Emphasizing on preventive measures during the construction of community infrastructures under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) project, a training on Construction Safety Training was conducted last May 6-10, 2013 in Sto. Domingo, Albay.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for a 40-hour training in educating the staff to protect the welfare of the project’s laborers.

The most common dangers during construction are falls from working at height, crush injuries in excavation work, being struck by falling objects, moving heavy loads, bad working positions, inhalation of dust, handling of rough materials, exposure to dangerous substances (chemical and biological), working near, in, or over water, exposure to radiation, loud noise, vibration from tools or vibrating machinery.

Armand Mikhail Templado, the Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Engineer, said that it is necessary to observe a hazard-free construction site to safeguard the health and the lives of the laborers.

“At the end of the training, we expect that they can now submit a Construction Safety and Health Program (CSHP) which mitigates identified hazards during the construction period,”he said.

The five-day training included topics on environmental safety; handling of construction machinery; excavation safety; personal protective equipment; occupational health and safety; health legislation; and safety and health practices. It was attended by the DSWD-hired engineers or deputy area coordinators (DAC) and municipal engineers from different municipalities implementing Kalahi-CIDSS project.

“Our [DSWD] staff will be the ones who will provide the technical assistance (TA) to the communities who will implement the infrastructures in observing protective measures during construction,” Templado added.

Suncris Cadiz, a DAC assigned in Bula, Camarines Sur, said that all of them are accountable in terms of managing hazards in the construction sites.

“This training is an essential component of the project,” she added.

Kalahi-CIDSS is a community-driven development (CDD) project in the Philippines which strongly advocates the involvement of local communities in the design and implementation of development projects to address the issue of poverty in the country. It aims to improve local governance by employing the participation of the people in the communities in the development process

Community residents consensually decide on what type of poverty-reduction projects they will prioritize for funding based from the collective analysis of their needs. Community proposals can vary from public goods/access projects, enterprise or livelihood projects or human development projects.

The laborers of these small-scale infrastructures are also taken from the members of the community. DACs will educate these people on how they can avoid accidents and sickness acquired during construction.

Engr. Alex Marlo Sacado of Safety Control Division of DOLE, said that the health and safety of the construction workers is one of the project’s concerns.

“Without our laborers, our project will be a failure so it is necessary to ensure a safe working environment for them,” he said.

Kalahi-CIDSS, a multi-funded project of DSWD, aids 2,051 communities with P1.07 billion for continued implementation this 2013. ###jmarbella