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(NAR) VOL. 24 NO. 4 / OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2013
[ DOST ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 010, S. 2013, September 10, 2013 ]
REVISED GUIDELINES ON PAYMENT OF HAZARD ALLOWANCE TO S& T PERSONNEL UNDER RA NO. 8439 KNOWN AS MAGNA CARTA FOR SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, RESEARCHERS AND OTHER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PERSONNEL IN GOVERNMENT
1.0 PURPOSE
These revised guidelines shall serve as basis in the processing and payment of hazard allowance of S&T personnel in view of the Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2013 of the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Budget and Management dated June 25, 2013.
2.0 DEFINITION OF TERMS
2.1 | Hazard Allowance is an additional compensation for performing hazardous duties and for enduring physical hardships in the course of performance of duties. As a general compensation policy, and in line with Section 7 (c) of RA No. 8439, S&T Personnel whose nature of duties and responsibilities, actual services, and location of work expose them to great danger, occupational risks, perils to life, and physical hardships, may be granted Hazard Allowance, but only during periods of actual exposure to hazards and hardships. | ||
2.2 | Hazard Allowance may be granted to S & T Personnel if they are at high risk or low risk to hazards as defined below. | ||
A. | High Risk to Hazards - S&T Personnel that are at high risk to hazards are those that have direct and unavoidable exposure in the following areas: | ||
A.1 | Work areas including laboratories and service workshops that pose risks or dangers to health and safety due to dangerous working conditions or environmental elements such as: contaminants; ionizing radiation; electromagnetic radiation, communicable and contagious diseases; combustible, explosive, reactive, corrosive, and toxic chemicals and biological substances; absence of adequate supply of safe and potable water; and operation of hazardous equipment; | ||
A.2 | Remote areas, depressed areas, and hardships posts characterized by difficult terrain, distance, inconvenience of travel due to bad roads and conditions of the terrain, isolation, inaccessibility, and extreme weather conditions; | ||
A.3 | Embattled or strife-torn which are sites of armed encounters between government troops and enemy forces and/or enemy-initiated attacks, raids, or ambuscades, as may be declared by the Department of National Defense; | ||
A.4 | Work areas under state of calamity or emergency where there are: earthquake, tsunami, volcanic activity/eruption, lahar and pyroclastic flows, floods, landslides and other natural hazards; and | ||
A.5 | Work areas that are considered natural danger zones. | ||
B. | Low Risk to Hazards - S & T Personnel that are at low risk to hazards are those exposed to less degree of: | ||
B.1 | Occupational risks, perils to life, or physical hardships such as: in work areas in prison camps, drug rehabilitation centers and mental health institutions; | ||
B.2 | In frequent interaction with employees working in the laboratory or highly hazardous areas. | ||
3.0. COVERAGE
S&T personnel who occupy plantilla positions whether permanent or temporary, on full-time or part-time basis, and contractual, casual or emergency positions charged to lump-sum appropriations now existing or hereafter created provided that they conform with the provisions of Sec. 5 of R.A. No. 8439 and are exposed to hazards due to the nature and/or location of their work are entitled to allowance.
4.0 ALLOWABLE AMOUNT OF HAZARD ALLOWANCE
The Hazard Allowance for a month shall be based on the degree of risk to hazards as specified in sub-items A and B above, and the number of workdays of actual exposure over 22 workdays in a month, at rates not to exceed 30% of monthly basic salary. In case of exposure to both high risk and low risk to hazards, the Hazard Allowance for the month shall be based on only one risk level, whichever is more advantageous to the S&T Personnel.
5.0 COMMITTEE COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS
The Agency Hazard Allowance Committee shall be composed of one chairperson and at least two members, one from the HR, and one rank and file employee nominated by the employees' association, subject to the approval of the head of agency.
The DOST Hazard Allowance Committee shall be composed of one chairperson and three members who are third level officials, and one member who is a rank and file employee nominated by the employees’ associations, subject to the approval of the DOST Secretary.
The DOST Hazard Allowance Committee shall be in charge of evaluating and processing applications of accredited S&T personnel for the coverage of grant of hazard allowance under R.A. Act No. 8439.
6.0 PROCEDURES
6.1 | Each Agency Committee on Hazard Allowance shall screen the S&T employees of the actual number of days exposed to Hazard and recommend to each Head of Agency for Approval using Hazard Allowance Form 1; |
6.2 | The Agency Head endorses the recommended S &T Personnel to DOST Secretary indicating the Agency functions and individual functions of the applicants with their individual degree of risk to hazard and with their actual hazard exposure; |
6.3 | The DOST Secretary will forward the documents to the DOST Committee on Hazard Allowance to evaluate the hazard exposure of the S & T personnel; |
6.4 | The DOST Hazard Allowance Committee may require the submission of additional documents as deemed necessary and at their option conduct a random check or ocular inspection in the work areas of the applicants; |
6.5 | The DOST Hazard Allowance Committee submits its recommendation to the DOST Secretary; |
6.6 | The DOST Secretary issues Certification of Hazard Allowance eligibility to qualified S&T Personnel; and |
6.7 | At the end of the fiscal year, official reports of each employee who received the actual hazard allowance will be sent by Agencies to the DOST Committee on Hazard Allowance using Hazard Allowance Form 2. |
7.0 FUNDING SOURCE
The department, agency or office concerned shall provide the necessary funds through appropriation and/or savings to cover the hazard allowance of their respective eligible S & T personnel.
8.0 OTHER PROVISIONS
8.1 | The agency hazard committee shall determine the personnel entitled to high risk or low risk and the length of actual exposure of personnel and shall submit a report to its agency head for approval; |
8.2 | Payment shall be based on actual exposure to hazard in the work area and while in the performance of the assigned work. The entitlement to the hazard allowance shall be co-terminus with the assignment of the personnel in the hazardous work or work areas; |
8.3 | The Agency concerned may reclassify the Personnel’s degree of hazard exposure either high risk or low risk or vice versa as defined under A and B. The rates of hazard allowance shall be adjusted when necessary depending on the degree of hazard exposure. The employee shall receive additional hazard pay allowance on the following month after the request for a Certification of Actual Exposure (CAE) has been approved by the Agency Hazard Committee and Head of Agency; |
8.4 | Personnel who are entitled to receive hazard allowance under existing laws, special laws, charters or enabling acts may opt to avail of the hazard allowance under Republic Act No. 8439; |
8.5 | Personnel who are on vacation, sick, maternity or study leave shall not be entitled to hazard allowance. However, personnel on study leave whether full-time or part-time who conduct laboratory research related to the course, as duly certified by the school authority and validated by the Agency Hazard Allowance Committee shall be entitled to this allowance; and |
8.6 | The declaration of the hazardous work areas shall be duly certified by the DOST Secretary upon recommendation of the agency head. The DOST Secretary may refer to the appropriate authorized agency for the necessary certification. |
9.0 EFFECTIVITY
This Order supersedes DOST Administrative Order No. 002 dated May 07, 2007, Series of 2007; DOST Administrative Order No. 017 dated August 04, 1998, Series of 1998 and DOST Memorandum dated June 03, 1999, “Additional Guidelines on the IRR of RA No. 8439 for Scholarships/Grant Privileges”, and shall take effect fifteen days after publication in the Official Gazette.
For newly certified S&T Personnel, effectivity date of entitlement to hazard allowance shall be upon date of certification of the DOST Secretary.
(SGD.) MARIO G. MONTEJO
Secretary