AboitizPower promotes culture of safety
Davao Light and Power Co., a subsidiary of AboitizPower, is calling for heightened safety awareness among construction workers, especially those working near the company’s distribution lines, amid the construction boom in Davao City.
Many construction workers expose themselves to hazards everyday, one of which is working close to power lines. With electrocution among the leading causes of private sector injuries and fatalities in the construction industry, there is a need to come up with proactive solutions to this problem.
To address this concern, Davao Light has partnered with the City Government of Davao to organize its first Construction Workers’ Day.
“The main point of the Construction Workers’ Day is to help you to be always safe while working near power lines or when using electricity in the construction site,” Davao Light Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rodger Velasco said in a speech at the Davao City Recreation Center on September 30.
Around 350 construction workers from across Davao Light’s franchise area participated in the half-day event.
Velasco thanked Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the rest of the city government, and other organizations for partnering with the distribution utility in this endeavor.
Davao City Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta, chair of the peace and order and public safety committee, announced that she is sponsoring a resolution designed to bolster the safety of workers while working near high-voltage wires. She commended Davao Light for pushing the initiative even without a resolution mandating them to do so.
Acosta also led the workers’ oath to observe safety consciousness while at work.
Dr. Rizal Aportadera, head of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) Burn Unit, earlier reported that there have been 21 patients with electrocution injuries brought under his care during the first quarter of 2018.
He said documentation showed that patients “were in their work area when the metal objects they were holding came in contact with high-voltage electrical current resulting to amputation of their extremities or their mortality.”
Furthermore, he said there have been 87 cases of high-voltage electrical injury recorded in Davao City as well as in its neighboring provinces in 2017.
Other topics that were discussed during the event were the basic rights of workers, occupational safety and health, relevant provisions of the National Building Code, electrical regulations, and the dangers of working with electricity.
The event was made possible with the support of Davao Light’s other partners including the City Administrator’s Office, City Transport and Traffic Management Office, Central 911, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Davao Constructors Association, Philippine National Police – San Pedro Station, and Barangay 39-D officials.
