FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
Second Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Patients are particularly vulnerable to exposures to harmful substances. Numerous 
chemicals found in hospitals may be toxic or irritating to body systems. They may be present as 
dusts, vapors or gases, or liquids and they may be medications and other substances used for 
therapeutic purposes. Employees, because of the significant amounts of time they spend at work, 
also have the potential for significant exposures. Hospitals present numerous hazards in common 
with other complex employment settings and industries as well as having some unique hazards. 
This bill will serve several purposes. It will make hospitals more aware of the 
hazardous materials and substances used and stored in their premises. It will cause hospitals to 
minimize the use of these hazardous materials and substances, use less toxic replacements and 
remove those hazardous materials that serve no purpose. The bill will also allow hospital 
occupants to leani what hazardous materials they may be exposed to. 
1 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUEiLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
MANDATING EMPLOYEE AND PATIENT NOTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS IN HOSPITALS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representutives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Notification of Hazards. To ensure that each patient and hospital 
employee has access to information about environmental health issues and hazards in the 
hospital, the following actions shall he taken by each hospital: 
A. Each hospital shall appoint an environmental health and safety information access 
contact person; 
B. Annually, each hospital shall inform and educate all hospital employees that they 
have a right to all information about health and safety conditions in the hospital including, but 
not limited to, hazardous substances used, stored or present in the hospital; construction and 
rehabilitation activities; air or water quality sampling results and problems; procedures for 
information access; identification of the environmental health and safety information access 
contact person; requirements to timely response to information requests; and such other 
procedures which ensure access to such information. 
C. Each hospital shall inform and educate every patient, as soon after the patient's 
admission to the hospital as is reasonably possible without jeopardizing the patient's health, that 
they have a right to all information ahout health and safety conditions in the hospital including, 
hut not limited to, hazardous substances used, stored or present in the hospital; construction and 
rehabilitation activities; air or water quality sampling results and problems; procedures for 
information access; identification of the environmental health and safety information access 


1 
2 
3 
a 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
contact person; requirements to timely response to information requests; and such other 
procedures which ensnre access to such information. 
SECTION 2. Inventory. Each hospital shall: 
A. Annually inventory all hazardous substances used, stored or present, and make such 
inventory available to the public; 
B. Develop written plans to minimize the use and presence of hazardous substances, 
including a timetable for the completion of the components of such plans, and 
C. Prepare written reports on the results of all sampling, evaluation and remediation 
activities, and make such reports available to the public. 
SECTION 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or 
parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or 
modified accordingly. 
SECTION 4. Seprobility Clazrse. - If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is 
declared to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not 
affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SECTION 5. Efleclii'ily Clrruse. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days 
following its publication in tlic Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
2