Labor Advisory No. 23 Series of 2023: Guidelines on Minimum Public Health Standards in Workplaces Relative to the Lifting of the State of Public Health Emergency Due to COVID-19

According to Labor Advisory No. 23 Series of 2023, the Safety and Health Committee shall undertake hazard identification, risk assessment, control, regular health and medical surveillance, and a referral system to the nearest health service provider to examine, evaluate, and update their occupational safety and health program.

Employers must encourage all employees, including contractors’ deployed personnel and their families, to vaccinate. Employees who reject or fail to get inoculated, on the other hand, will not face discrimination in terms of tenure, promotion, training, compensation, or other benefits, and will not be fired. A “No vaccine, No work” policy is not permitted. Employers must also provide sanitation and hygiene amenities in the workplace.

Employers and employees may agree to provide sick leave benefits, access to medical insurance coverage, assistance during isolation, paid leave for vaccination, and other benefits unless there are more favorable existing company policies, rules, regulations, and collective bargaining agreement provisions.

Employers, through their occupational safety and health personnel, shall:

A. Submit the Work Accident and Injuries Report monthly through the Establishment Reporting System and the Annual Medical Report to the DOLE Regional/Provincial/Field Office having jurisdiction over the establishment; and
B. Report COVID-19-positive cases to the Local Government Units.