issue the permit to industries under ecozones.
The Peza will provide the BFP a desk in its ecozones and assist the latter’s personnel in the inspection.
“We have to give it back to the BFP since industries are also increasing. Also, the BFP is already established in every province and city so they can also do the job better," Plaza said.
She said the Peza is also in the process of reviewing another MOA with the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).
The Peza recognized the need to come up with new and better OSH standards being required from registered industries, she said.
At present, there are 4,099 industries within 379 ecozones in the country.
Part of the measures is requiring all these industries to conduct fire and emergency drills twice a year, Plaza added.
The orientation forum was a joint initiative of the BNEFIT, Department of Labor and Employment, and BFP.