Dolefil’s facilities in Surallah in South Cotabato and Calumpang in Gen. Santos City both achieved reached the world-class safety milestone of 1M Safe Manhours towards the end of 2011 and early 2012.

On December 8, 2011, Dole Surallah Operations (DSO), headed by its Director Jorge Paez, hit the 1M target after having no lost-time incident from July 25, 2011.

"Wearing Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) at work is a must for Dolefil employees."

It was formalized in the Pagpupugay sa Watawat (Flag-Raising Ceremony) the following Monday, where the workers were commended by the management staff.

Dolefil VP and Managing Director, Mr. Simon Denye, was also present to congratulate the whole DSO Team, even gamely doing a short Q & A portion to know the “secrets” of DSO for reaching the 1M mark. Volunteers unanimously answered that it was through team effort, constant communication and reminder, motivation and individual involvement.

Perhaps these were also the ingredients to Dole Calumpang Operations’ (DCO) achievement of 1M Safe Manhours, after successfully battling 226 work days without lost-time incidents for the Dolefil regulars and job contractors in the area.

According to Manufacturing Services Division Director, Mr. Ever Hernandez, the first step towards a safe workplace inside Dolefil (the 2011 Grand Kapatid Awardee) is recognizing the threats and risks to the life and limbs of all the workers, especially those manning the machineries at DCO. [quote1]

On top of ensuring proper maintenance of equipment, constant reminder for people to practice a safety-conscious mindset is also crucial.

According to Mr. Hernandez,  “After all, even the best maintained equipment will not ensure people’s safety UNLESS, the people manning them will promote their own safety. For these reasons, I commend all the workers, contractors and the rest of the Management Staff of DCO for accepting the challenge and succeeding in attaining the 1 MILLION SAFE MAN-HOURS.  This is indeed a milestone for Dolefil.”

“As they say, ‘A safe workplace is a productive workplace,’ ” Mr. Ever Hernandez adds.

One of Dolefil‘s major thrusts is safety, and the company considers this as top priority in terms of employee welfare, as goes the safety slogan uttered by Mr. Simon Denye, “Nothing we do is worth getting hurt for.

With these developments, other departments within Dolefil are likewise being challenged to reach the same world-class milestone.