Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC) has started implementing the Quick Response (QR) code for daily health monitoring of employees and visitors as a measure to immediately isolate those who are ill and having similar symptoms of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Erlene Almonte, a nurse of the Safety Department, said the company started to use a QR code in March as another means of convenient and contactless health declaration aside from the paper-based listing.

The move is to provide guidelines in ensuring the health and safety of all employees for a timely identification of probable symptoms of COVID-19, to prevent transmission in the workplace as rising cases were also observed in barangay Rio Tuba recently.

It is also in compliance with the interim guidelines of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in workplaces to contain the spread of the virus.

“Madali na para sa amin na malaman kung sino ‘yong mga may COVID- related symptoms and kasi kapag may mga nakita kami, by sorting ng mga na-submit nila na forms. Kapag may nakita kami roon ay maipapatawag namin sila agad at mapapa-consult na namin agad sa physician and kung kailangan mag-sick leave ni patient ay na-a-address agad ‘yon,” Almonte said.

“Meron kasi na ibang empleyado na tinatago so pagkaganon, magiging mas mabilis ang spread kahit hindi COVID. Kung viral ang origin, kapag nahawaan na ‘yong isa, mas mabilis na ‘yon kumakalat. So kapag nag-declare siya which is dapat talaga dini-declare niya, ipatatawag agad, alis siya agad sa workplace,” she added.

The electronic daily health monitoring system screens all employees and visitors who enter the company premises, requiring them to scan the code before entering.

Mobile phones or tablets can be used to scan the code and users will be required to provide their contact information. After scanning the code posted at the building entrance and bus terminal, users answer a quick health symptoms survey which will be evaluated by the occupational health nurse on duty.

In September 2020, the mining company started to use the daily health checklist form which is in paper basis and added the QR code by the month of March to provide another option for employees and visitors.

“Nagiging mas madali ‘yong pag-identify natin ng mga possible o suspected cases natin ng COVID so mag-uumpisa ‘yan sa workplace. Kapag na-identify na natin kung sino ang may symptoms, pwede na natin i-isolate from the rest of the workers or the community, makakatulong ito. In accordance din pala ito sa Republic Act (RA) 11332, ‘yong mga notifiable diseases, nasa batas din siya na kailangan kapag meron kang mga sintomas ay mag-report ka kaagad sa health authorities, health workers or hospitals. Kailangan mo i-report ‘yong notifiable diseases especially ng COVID,” she said.

Through the QR code, the health declaration will be easily viewed with just a click. Almonte however explained that even with the presence of this new means of health declaration, they are still using the paper form to provide the option for others who don’t have smartphones.

“Kailangan talaga na may isang option na paper form to guarantee na maka-cover natin lahat ng empleyado pati visitors na pumapasok,” she said.

The company ensures that personal information can only be accessed by the administrator and is protected by the RA No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.