Implementing Agency:

City Government of Valenzuela

Year Implemented:

14 May 2020 – present

Theme:

Management for Productivity, Quality, and Agility

General Description

The COVID-19 Workplace Management Plan is a risk assessment and management guide that businesses in Valenzuela need to adopt before being allowed to resume operations.

Background and Problem

While public health is the main priority of any local government unit (LGU) during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also has to consider that businesses need to be able to become operational again in order to sustain the local economy and provide employment opportunities. The Valenzuela LGU thus had to find a careful, measured response that would allow for the safe reopening of businesses while ensuring the safety of workers and their families.

Solution and Impact

The COVID-19 Workplace Management Plan is a set of guidelines that would allow the LGU to determine the risk levels of offices and factories for the spread of COVID-19 by looking at such factors as location of the business, the number of its employees, and the degree of automation of its processes. The LGU requires that the following measures are implemented and monitored by businesses with at least ten employees:

  1. Installing posters, signages, and other informative materials that remind workers how to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 within the workplace;
  2. Allowing for alternative work arrangements, such as working-hour shifts or work from home (WFH), where feasible;
  3. Reducing, if not eliminating, face-to-face interaction between workers, co-workers, and clients;
  4. Encouraging the use of online work measures such as video conferences in the place of meetings and emails in the place of memos; 
  5. Maintaining proper physical distance in the office by seating workers at least one table apart and redesigning the floorplan to allow unidirectional movement in aisles, corridors, and walkways.;
  6. Limiting the maximum room capacity at a given time inside an office or enclosed spaces such as elevators and restrooms; 
  7. Empowering designated safety officer(s) to always ensure social and physical distancing and the observance of health protocols. 

The guidelines also recommend that offenders are penalized as follows:

Violation1st offense2nd offense3rd offense
Non-use of face mask or face shieldWarning3-day suspension5-day suspension
Refusal to submit temperature checks upon entryWarning3-day suspension5-day suspension
Failure to observe social distancingWarning3-day suspension5-day suspension

Milestones

The City Government of Valenzuela received the Safety Seal Certificate from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on 25 May 2021, in recognition of the compliance of establishments and businesses in the city with the minimum public health standards set by the government. 

Photos

images

Valenzuela City received the Safety Seal Certification, recognized by DILG and DTI (Source: Kevin Gatchalian)

Template of COVID-19 Management Plan

(Source: City Government of Valenzuela)

Sources

Business Mirror. (2017, September 30). Valenzuela emerges as a top manufacturing hub in PHL. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/09/30/valenzuela-emerges-as-a-top-manufacturing-hub-in-phl/

Pedrajas, J. A. (2020, May 14). Valenzuela City offices, factories to undergo COVID-19 risk assessment. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2020/05/14/valenzuela-city-offices-factories-to-undergo-covid-19-risk-assessment/
Porciuncula, A. (2021, May 2021). To the safe reopening of the economy… Valenzuela City Receives Safety Seal Certification. City Government of Valenzuela eNewsletter. https://www.valenzuela.gov.ph/article/news/13850