Labor group’s investigation: Systemic lapses led to Corilla’s death
The wife of the late Stephen Corilla recalls how she was informed about her husband’s death at her husband’s wake. | Screengrab from CDN Digital video of wife’s inteview (file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Unsafe working conditions killed worker Stephen Corilla, labor groups in Cebu claimed.
In a report of the findings from their own investigation on the death of Corilla, several labor groups in Cebu claimed that systemic lapses of the Universal Robina Corp. (URC) and HR Team Asia, Corilla’s agency, such as “lack of orientation on occupational safety and health, haphazard reassignment of tasks, and the use of unsafe machine,” contributed to the death of Corilla.
A copy of the seven-page report was sent to CDN Digital on Saturday, June 12, 2022. CDN Digital has reached out to URC, but as of this posting, they still have not given their comment or statement on the issue.
The report was prepared by the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), ALSA Kontraktwal – Cebu, Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo – Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU), Kilusang Mayo Uno, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), Tambisan sa Sining, Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP), Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, Inc. (EILER), Visayas Human Development Agency, Inc. (VIHDA).
Corilla was killed while cleaning a sugar pulverizer machine owned by URC at around 1 p.m. on June 2, 2022.
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“Two weeks into his work in the packing area, Corilla was assigned by a maintenance technician to clean the inside of a sugar pulverizer machine in the production area. Lacking proper training and information on the machine’s status and maintenance, he proceeded with the task as ordered. He later got caught in the machine and suffered severe injuries causing his instant death,” the group said.
The labor groups also alleged that there seems to be an attempt to hide the incident from public knowledge.
They pointed to the management’s alleged failure to immediately report the incident to the police; its alleged refusal to promptly allow police investigators to get inside company premises, and the “cleaning of the accident site prior to the arrival of investigators.”
The labor groups said the transfer of Corilla to other tasks during that time violated the Occupational Safety and Health Standard (OSHS) Rule 1967.06, which stated that “applicants examined for employment and accepted for specific work or job shall not be transferred to another work or job until they have been examined by the physician and certified that the transfer is medically advisable.”
It also allegedly violates DO 198 Sec 16 (c) since “all personnel engaged in the operation, erection and dismantling of equipment and scaffolds, structural erections, blasting operations, demolition, confined spaces, hazardous chemicals, welding and flame cutting shall undergo specialized training and instruction on said activities.”
The group, in their findings, also said that the pulverizing machine used was unsafe.
“Previous operators and maintenance personnel of the sugar pulverizer already noted some defects. They even recall being grounded while cleaning the said equipment,” it said.
The group further said that this was corroborated by the results of the investigation done by the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas.
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Their findings included that the machine had defective safety interlocking device; no work instruction/manual for production operations that would include checking Safety Interlocking Device whether they were functioning; no maintenance report indicating that after doing maintenance check, the Safety Interlocking Device was functioning; no implementation of Lock-out Tag-out, and the alleged insufficient quarterly maintenance
The groups then called for justice for Corilla and to criminalize occupational safety and health standards violations.
They are also calling to end all forms of contractualization and to recognize occupational safety and health as a fundamental right at work.
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