Reminder follows recent spike in positive cases and reopening workplaces
The Philippine Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) has reminded employers of their obligation to report COVID-19 cases and close contacts in their workplaces.
In an advisory issued this week, DOLE said establishments in the private sector should have their safety officers regularly submitting the list of positive cases and their close contacts to their respective local government units and to the Department of Health (DOH).
This should include investigation details on sources of transmission in accordance with a previous advisory from the DOH, according to the advisory, as signed by Labour Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.
"In addition, they shall submit the Employer's Work Accident/Illness Report through the DOLE Establishment Report System pursuant to Labour Advisory No. 07, Series of 2022," read the document.
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Meanwhile, DOLE also reminded private employers to comply with the Health Department's guidelines on the quarantine, isolation, and testing for the management of the Omicron variant, as well as other DOH issuances.
"The covered establishments shall also ensure the good practice of detection strategies in workplaces as stipulated in Section VI (B) of DOH Administrative Order No. 2021-0043 or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Minimum Public Health Standards for the Safe Reopening of Institutions," said DOLE in the advisory.
Employers should also remain compliant to the country's Alert Level System, and to DOLE's guidelines on ventilation for workplaces to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
"Company policies on COVID-19-related testing, quarantine, and isolation response shall be aligned with the abovementioned issuances," said the department.
The reminder comes as more employers continue to bring back their staff from remote work, despite thousands of new cases daily and over 24,000 active cases as of September 8.
