REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 14-2020 issued on May 28, 2020
prescribes the guidelines for the implementation of Occupational Safety and Health
(OSH) Standards for the Public Sector in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
As part of its policies, the BIR shall provide a reasonable working condition and
ensure that its workplace is free from hazardous conditions that will cause death,
illness or physical injuries to its employees. It shall also provide and maintain a
reasonable safe and healthy workplace by adhering to acceptable industry standards
and complying with occupational health and safety rules, laws and regulations.
Reasonable precautionary measures shall also be adopted by the Bureau for the
protection of all its employees.
All BIR employees shall have the competence to undertake their work with
minimum risks to health and safety. They shall have an awareness and understanding
of health and safety hazards and risks that affect BIRs operations. All BIR employees
shall also safeguard their health and safety and the health and safety of other workers
by observing the rules, regulations and established workplace practices and
procedures in the performance of their duties.
The BIR shall identify workplace health and safety hazards that may impact on
its work activities and shall inform its people of these workplace hazards. The
employees will be adequately instructed and trained on the health and safety issues
that affect them and the safe working practices that should be followed. Health and
safety will be integrated into BIR’s communications, whenever appropriate.
The BIR shall ensure that institutional contractors or service providers have
functional OSH policy and program, which will cover employees deployed in the
BIR and meet the requirements provided in the Civil Service Commission (CSC)-
Commission on Audit-Department of Budget and Management Joint Circular No. 1, s.
2017.
The BIR shall maintain record of accidents or incidents affecting health and
safety to be used to take corrective action to prevent recurrences; and shall
continuously develop, review and share its health and safety good practices.
Any employee or representative of employees or any concerned person who
believes that a violation of any of the provision of this RMO threatens physical wellbeing, harm or poses imminent danger to life, may submit a request to address the
issue/concern along with a narrative report regarding the violations, to the BIR
Grievance Committee, as prescribed in CSC Memorandum Circular No. 2, series of
2001.
BIR officials and employees who violate the guidelines shall be subject to
administrative disciplinary action pursuant to Section 50, Rule 10 (Administrative
Offenses and Penalties) of the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil
Service, without prejudice to the filing of criminal as well as civil actions under
existing laws, rules and regulations.