DOLE inspections halted this month

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment has suspended all labor inspection activities in December to enable the agency to dispose all pending labor standards cases and prepare the inspection program for 2020.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III , in his Administrative Order No. 495, Series of 2019, directed all DOLE regional directors to suspend all labor inspection activities in their respective regions effective December 1.

However, exempted from the suspension are complaint inspections; occupational safety and health standards (OSHS) investigations; technical safety inspections, such as inspection of boilers, pressure vessels, and mechanical and electrical installation, etc; and inspection of any establishment or industry as directed by the labor secretary.

In a statement, DOLE said that the conduct of routine inspections shall resume upon issuance of the 2020 General Authority for Labor Inspectors.

During the period of suspension, it said that DOLE regional directors shall ensure that all results of inspection activities are uploaded in the Management Information System (MIS) before the end of December.

The Information Technology personnel in-charge of the information and communications technology materials and/or the MIS Regional Systems Administrators shall conduct an audit of all the mobile gadgets used for inspection activities to ensure that all 2019 inspection findings are uploaded and those mobile gadgets issued are properly utilized and maintained.

As of September, 57,514 establishments covering 2.3 million workers were inspected by the DOLE labor inspectors.

It said that most of the inspected establishments were engaged in wholesale and retail, accommodation and food service, and administrative support and service.

Among the notable violations on general labor standards pertain to non-maintenance of employment records in the workplace, non-payment of service incentive leave, non-coverage of workers to social welfare agencies, and non-remittance of social welfare contributions.

Meanwhile, common violations on OSH include absence of OSH personnel in the workplace, non-conduct of workers’ OSH seminar, non-submission of the annual medical report, and lack of health facilities. (FREEMAN)