REPUBLIC ACT NO.

7305

THE MAGNA CARTA OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS

SEC. 21. Hazard Allowance. - Public health worker in hospitals, sanitaria, rural health units, main
centers, health infirmaries, barangay health stations, clinics and other health-related establishments
located in difficult areas, strife-torn or embattled areas, distresses or isolated stations, prisons camps,
mental hospitals, radiation-exposed clinics, laboratories or disease-infested areas or in areas declared
under state of calamity or emergency for the duration thereof which expose them to great danger,
contagion, radiation, volcanic activity/eruption occupational risks or perils to life as determined by the
Secretary of Health or the Head of the unit with the approval of the Secretary of Health, shall be
compensated hazard allowance equivalent to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the monthly basic
salary of health workers receiving salary grade 19 and below, and five percent (5%) for health workers
with salary grade 20 and above.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-hazard-pay-2062002

What is Hazard Pay and When Do Employees Receive It?

BY ALISON DOYLE

Updated June 25, 2019

Hazard pay is a form of extra compensation given to employees for performing

dangerous duties. Employers may choose to give hazard pay to workers whose jobs
involve extreme physical discomfort or distress – especially if protective devices won’t
entirely mitigate the danger or hardship involved.

When Are You Eligible for Hazard Pay?

Hazard pay compensates an employee for duty that could result in serious injury or
death. Generally, this payment is in addition to regular hourly wages or salary.

There is no law requiring employers to pay hazard pay: both the amount of the
pay and the conditions under which it is paid are determined by the employer.

Typically, hazard pay is an increased hourly pay rate. It is often applied as a premium:
for example, an employer might agree to pay a 10 percent premium when an employee
works under hazardous conditions. For those hours, the employee would earn 10
percent more money than their normal hourly wage.

For example, if the employee mentioned above is eligible for overtime pay, they would
be paid overtime calculated on base salary plus the 10 percent hazard premium. The
employee would be paid overtime based upon their total regular earnings which
includes hazard pay. There are some exclusions to the overtime rate calculation, but
hazard pay is not one of them. Alternately, hazard pay may be issued at a flat rate, e.g.
$250 per month.

An employee will generally only receive hazardous duty pay for the hours worked in
hazardous conditions. For example, if an employee works an eight-hour shift, and four
hours are spent in an air-conditioned office, while four hours are spent doing
construction in 100-degree heat, only the hours worked in the high-heat conditions will
be at the hazardous pay rate.

What Are Hazardous Conditions?

What makes conditions hazardous? There is no legal definition, but some common
examples include:

 War zones
 Hostile locations
 Healthcare facilities
 Mining
 Construction
 Dangerous or extreme weather

Asking Your Employer About Hazard Pay

Again, hazard pay is not legally required of any employer. It is most often a benefit that
employers negotiate with unions through collective bargaining. However, some
employers offer hazard pay for non-union workers as well. If you are preparing to begin
hazardous work, your employer should brief you on the type of work you will be doing,
the risks involved, and the rate of pay before you begin the work.

If the employee suffers accidental injury or death because he or she was not briefed on
the hazardous conditions, the employer could be held responsible. Therefore, it’s in the
employer’s best interest to give the worker as much information as possible before he or
she begins hazardous work.

If you are offered a job, you might want to ask about hazard pay before accepting the
position. It’s a good idea to know what kind of compensation you will receive for
dangerous work before beginning the job.

What Kinds of Jobs Can Be Considered Hazardous?

You might be surprised by some of the most dangerous civilian jobs. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics compiled a list of the top 10 occupations with the highest fatality rates.
These jobs may include some kind of hazard compensation.

1. Logging workers: The dangers arise from both the machinery involved and the
work conditions.
2. Fishers: Fishers need to deal with heavy-duty equipment and challenging
weather conditions, as well as operating a boat.
3. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: Being a pilot might top the list of kids'
dream jobs, but like all jobs involving transportation, fatalities are
disproportionately high.
4. Roofers: Ladders and the height of the work combine to make this a potentially
treacherous role. Roofers — along with ironworkers and electricians, other jobs
with high fatality rates — are some of the best paid construction jobs.

1. Refuse collectors: Collecting garbage means driving or riding on a garbage

truck. That's risky enough, but then there's the heavy machinery aspect as well to
heighten the potential danger.
2. Farmers, ranchers, and agriculture managers: Heavy machinery adds to the
danger of the centuries-old job. The long hours also mean that potentially tired
 people are operating that heavy machinery, which heightens the risks.
Depending on where their land is located, farmers and ranchers are one of the
blue-collar jobs that can pay more than $100,000 a year.

1. Structural iron and steel workers: Installing beams can be dangerous work.
Much of this work takes place at high heights, which adds to the danger.
2. Truck drivers and sales workers: Roadway incidents account for 23 percent of
fatal occupational injuries annually.
3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers: Electrocution and falls are the
biggest risks in these roles.
4. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers: With
its heavy machinery, and potentially tough conditions, construction work is
dangerous both for the people doing the task, and for on-site supervisors.

This list excludes non-civilian employees, including people serving in the military, police
officers, and firefighters. These can also be very hazardous jobs, and these employees
might also receive hazard pay.

The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for
such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article
may not reflect your own state’s laws or the most recent changes to the law.