THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
6 FEE 27 PBX17 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
Introduced by Senator Luisa “Loi“ P. Ejercito Estrada 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Individuals involved in garbage collection, working in dumpsites or assigned in 
disaster areas face numerous and uncommon worksite and environmental hazards. 
Worse, they may be encountering hazards, with which they have little prior experience or 
training; hence, exposing them to further dangers that may deleteriously prejudice their 
safety and health. 
Unfortunately, the government has not taken any concrete plan of action to at 
least abate or minimize the risks these individuals deal with. Considering the sensitive 
and delicate nature of this concern, it makes one wonder how come no programs have 
ever been set in place to critically address the same. 
The purpose of this Act is to appropriately take action. Basically, it seeks to 
protect the health and safety of these individuals by requiring the wearing of gloves, 
masks and other proper protective gears and equipment, such as but not limited to 
respirators in pertinent cases as protection against hazardous air-born toxins; the periodic 
mandatory medical check-up and imervention if need be of said individuals; and the 
adoption of concrete guidelines that shall be observed and implemented in disaster area 
operations and dumpsite activities. 
Considering the importance of this measure, immediate enactment of the same is 
earnestly sought. 
LUISA ~
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P.@JERCITO ESTFUDA 
Senator 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
6 FEE 27 P4 C7 
j 
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S E N A T E  
. REGIVEB BY E
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S.B. No. 
Introduced by Senator Luisa “Loi“ P. Ejercito Estrada 
AN ACT 
SEEKING TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS 
INVOLVED IN GARBAGE COLLECTION, WORKING IN DUMPSITES OR 
ASSIGNED IN DISASTER AREAS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short title. - This Act shall also be known as “Individuals’ Health 
and Safety Act” 
SECTION 2. Provision of gloves, masks, and other proper protective 
equipment.- No individuals involved in garbage collection, working in dumpsites or 
assigned in disaster areas may be allowed to continue with any of their respective 
activities, unless they are properly equipped with protective gloves and masks and other 
health and safety gears and proper protective equipment, such as but not limited to 
respirators to protect against airborne toxins, which may be required depending on the 
nature and extent of risks involved in clean-up operations, where hazardous and 
infectious chemicals are present. 
For purposes of this Act, the term “hazardous material” includes- 
a petroleum-based product; 
a metal; 
a volatile or semi-volatile organic compound; 
a pesticide; 
an herbicide; 
a polychlorinated biphenyl; and 


(g) 
any biological material in floodwater, surface water, sediment, or soil that 
may threaten human health or the environment. 
The terd‘infectious material”, meanwhile, means each of the following: 
(a) 
Any organism that is capable of producing infection or infectious disease, 
such as a bacteria, fungus, parasite, protozoan or virus. 
(b) 
Any strain of a potentially virulent virus or other disease that was the 
subject o f  study and experimentation at one of seveml level 3 bioresearch 
labs located in the regions affected by recent hurricanes and flooding. 
Any carrier acting as a vector for spreading infectious organisms or 
virulent diseases, or both, such as a decaying corpse, or a living non- 
human agent such as an infected rodent or an escaped laboratory test 
animal. 
(c) 
SECTION 3. Provision of dosed containers. - Any contractor, operator, or 
entity, duly contracted to carry out garbage collection in Metro Manila and other parts of 
the country, shall place all collected garbage inside closed containers. Use of open 
garbage trucks is strictly prohibited. 
SECTION 4. Comprehensive guidelines. - The secretary of the Department of 
Health, in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and 
other appropriate and concerned agencies shall come up with comprehensive guidelines, 
which shall be strictly observed by any responder or clean-up crew deployed to attend to 
rescue or cleanup operations in disaster areas, where presence of hazardous and 
infectious materials shall place them at greater risks 
Specifically, the guidelines adopted shall ensure that- 
(A) 
worksites and areas where responders and clean-up crews are to be sent 
are subject to a full environmental assessment and identification of hazards through 
onsite evaluation and monitoring and identification of workers likely to be facing high 
risk of hazardous exposures; 


(B) 
relief, reconstruction and clean-up workers of all contributing agencies, 
whether government or private - 
are properly informed of the environmental hazards they may face 
in their work; 
are provided proper training in handling toxic materials; 
are provided with the proper protective equipment (such as 
respirators to protect against airborne toxins), and guidelines and 
training for using them; and 
receive proper immunizations, where necessary and appropriate; 
@) 
these efforts are coordinated in close collaboration with local employers, 
unions and safety and health professionals. 
SECTION 5 .  Periodic medical check-up. - All individuals involved in garbage 
collection, working in dumpsites or assigned in disaster areas, shall be required to 
undergo period mandatory medical check-up to ensure that their health and safety are not 
prejudiced by their activities. The proper government agencies or private corporations or 
entities who employ said individuals shall provide for the necessary fund to finance the 
cost of medical attention or intervention that may be needed. 
SECTION 6. Penulties. - Any person who violates any provisions of this Act 
shall be liable to payment of fines ranging from two hundred thousand pesos 
(P200,OOO.OO) to five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), including revocation of 
necessary license to operate as regards private entities. 
SECTION 7. Sepurubility clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 


SECTION 8. Repealing clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to 
or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
SECTION 9. EffeCri@ clause. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved.