Vol. XXI, No. 158 [ Business World Online ]
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
REPRESENTATIVES of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) recently gathered at the DoLE-Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) in Diliman, Quezon City to discuss the technical guidelines for the implementation of its first circular for this year on the health and safety of call center employees.
"The rapid growth of the call center industry has made the Philippines the new call center hub in Asia. However, scientific information derived from local and international studies acknowledge that there are recognized health and safety issues associated with the call center work," said DoLE-Labor Standards and Social Protection Undersecretary Lourdes M. Trasmonte.
"The emerging industry, which is call centers and business process outsourcing [BPO], is generating more workers from the young people. The health and safety of the young is non-negotiable, it is an immediate concern for us," she explained.
Ms. Trasmonte noted that one sign of a problem is the industry’s high staff turnover rate. "Concerns over safety and health conditions at work are among the major reasons workers leave their jobs in call centers," she said.
Ms. Trasmonte said the guidelines were developed to help call center companies comply with DoLE’s recently issued first circular for this year, titled: "Policy Guidelines Governing the Occupational Safety and Health of Workers in the Call Center Industry."
Under Department Circular No. 1, the employer has to formulate and implement an appropriate OSH program in accordance with the OSHS and other health-related issuances by the DoLE. OSHS is a set of rules formed by DoLE which mandates the adoption and use of appropriate practices, means, methods, operations or processes and working conditions necessary to ensure safe and healthful employment.
Circular 1 also mandates employers to organize Safety and Health committees in their workplace, pursuant to Rule 1040 of the OSHS. "The health committee should be the one to develop and oversee the implementation of the OSH program," Ms. Trasmonte explained.
Under Circular 1, "The OSH program should include workers orientation and awareness on hazards identification, risk evaluation, prevention and control." "The employer shall require their workers to undergo an Orientation Course on OSH. Many of those who are working in the call center do not know the impact on unhealthy lifestyle like late night partying, excessive smoking and caffeine intake, and lack of physical exercise on their health and work performance," Ms. Trasmonte said.
Studies consulted by DoLE showed that almost 70% of those working in the call center companies resort to smoking and drinking to counter the stress from their work. The studies also showed that call center agents who are assigned in the late night shift display poor performance like low level of alertness and inability to persuade customers. "Unhealthy work practices and too much workload do not only affect the health of the workers but also their performance," said Ms. Trasmonte. — E. T. MarceloM
