COMPANY

NAME OF COMPANY
LOGO Address

POLICY ON COVID-19
PREVENTION AND
CONTROL MEASURES IN
THE WORKPLACE

Prepared by: Attested by Employees’ Approved by:

Representative:

Signature above Printed Name Signature above Printed Signature above Printed Name Signature above Printed Name
of Occupational Health Nurse Name of Safety Officer of Employees’ Representative of Business Owner/
Authorized Representative

Date Approved:
 The 1987 Philippine Constitution provides for the equal protection and
promotion of the rights and welfare of the workers; Following the guidelines issued
by Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, government
agencies are mandated to provide policy directions for the public and
stakeholders in complying with government regulations on Enhanced Community
Quarantine (ECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and integrating
the Interim Guidelines on Workplace Prevention and Control of COVID-19 issued
jointly issued by DOLE and DTI on April 30, 2020. Thus, the (name of company)
hereby adopts a policy on the prevention and control of COVID-19 diseases to
protect and safeguard the health and well-being of its personnel, outsourced
services personnel, and clients from the adverse health effects of these biological
agents causing the infectious diseases, and ensure safe and efficient operations.

I. Abbreviations

COVID -19 - Novel Corona Virus Disease discovered in 2019

DOLE - Department of Labor and Employment
ECC - Employees’ Compensation Commission
ECQ - Enhance Community Quarantine
GCQ - General Community Quarantine
OSHC - Occupational Safety and Health Center
PPE - Personal Protective Equipment
OSH Com - Occupational Safety and Health Committee
OHN - Occupational Health Nurse
OHP - Occupational Health Personnel
SO - Safety Officer

II. Definition of Terms

COVID 19 is a novel coronavirus that circulates among animals

but is known to have affected humans. Said to have
originated from bats and was identified in China at the
end of 2019.

ENHANCED stringent quarantine measures. Public transport

COMMUNITY systems are suspended. Only essential businesses can
QUARANTINE operate. Government on skeleton workforce.

GENERAL COMMUNITY relaxed quarantine measures. Transportation is

QUARANTINE allowed but in reduced capacity. 50-100% reopening
of select establishments subject to minimum health
standards. Government shall operate in flexible
working arrangements for frontline services.
 Occupational Health refers to the Philippine Registered Nurses who
Nurses underwent formal Post Graduate Course Training on
Basic Occupational Safety and Health for Nurses.
Engaged by the employer to provide occupational
health services.

Safety Officer designated regular employee who underwent formal

training on Basic Occupational Safety and Health or its
equivalent to oversee the overall management of the
occupational safety and health programs.

III. Coverage

This policy shall apply to all workers of the (name of company), regardless
of status, including its contractors/subcontractors, clients and guests.

IV. Formulation of Policy

This policy is prepared by the members of the Occupational Safety and

Health Committee with the concurrence of its workforce and management
representative.

V. Objectives

The following safety and health standards shall be implemented in the (name of
company) with the objectives of the minimum health standards of the
Department of Health:

A. Increase Physical and Mental Resilience

1. The (name of company) shall emphasize to all workers the everyday

actions to stay healthy, such as:
a. Eat nutritious and well-cooked food;
b. Drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcoholic beverages;
c. Strengthen the body’s immune system by having enough rest,
taking in multivitamins and having adequate sleep of at least 8
hours; and
d. Exercise regularly.

2. The company shall provide referral for workers needing counselling or

presenting with mental health concerns.
B. Reducing Transmission of COVID-19

1. Prior to entrance in buildings or workplaces

All employees are expected to:

i. Always wear face masks and remove the same only when
drinking. The company shall provide the appropriate face masks
for workers. In case only cloth masks (washable type) are made
available, additional filter material such as tissue papers inside
the masks may be added;
ii. All employees are expected to daily accomplish the health
checklist and submit to the guard or designated safety officer
prior to entry;
iii. All employees must have their temperature checked and
recorded in the health checklist. (refer to picture 1.) For any
personnel with temperature >37.50 C, even after a 5-minute rest,
or if their response in the questionnaire needs further evaluation
by the Occupational Health Nurse/clinic staff/designated
personnel, the person shall be isolated in an area identified by
the company and not allowed to enter the premises. The
isolation area should be well ventilated and disinfected
frequently. OHN/Clinic staff/designated personnel assigned to
assess the workers held in isolation area shall be provided the
appropriate medical grade PPEs by the establishment which
shall include but not limited to, face masks, goggles/face
shields, and/or gloves; and
iv. Spray alcohol/sanitizers to both hands; and provide disinfectant
foot baths at the entrance if practicable.
 Table 1. Illustration of Screening Protocol (to be posted)

LOGO OF Illustration of Screening Protocol

COMPANY

Picture 1. Sample Health Checklist Form

Option A. Health Checklist (Reproduced for daily use)

LOGO OF (Name of Company)

COMPANY (Address)

Name: __________________________________
[ ] Employee [ ] Client/Guest [ ] Contractor/Subcon
Contact Number: _____________________________

(name of company)

Sample
Option B. Health Checklist (Produced for Monthly use)

Option C. Health Checklist (Using Excel to Record Data)

a. Equipment or vehicle entering the hub operational area must go

through a disinfection process; and

b. If there will be a long queue outside the office or store premises,

roving officers are expected to instill physical distancing of one
meter.
 2. Inside the workplace

a. All work areas and frequently handled objects such as doorknobs ad

handles, shall be cleaned and disinfected regularly, at least once
every (2) hours;
b. All washrooms and toilets shall have enough clean water and soap,
workers are encouraged to wash their hands frequently and avoid
touching their eyes, nose and mouth;
c. Sanitizers shall be made available in corridors, conference areas,
elevators, stairways and areas where workers pass;
d. Workers, whether in the office workstation or in operations area, shall
always practice physical distancing meaning at the minimum one
(1) meter radius space (side, back and front) between workers;
e. Eating in communal areas is discouraged. It is best to eat in individual
work area and all wastes shall be disposed properly.
If eating individual work areas is not possible, the employer shall
ensure that physical distancing is maintained in dining areas with one
worker per table and 1-meter distance per worker. It is discouraged
that workers engage in conversation with masks off during
mealtimes. Tables and chairs shall be cleaned or disinfected after
every use of the area, and before as well as the end of the work; and
f. Canteens and kitchens should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

C. Minimize Contact Rate

1. Alternative work arrangements, such as working-hour shifts, work from

home (WFH), where feasible and on rotation basis;
2. Prolonged face-to-face interaction between workers and with clients
are discouraged and masks shall always be worn and not removed.
Meetings needing physical presence shall be kept to a minimum
number of participants and with short duration. Videoconferencing
shall be utilized for lengthy discussions among workers;
3. Office tables should be arranged in order to maintain proper physical
distancing. Barriers may be provided between tables;
4. Workstation layout should be designed to allow for unidirectional
movement in aisles, corridors or walkways;
5. To maintain physical distancing, number of people inside an
enclosed space such as a room, store or hall shall be limited. Elevator
use should consider physical distancing and limit number of persons
in order to observe the 1-meter physical distancing;
6. Use of stairs should be encouraged subject to physical distancing
requirements. If more than 2 stairways are accessible, one stairway
may be used exclusively for going up and another for going down;
 7. Online system shall be highly encouraged to be utilized for clients
needing assistance from offices including the use of
videoconferencing; and
8. Roving officers shall always ensure physical distancing and
observance of minimum health protocols.

D. Reducing the Risk of COVID-19 Infection

1. If a worker is suspected as having COVID-19:

a. The worker shall immediately proceed to the isolation area designated

in the workplace and never remove his/her mask;
b. Occupational Health Nurse/Clinic personnel attending to the workers
should wear appropriate PPEs and if needed should require the
transport of the affected worker to the nearest hospital. Company
protocols for transport for suspect COVID-19 cases and for PCR testing,
should be in place including providing for ambulance conduction.
Hospitals will report to the DOH for COVID-19 suspect; and
c. Decontamination of workplace

i. Workplace shall be decontaminated with appropriate

disinfectant (e.g. chlorine bleaching solutions and 1:100 phenol
based disinfectant);
ii. After decontamination of the work area, work can resume after
24 hours; and
iii. Workers present in the work area with the suspect COVID-19
worker shall go on 14 days home quarantine with specific
instructions from the clinic staff on monitoring of symptoms and
possible next steps. If suspect COVID-19 worker has negative
result, co-workers may be allowed to report back to work.

2. In the event that a worker is sick or has a fever but is not suspected to have
COVID-19 (ex. urinary infection wound infection or any diseases not related
to lungs or respiratory tract) the employer must advice the worker to take
prudent measures to limit the spread of communicable diseases, as follows:

i. Stay at home and keep away from work or crowds;

ii. Take adequate rest and take plenty of fluids;
iii. Practice personal hygiene to prevent spread of disease; and
iv. Seek appropriate medical care if there is persistent fever, when
difficulty of breathing has started, or when he/she becomes
weak.
VI. DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS

Employers shall:

1. Provide the necessary company policies for the prevention and control of
COVID-19 in consultation with workers. Advocacy and IEC programs should
be taken from DOH, WHO and reliable sources of information on COVID-19;
2. Provide resources and materials needed to keep the workers healthy and
the workplace safe, e.g., masks, soap, sanitizer, disinfectant, PPEs, including
COVID-19 testing kits, etc;
3. Designate a safety officer to monitor COVID-19 prevention and control
measures such as physical distancing, wearing of masks, regular
disinfection, compliance to thermal scanning and accomplishing health
symptoms questionnaire;
4. Enhance health insurance provision for workers;
5. When feasible, provide shuttle services and/or decent accommodation on
near-site location to lessen travel and people movement;
6. Enjoin the hiring from the local community; and
7. Put up a COVID-19 Hotline and Call Center for employees to report if
symptomatic, and a daily monitoring scheme of our “suspect” employee
condition.

Workers shall:

1. Comply with all workplace measures in place for the prevention and control
of COVID-19, such as, frequent hand washing, wearing of masks, observe
physical distancing always, etc;
2. Observe proper respiratory etiquette;
3. Coughing and sneezing into tissue or into shirt sleeves if tissue is not available.
4. Disposing used tissues properly; and
5. Disinfecting hands immediately through proper washing with soap and
water or alcohol-based sanitizer immediately after a cough or sneeze.

VII. WORKPLACE WITH IMMINENT DANGER SITUATIONS

In workplaces where workers are evidently at risk of infection as in health-

care and other frontline services, the employer shall comply with the DOH
Department Memorandum No. 2020-0178: Interim Guidelines on Health Care
Provider Networks during the COVID-19 Pandemic, 11 April 2020. Workers in said
workplaces must take extra precautionary measures which include strict hygiene
and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Employers shall ensure that
PPE (e.g. respirators such as N95, gowns, gloves) is properly worn by the workers
while at work and disposed of accordingly after use.

VIII. COVID -19 TESTING

Employers may test workers for COVID-19. Testing Kits used and procured
shall be the responsibility of the employer. DOH Protocols shall be followed for the
testing of workers and interpretation of results in accordance with DOH
Department Memorandum No. 2020-0180: Revised Interim Guidelines on
Expanded Testing for COVID-19, 16 April 2020 and DOH Administrative Order No.
2020-0014: Guidelines in securing a License to Operate a COVID-19 Testing
Laboratory in the Philippines, 07 April 2020. Company policy on COVID-19 testing
shall be formulated and agreed upon by employers and workers in the conformity
with the DOH protocols.

Workers with a negative test shall continue to work. They should be given
appropriate advise and instructions once they develop any health complaints or
symptoms. The company OHN/SO shall continue to monitor all workers.

IX. MOST AT RISK WORKERS AND VULNERABLE

Employers are highly encouraged to allow these workers to do work from

home arrangement. Work Agreements should be developed to detail the
deliverables from these employees and there shall be no diminution in wages and
benefits. (Most at risk workers are those >60 years old, or any age with co-morbidities or pre-existing illness,
i.e. hypertension, diabetes, cancer or with immunocompromised health status; or high risk pregnancy).

X. Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation

A. The implementation of this policy and its programs shall be monitored

and evaluated periodically through the Company’s Occupational Safety,
Health Committee (OSH Com).

XIII. Funding

The (name of company) shall allocate a budget for this purpose to include
but not limited to:

a. IEC Materials;

b. Personal Protective Equipment

c. Disinfecting solutions and materials

 d. Trainings and others

XIV. Effectivity

Signed and approved this ___ day of ________, 20____, at

__________________________________, Philippines.

________________________________
Name of Business Owner/
Authorized Management Representative