By: Rosanna M. Tubelonia, OSH Writer, Trainer and Accredited Safety Practitioner
Ever wonder what type or style of occupational safety and health (OSH) leadership and implementation works? With 2014 as being both a Gawad Kaligtasan at Kalusugan (GKK) and a National OSH Congress year, focus is now again on the center of it all- the occupational safety and health officer (or OSHO) and their success stories.
In my long association with OSH , I have come across many styles of OSH leadership exercised by OSHOs . Each have their own distinctive ways of implementing OSH in their companies or areas. But i guess, some are more memorable than the rest. Here are some of them.
Memorable OSHO styles. One was the Macho cum “Pulis” type- with his bulging muscles clearly shown in a too-tight jersey shirt. Being tall, he views his height as an advantage so he can see clearly what his workers are doing. Another OSHO I knew of got the monicker “Safety Patay”. Why? Because he stresses that if the workers do not follow the OSH rules, they will definitely be dead at some point. And may I add that if he sees any violators, the worker /s will mostly mutter, “naku, patay na naman tayo niyan kay Sir”( OMG, we surely will have it with Sir!).
Then there is also the quiet, Fatherly type. This type takes aside a first time violating worker and quietly admonishes said worker far away from the hearing of others. While another OSHO punctuates his discussions in trainings or tool box meetings with, “Kasi, ang mga Pilipino, madiskarte” (referring to the short-cuts workers do). When this happens too often, the workers finish off the phrase with him once he utters the word, ”Kasi…”. I also distinctly remember an Ichabod Crane type in physical musculature but hold on, he is feared by his colleagues. A reason may be because when he opens his mouth, his workers are said to brace themselves for the many “p__a’s” and other profanities coming from his mouth.
The Professional type. But the most memorable of all are the highly-professional OSHOs. They are those who take pride in the way they efficiently and effectively do their job of protecting the lives and other assets of their respective companies. As such, they become worthy of the recognition given by the Department of Labor and Employment through the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC).
