Assessment of Occupational Safety and Health Practices in a Provincial Local Government Office

Abstract

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) compliance in the public sector is often assessed through the presence of policies, safety programs, and workplace facilities. Less attention is given to whether these formal requirements are consistently understood, documented, and embedded in daily administrative and operational practice. This study assessed OSH practices in the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur - General Services Office (PGSO) and examined the challenges that shape their implementation. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was used. The quantitative phase surveyed 102 employees from a population of 136 using a 30-item, four-point Likert questionnaire covering six OSH constructs: policy and organizational support, workplace safety and risk control, training and awareness, provision and utilization of personal protective equipment, incident reporting and emergency preparedness, and health and welfare facilities. Descriptive statistics were used to determine compliance levels. The questionnaire obtained an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.93, indicating excellent internal consistency The qualitative phase involved structured interviews with six purposively selected participants, and responses were analyzed thematically to explain the survey patterns. Results showed generally High compliance across all constructs, with mean scores ranging from 3.08 to 3.35. Health and welfare facilities obtained the highest mean (3.35), while incident reporting and emergency preparedness obtained the lowest mean (3.08). The strongest indicators were basic medical assistance and access to clean drinking water, while the weakest concerns involved written policy accessibility, incident reporting, recordkeeping, job-based PPE issuance, and mental health program visibility. Qualitative findings revealed that OSH practices were present but not uniformly institutionalized; several practices depended on verbal reminders, visible routines, or situational action rather than a fully documented and commonly understood safety system. The study concludes that PGSO demonstrates reported compliance with national OSH standards, but deeper institutionalization is needed through stronger policy dissemination, practical training, PPE management, incident documentation, monitoring, and employee welfare integration.