Book Four covers what an employer must provide for workers’ health and safety, and what happens when work itself causes injury, illness or death. It runs from Article 162 to Article 217 across four Titles.
The Book is lopsided. Titles I, III and IV together take three pages; Title II — the Employees’ Compensation and State Insurance Fund — is 44 articles, a complete benefits system with its own coverage rules, contributions, benefits and appeal machinery. It has its own page. Everything else is reproduced here. Part of the Labor Code library.
Direct Answer
Title I (Articles 162–171) requires employers to keep first-aid facilities and, above certain headcounts, to provide nurses, physicians, dentists and clinics; and it gives DOLE the mandate to set and enforce occupational safety and health standards. Title II (Articles 172–215) establishes the Employees’ Compensation Program — a no-fault system paying medical, disability and death benefits for work-connected contingencies, funded by employer contributions and administered through the SSS and GSIS under the Employees’ Compensation Commission. Title III (Article 216) provided for Medicare; Title IV (Article 217) requires employers to assist with adult education programmes.
Two of those have been overtaken by later statutes. Occupational safety now runs primarily under Republic Act No. 11058 (2018) and DOLE Department Order No. 198-18, which carry the operative employer duties and the penalties. Medicare was repealed: national health insurance is now the PhilHealth system under Republic Act No. 7875, as amended.
The Four Titles
| Title | Articles | Covers | Full text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title I — Medical, Dental and Occupational Safety | 162–171 | First aid, medical and dental services, OSH standards and enforcement | On this page |
| Title II — Employees’ Compensation and State Insurance Fund | 172–215 | Coverage, liability, ECC, contributions, medical, disability and death benefits | Separate page |
| Title III — Medicare | 216 | The Philippine Medical Care Plan — repealed | On this page |
| Title IV — Adult Education | 217 | Employer assistance with adult education programmes | On this page |
Why Book Four’s Numbers Shifted by Six
Unlike Books One, Three and Seven, every article in Book Four was renumbered, each one moving up by six: first-aid treatment was Article 156 and is now Article 162.
The shift comes from Book Three. Republic Act No. 10151 (2011) repealed the two articles that had banned night work by women and inserted an entire new chapter of eight articles on night workers. Two out, eight in — a net gain of six, and everything after Book Three moved up accordingly. Throughout this library the current number leads and the original follows in brackets, so “Article 162 [156]” is the same provision under both systems.
Title I — Medical, Dental and Occupational Safety
Status note for the whole Title. Occupational safety and health is now governed primarily by Republic Act No. 11058 (2018), an Act strengthening compliance with OSH standards and providing penalties for violations, with DOLE Department Order No. 198 (2018) as its implementing rules. Book Four’s Title I remains the Code’s foundation — the duty to provide medical facilities and DOLE’s standard-setting mandate — but the operative employer duties, worker rights and penalties for OSH violations are in RA 11058. See our guide to RA 11058.
Chapter I — Medical and Dental Services
Article 162 [156] — First-Aid Treatment
Every employer shall keep in his establishment such first-aid medicines and equipment as the nature and conditions of work may require, in accordance with such regulations as the Department of Labor and Employment shall prescribe.
The employer shall take steps for the training of a sufficient number of employees in first-aid treatment.
Status note: the Omnibus Rules define first-aid treatment as adequate, immediate and necessary medical or dental attention given for an injury or sudden illness suffered during employment — irrespective of whether the injury or illness is work-connected — before more extensive treatment can be secured. It does not extend to continued or follow-up treatment.
Article 163 [157] — Emergency Medical and Dental Services
It shall be the duty of every employer to furnish his employees in any locality with free medical and dental attendance and facilities consisting of:
(a) The services of a full-time registered nurse when the number of employees exceeds fifty (50) but not more than two hundred (200) except when the employer does not maintain hazardous workplaces, in which case, the services of a graduate first-aider shall be provided for the protection of workers, where no registered nurse is available. The Secretary of Labor and Employment shall provide by appropriate regulations the services that shall be required where the number of employees does not exceed fifty (50) and shall determine by appropriate order, hazardous workplaces for purposes of this Article;
(b) The services of a full-time registered nurse, a part-time physician and dentist, and an emergency clinic, when the number of employees exceeds two hundred (200) but not more than three hundred (300); and
(c) The services of a full-time physician, dentist and a full-time registered nurse as well as a dental clinic and an infirmary or emergency hospital with one bed capacity for every one hundred (100) employees when the number of employees exceeds three hundred (300).
In cases of hazardous workplaces, no employer shall engage the services of a physician or a dentist who cannot stay in the premises of the establishment for at least two (2) hours, in the case of those engaged on part-time basis, and not less than eight (8) hours, in the case of those employed on full-time basis. Where the undertaking is non-hazardous in nature, the physician and dentist may be engaged on retained basis, subject to such regulations as the Secretary of Labor and Employment may prescribe to insure immediate availability of medical and dental treatment and attendance in case of emergency.
The thresholds in one line: more than 50 employees triggers a nurse (or a graduate first-aider in a non-hazardous workplace where no nurse is available); more than 200 adds a part-time physician and dentist plus an emergency clinic; more than 300 requires full-time physician, dentist and nurse, a dental clinic, and an infirmary with one bed per 100 employees. As amended by Section 26 of Presidential Decree No. 570-A (1974).
Glossary: Occupational safety and health →
Article 164 [158] — When Emergency Hospital Not Required
The requirement for an emergency hospital or dental clinic shall not be applicable in case there is a hospital or dental clinic which is accessible from the employer’s establishment and he makes arrangement for the reservation therein of the necessary beds and dental facilities for the use of his employees.
Article 165 [159] — Health Program
The physician engaged by an employer shall, in addition to his duties under this Chapter, develop and implement a comprehensive occupational health program for the benefit of the employees of his employer.
Article 166 [160] — Qualifications of Health Personnel
The physicians, dentists and nurses employed by employers pursuant to this Chapter shall have the necessary training in industrial medicine and occupational safety and health. The Secretary of Labor and Employment, in consultation with industrial, medical, and occupational safety and health associations, shall establish the qualifications, criteria and conditions of employment of such health personnel.
Article 167 [161] — Assistance of Employer
It shall be the duty of any employer to provide all the necessary assistance to ensure the adequate and immediate medical and dental attendance and treatment to an injured or sick employee in case of emergency.
Chapter II — Occupational Health and Safety
Article 168 [162] — Safety and Health Standards
The Secretary of Labor and Employment shall, by appropriate orders, set and enforce mandatory occupational safety and health standards to eliminate or reduce occupational safety and health hazards in all workplaces and institute new, and update existing, programs to ensure safe and healthful working conditions in all places of employment.
Status note: the standards issued under this mandate are the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (Revised 1989), as amended. See also DOLE Department Order No. 154 (2016), and Republic Act No. 11058 with D.O. No. 198 (2018), which added statutory penalties for non-compliance.
Related guide: RA 11058 — worker rights and employer duties on safety →
Article 169 [163] — Research
It shall be the responsibility of the Department of Labor and Employment to conduct continuing studies and research to develop innovative methods, techniques and approaches for dealing with occupational safety and health problems; to discover latent diseases by establishing causal connections between diseases and work in environmental conditions; and to develop medical criteria which will assure insofar as practicable that no employee will suffer impairment or diminution in health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of his work and working conditions.
Article 170 [164] — Training Programs
The Department of Labor and Employment shall develop and implement training programs to increase the number and competence of personnel in the field of occupational safety and industrial health.
Article 171 [165] — Administration of Safety and Health Laws
(a) The Department of Labor shall be solely responsible for the administration and enforcement of occupational safety and health laws, regulations and standards in all establishments and workplaces wherever they may be located; however, chartered cities may be allowed to conduct industrial safety inspections of establishments within their respective jurisdictions where they have adequate facilities and competent personnel for the purpose as determined by the Department of Labor and subject to national standards established by the latter.
(b) The Secretary of Labor may, through appropriate regulations, collect reasonable fees for the inspection of steam boilers, pressure vessels and pipings and electrical installations, the test and approval for safe use of materials, equipment and other safety devices and the approval of plans for such materials, equipment and devices. The fee so collected shall be deposited in the national treasury to the credit of the occupational safety and health fund and shall be expended exclusively for the administration and enforcement of safety and other labor laws administered by the Department of Labor.
Status note: as amended by Section 27 of Presidential Decree No. 570-A (1974).
Title II — Employees’ Compensation and State Insurance Fund (Articles 172–215)
Forty-four articles across nine chapters, reproduced in full on the Employees’ Compensation page.
| Chapter | Articles | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| I — Policy and Definitions | 172–173 | The tax-exempt EC programme and its defined terms |
| II — Coverage and Liability | 174–181 | Compulsory coverage, foreign employment, registration, extent of liability, third parties |
| III — Administration | 182–188 | The Employees’ Compensation Commission, its powers, funds, claims and review |
| IV — Contributions | 189–190 | Employers’ contributions and the government guarantee |
| V — Medical Benefits | 191–196 | Medical services, attending physician, fees, rehabilitation |
| VI — Disability Benefits | 197–199 | Temporary total, permanent total and permanent partial disability |
| VII — Death Benefits | 200–201 | Death benefits, relationship and dependency |
| VIII — Provisions Common to Income Benefits | 202–210 | Delinquent contributions, second injuries, prescriptive period, exemptions |
| IX — Records, Reports and Penal Provisions | 211–215 | Records, notice of sickness or death, penalties, applicability |
Title III — Medicare
Article 216 [209] — Medical Care
⚠ Repealed. Section 57 of Republic Act No. 7875 (1995), the National Health Insurance Act, repealed the Medicare laws — including Presidential Decree No. 1519, the Revised Philippine Medicare Act, and Executive Order No. 119 (1987). RA 7875 created the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), which took over the assets and functions of the Philippine Medical Care Commission, and instituted the National Health Insurance Program. RA 7875 has since been amended, most significantly by Republic Act No. 11223 (2019), the Universal Health Care Act.[1] The Article is reproduced only as a record of what the Code still prints:
The Philippine Medical Care Plan shall be implemented as provided under Republic Act Numbered Sixty-One Hundred Eleven, as amended.
Related guide: PhilHealth — mandatory membership, contributions and benefits → · Glossary: PhilHealth contribution →
Title IV — Adult Education
Article 217 [210] — Adult Education
Every employer shall render assistance in the establishment and operation of adult education programs for their workers and employees as prescribed by regulations jointly approved by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
Status note: the Department of Education, Culture and Sports was renamed the Department of Education (DepEd) by Republic Act No. 9155 (2001), the Governance of Basic Education Act.
Amendment and Status Table
| Provision | Status | Governing law today |
|---|---|---|
| Articles 162–217 | All renumbered | Each is six numbers higher than its 1974 number, following R.A. No. 10151’s changes to Book Three |
| Title I generally — OSH | Overlaid | R.A. No. 11058 (2018) and DOLE D.O. No. 198 (2018) carry the operative duties and penalties |
| Art. 163 [157] | Amended | Sec. 26, P.D. No. 570-A (1974) |
| Art. 168 [162] — standards | Current mandate | Occupational Safety and Health Standards (Revised 1989), as amended; D.O. No. 154 (2016) |
| Art. 171 [165] | Amended | Sec. 27, P.D. No. 570-A (1974) |
| Art. 216 [209] — Medicare | Repealed | Sec. 57, R.A. No. 7875 (1995); PhilHealth and the National Health Insurance Program, as amended by R.A. No. 11223 (2019) |
| Art. 217 [210] — adult education | Agency renamed | DECS is now DepEd, R.A. No. 9155 (2001) |
Sources
- Republic Act No. 11223 (20 February 2019), Universal Health Care Act, lawphil.net. Supports: Section 45 amends numerous sections of Republic Act No. 7875, the National Health Insurance Act, giving the National Health Insurance Program its current shape. Classification: statute. Status: current. Accessed 1 September 2026. DOLE’s footnote cites R.A. No. 7875; the later amendment is stated here on the authority of the statute itself.
- Department of Labor and Employment, Labor Code of the Philippines, as Amended and Renumbered (2022 edition), Book Four, Titles I, III and IV, pages 55–57 and 74, including DOLE’s amendment and repeal footnotes. Published by DOLE at dole.gov.ph; the same edition is mirrored as a PDF by the International Labour Organization. Accessed 1 September 2026.
- Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended — lawphil.net
- Republic Act No. 11058 (2018), strengthening compliance with OSH standards; DOLE Department Order No. 198 (2018)
- Republic Act No. 7875 (1995), National Health Insurance Act, Section 57 — repealing the Medicare laws and creating PhilHealth
- Republic Act No. 9155 (2001), Governance of Basic Education Act — renaming DECS to DepEd
- Presidential Decree No. 570-A (1974), Sections 26 and 27; Occupational Safety and Health Standards (Revised 1989), as amended; DOLE Department Order No. 154 (2016)
Sources rechecked as of: September 1, 2026
Last materially reviewed: September 1, 2026
Educational content, not legal advice. This page reproduces statutory text, including a provision that has been repealed, marked as such. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For occupational safety compliance in particular, the operative duties and penalties are in RA 11058 and its implementing rules rather than in this Book. LaborCode.ph is independent and is not a government website, tribunal, or law firm. For advice on an actual situation, consult a Philippine labor lawyer, DOLE, or the NLRC.