ABSTRACT
The practice of occupational health and safety (OHS) in the Philippines is shaped by both success and failures. Government initiatives have achieved specific goals, particularly in providing better access by local industries to technical services and manpower development. However, the ability to sustain these achievements has been constrained by lack of adequate resources, both financial and human. Large-scale industrial establishments have better success in the implementation of OHS programs in their organizations. Small- and medium-scale enterprises suffer from limited resources to invest in measures for the health and safety of workers. Similarly, the government has little influence on the health and safety conditions migrant workers experience in another nation. The informal sector is the most deprived in terms of access to OHS measures. The deprivation may be alleviated by economic solutions, as their existence is a result of economic situations. Occupational health development in the Philippines is progressing and will be strengthened by better regulation, by increasing awareness among all sector workers of the importance of OHS, and by adequately building up the capacity of government and vital human resources.
