TVIRD man cops occupational safety and health award
Abad’s Safety and Health System, now adopted by TVIRD, earned for the company more than two million man-hours without lost time accident in 2009, a record-breaking feat in Region 9 (Western Mindanao). The Occupational Safety and Health Center, a DOLE line agency, recognized the feat in ceremonies led by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and other high-ranking government officials.
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Above, Art Abad, TVIRD Canataun Safety Department Manager (center) is flanked by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz (third from left) and DOLE Region 9 Director Ponciano Ligutom (third from right). Below, safety and health practitioners from private and government firms listen to Abad during his presentation on TVIRD’s safety culture. Abad says the biggest factor that formed the company’s safety culture is TVIRD’s adherence to the tenet that Safety is everybody’s business. It is not only the concern of Management, Safety Department or supervisors. It is the responsibility of everybody in the TVIRD family.
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“This (GKK Award) is a fitting tribute to those who accepted the challenge of bringing into the forefront the practice of occupational safety and health in their workplaces and communities,” Sec. Baldoz said as she bestowed the Gawad Kaligtasan at Kalusugan or GKK Award to Abad and other GKK awardees. Abad was one of the six individual and 24 institutional and special awardees recognized by DOLE for ‘best safety practices’ in the work environment.
The GKK award for Abad is the first to be given to a safety practitioner in Region 9. “He bested 51 other nominees in the country,” said Ponciano Ligutom, DOLE Regional Director.
The award is given every two years by DOLE to the establishments, institutions and individuals who advocate, uphold and sustain best safety and health practices in line with DOLE’s Zero-Accident Program (ZAP). TVIRD’s safety manager’s record of no lost-time accident in 2009 is considered by DOLE as “exceptional”, particularly for an operating mining company with almost a thousand employees.
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Above, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. Below, TVIRD Canatuan employees simulate emergency relief and aid during one of the first aid training sessions they regularly participate in. The GKK Award, Baldoz says, “is a fitting tribute to those who accepted the challenge of bringing into the forefront the practice of occupational safety and health in their workplaces and communities.”
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The award for Abad stemmed from his performance as safety manager from January 1 to December 31, 2009. He received the award along with five other individuals who were mostly from the Visayas and Luzon islands. His safety programs for TVIRD were seen as “laudable and exemplary” during the stringent selection and validation process. As such, he was invited to be one of the presenters in the plenary session of the safety conference held after the awarding ceremonies and attended by safety practitioners from private companies, government-owned and controlled corporations, NGOs and members of the academe.
“When I assumed my responsibility at TVIRD, I implemented our safety programs step by step with guidance from Management and from Mr. Yulo Perez, the company’s VP for Philippine operations,” said Abad, who does not want to claim the accolade all for himself. “Of course, the biggest factor is TVIRD’s adherence to the tenet that Safety is everybody’s business. It is not only the concern of Management, Safety Department or supervisors. It is the responsibility of everybody in the TVIRD family, even our equipment contractors and those who are merely passing by the mine site.”
Abad is referring to his safety program for vans, hauling trucks and buses that use the Siocon-Canatuan road enroute to and from Zamboanga City or Ipil town, in the adjacent Zamboanga Sibugay province. His program requires vehicle owners and drivers to undergo defensive driving course that his Department conducts at the mine site. On top of this, Safety Department requires company drivers and employees who drive motorcycles to secure driving permits from his department to ensure that they really are qualified drivers well-versed in traffic safety rules and regulations.
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Above, Abad (left) discusses key points of the Emergency Response Manual with TVIRD Canatuan Mine Manager Pete Remoto. Below, Safety Inspectors Kurt Torres and Romeo Maude. “We abide by TVIRD’s safety policy not merely out of compliance. The policy is part of our emerging safety culture which we is continuing to evolve for the better in Canatuan,” says Maude.
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“So far, Abad’s award is the highest achieved by a company under the jurisdiction of DOLE Region 9,” Ligutom said. “The award undoubtedly advances DOLE’s ZAP initiative. Among the industries and establishments in Region 9, TVIRD’s safety and health practices stand out. When we in DOLE nominated him for the award, I was confident that he would get it because the company’s policy on safety is of the highest standards.”
Ligutom now plans to further strengthen ZAP in the region and he’d like Abad and TVIRD to be at the forefront in enhancing the occupational safety and health network.
Only 33 years old, Engr. Abad Jr., is an Electrical Engineering graduate of St. Louis University, Baguio City and was born and brought up in a mining community.
The members of the DOLE Board of Judges were particularly impressed with TVIRD’s safety standards and procedures, and cited its systematic cause analysis to identify root causes of accidents as well as its corrective and preventive measures. DOLE also took note of TVIRD’s Disaster Management System; 1st Safety and Health Program format (Loss Control Format); Near- Miss Program; and the creation of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) tasked to immediately response accidents or incidents within the mine site.
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Abad with DOLE Region 9 Director Ponciano Ligutom. “Abad’s award undoubtedly advances DOLE’s Zero Accident Program. Among the industries and establishments in Region 9, TVIRD’s safety and health practices stand out,” Ligutom says.
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“All these safety programs would not have been successful without the involvement of employees and the strong support of Management. With our employees’ cooperation the programs have become effective,” said Kurt Torres, Safety Inspector.
“We abide by TVIRD’s safety policy not merely out of compliance. The policy is part of our emerging safety culture which we is continuing to evolve for the better in Canatuan,” said Romeo Maude, another safety inspector.
The institutional awardees include Energy Development Corporation, First Sumiden Circuits, Inc., Moog Controls Corporation (manufacturer of components for Boeing and Airbus aircrafts), Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Fairchild Semiconductor Philippines, Inc., Shell Shared Services (Asia) BV, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Dagat-Dagatan Septage and Sewage Treatment Plant, Atlantic Coatings, Inc., Pilipinas Kao, Inc. and Petron Corporation.
At the TVIRD mine site in Canatuan, homeland of the Subanon tribe, one can readily notice the high level of safety awareness not only among its employees but also among members of the indigenous community. The daily ‘toolbox’ or safety pep talks, the regular safety meetings, and safety training sessions are continuously being undertaken. Indeed, one of the legacies TVIRD can leave behind Canatuan to its gracious Subanon hosts is utmost regard for the safety and health of people, among the cornerstones of sustainable development. (Joseph Arnel Deliverio)
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Abad, with wife Florence, flashes the GKK Souvenir Program page featuring his achievement. “All of TVIRD’s safety programs would not have been successful without the involvement of employees and the strong support of Management. With our employees’ cooperation the programs have become effective,” says, Kurt Torres, an inspector under the firm’s Safety Department.
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