Integrating

Occupational Safety
and Health in
Women’s Micro
Enterprises
The GREAT Women Project
Experience
By: L. A. Villanueva
 Outline
• MSME Profile in the Philippines
• Gender and OSH issues in MSEs
• GREAT Women Project (2007-2013)
• Design and Strategy for Women’s Economic
Empowerment (WEE)
• OSHC sub-project methodology
• Project results/ outcomes
• Major Lessons

• Supporting OSH and Women’s Economic

Empowerment – Value Chain as Framework
MSMEs in the Philippines
 944,897 business enterprises (as of 2012)
• MSMEs – 940,886 (99.6%)
• Large – 4,011 (0.4%)
 Of total MSMEs – 844,764 (89.8%) are micro
(assets of Php3.0 M and below)
 Majority are in wholesale/retail trade, repair of
motor vehicles/ motorcycles (46.4%)
 Information & communication, financial & other
services (14.1%)
 Accommodation & food services (13.4%)
 Manufacturing (12.4%)
 Health, social, professional & technical services
(11.2%)
MSMEs in the Philippines (cont’d)
 Top 5 locations of MSMEs: NCR, Calabarzon (4-A),
Central Luzon (3), Central Visayas (7) and
Western Visayas (6)

 Employment generated by MSMEs – 4,930,851

 Employment generated by Large – 2,658,740

 2008 NSO data on informal sector:

 25.0 Million workers; of which 3.5 Million are
women
 Self employed, sub-contracted workers,
vendors or petty retailers
 Some Gender & OSH Issues in
Micro enterprises
1. Low wages, “flexible” working arrangements for
home-based enterprises; mode of payment varies

2. Precarious/poor working conditions for vendors

and petty retailers
3. Limited social and health protection benefits

4. For home-based processing:

• Unorganized, disorganized work set-up
• Poorly maintained equipment and tools
• Materials mixed with household goods
• Unlabeled and poorly kept chemicals (for some); risks
of exposure to harmful chemicals
 Some Gender & OSH Issues in
Micro enterprises
5. For agri-based processing: difficulties of women to
use equipment and tools designed for men
• Case of Gainza freshwater crablets (gathering in
river and meat extraction using crab press; poorly
kept kitchen sanitation)
• Case of Jagna calamay makers (heat using manual
mixing in big woks)
• Case of Naga pili-nut processing
• Case of Bula, Cam. Sur – bamboo furniture
makers (poorly maintained tools; dust particles
from sanding bamboo, chemicals for varnish)
 • Gender Responsive Economic
Actions for the Transformation of
Women (GREAT Women Project)
• Project Goal – To enhance the enabling
2007-2013 environment for women’s economic
empowerment; focus on women in micro
enterprises.

• Executing Agency: PCW

• Funds & TA from: Government of Canada

• 19 National Agencies
• 50 LGUs in 8 provinces: Ifugao, Quezon,
Metro Naga, Iloilo, Bohol, Leyte, Davao
del Sur, North Cotabato
ENVIRONMENT
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

Philippine National
Commission on Gov’t.
Women Agencies

Other Local
Partners Gov’t
Units
• GREAT Women Project Sub-
Project on OSH for WMEs:
• OSHC conducted case study research in
Camarines Sur and Quezon among
selected WME groups:
• Pili-making, crab paste processing, smoked
fish making, suman making
• Bamboo furniture and crafts, footwear
made from agas (grass slippers),
handmade paper making

• Conducted basic work environment

assessment: socio-demographic,
processing activities, perceptions of risks
and hazards at work
 •OSH for WMEs: Highlights of
Assessment
• Low level of education of majority of workers;
nearly half between 31-45 years old
• Involvement business: at least 5 years with
work hours ave. 8-10 daily

• Examples of perceived hazards/ health risks:

• For non-food: sharp-edged tools, exposure to
dust & sulfur fumes, prolonged sitting, carrying
bulky loads, repetitive hand movements
resulting to musculoskeletal symptoms
• For food enterprises: exposure to smoke and
heat from cooking, noise from crab press,
enclosed work areas, waste materials not
properly disposed, muscle & joint pains
 • OSH for WMEs: Development of
Modules & Implementation
• Results of case studies/ assessment used to
develop IEC materials and training modules
(comics, radio program, posters)
• OSHC and PCW conducted training of trainers at
LGU level – increased awareness on OSH among
microenterprises in project sites
• Served as inputs to DENR, TESDA and other
agencies’ training modules & knowledge
products
• OSHC expanded reach to non-GREAT sites;
infusion of OSH in national programs
• DOLE’s increased focus on informal sector
development services
Outcomes: GREAT Women Project (2007-2013)

PCW’s GAD Women Micro

increased Champions (in entrepreneurs
effectiveness NGAs/ LGUs) (WMEs)
to formulating & • Increased access to
mainstream implementing government services by
WEE responsive the WMEs
gender
P/P/S
• GAD Codes & • Improved socio-
WEE-related economic conditions,
policies/plans gender relations, self
• Increased /better confidence
use of GAD
budgets among • Increased participation
of WMEs in local
NGAs/LGUs
development processes
• LGUs: enterprise
devt units
Recommendations at End of Project
Evaluation:
1. Need for a follow-up project to
build capacities of women as
entrepreneurs
2. Focus on “business strengthening”
– to make them more competitive
3. Consider the value chain approach
4. For NGAs to hone their expertise in
directly helping LGUs to provide
services to WMEs
5. Build more partnerships with
private sector
 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK/ MECHANISMS
ECC, LGU codes,
FDA, HACCP, FDA, HACCP, Price regulations,
CARD Bank/ Consumer
GMP, OSH, CSF, GMP, OSH, CSF, quality control,
SME, GAP, Protection
Environ. quality Environ. quality FDA fair trade
Organic

Trading
Transformati (Wholesale and Final Selling
Inputs Processing
on Consolidation)

Quality control Wholesome

Raw materials Quality control Consumers
Technology Intro traders
Credit structure Technology Intro Supermarket
Production skills Consolidation
Production skills Specialty stored
Design / Local / export
R&D
packaging market
LGU, DA, SUCS,
DOST, DENR, LGU, DOST, DTI, DENR, DTI, Private Sector
Private Sector, DTI, Private Sector
Private Sector Private Sector
CARD, SME Banks,
SB Corp.
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING
INFRASTRUCTURE
 GOAL – Supporting WEE in the Philippines Project
Contribute to employment generation and inclusive growth

Ultimate Outcome
Improved economic empowerment of women micro
entrepreneurs and their workers
Intermediate Outcome 1 Intermediate Outcome 2
Improved competitiveness and Improved enabling environment for
sustainability of women’s micro women’s economic empowerment
enterprises
Increased capacity Improved Improved Improved capacity
of WMEs to entrepreneurial coordination and of government
produce and market management service delivery institutions and
high quality, capacity of WMEs among women’s
environmentally stakeholders to businesses to
friendly products implement and enhance the policy
monitor gender and and regulatory
environment environment for
sensitive P/P/S WEE
STATUS:

• Approved grant for PCW and partners

(2014-2020); with GOP counterpart

• MOU signing between governments

of Canada and the Philippines

• On-going consultations to develop the

project implementation plan (PIP)
Thank You!