Section 1Sec./Art. 1

Declaration of Policy. - The State affirms labor as a primary social and economic force, and that a safe and healthy workforce is an integral aspect of nation building.

The State shall ensure a safe and healthful workplace for all working people by affording them full protection against all hazards in their work environment. It shall ensure that the provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines, all domestic laws, and internationally-recognized standards on occupational safety and health are being fully enforced and complied with by the employers, and it shall provide penalties for any violation thereof.

The State shall protect every worker against injury, sickness or death through safe and healthful working conditions thereby assuring the conservation of valuable manpower resources and prevention of loss or damage to lives and properties consistent with national development goals, and with the State's commitment to the total development of every worker as a complete human being.

The State, in protecting the safety and health of the workers, shall promote strict but dynamic, inclusive, and gender-sensitive measures in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs related to occupational safety and health.

CHAPTER II

GENEREAL PROVISIONS