L-R: Safety officer Christopher Ruado, project-in-charge Jaycy Aguite, occupational health nurse Janine Llana Luis, Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III, DC/ Finance’s Jenivie Ann Domingo, Rep. Angelo Barba, Ilocos Norte vice governor Cecilia Marcos and Laoag City mayor Michael KeonFirst Balfour’s project in Burgos received on Oct. 16, 2021 a safety seal from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the first and only construction project to receive such in the Ilocos Norte region.

The safety seal certification is a voluntary certification scheme that affirms an establishment is compliant with the minimum public health standards set by the government and uses or integrates its contact tracing with StaySafe.ph.

The Burgos project site, which involves maintenance works for the 115-kilovolt Burgos-Laoag overhead transmission line, was inspected on Oct. 1 against the checklist and sector-specific guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“I think one of the good points raised during the audit was the implementation of our health declaration form which was required from them prior to visiting the site,” said project-in-charge Jaycy Aguite. “They said that was the first time they encountered such a measure from their many audits. That, along with our other protocols, shows how serious First Balfour is when it comes to ensuring virus transmission is prevented.”

Other control measures assessed were the implementation of a COVID-19 control and response protocol, presence of signage on COVID-19 safety measures, proper use of personal protective equipment on-site and frequent disinfection of stations and worksites, among many others.

Aguite also takes pride in leading a 53-person project team whose members are mostly fully vaccinated.

DOLE issues the safety seal for manufacturing, construction sites, utilities, information and communication companies and warehouses. In June, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway project became the first construction project awarded with a DOLE safety seal in Central Visayas. (Story/Photos by: Dolly Pasia-Ramos)