The future of the Philippine safety industry through scenario building

In the Philippines, safety has been given less attention, although it is essential to the success of major industries in the country. High-risk sectors rely heavily on safety technologies to ensure that critical facilities are operational and that employees’ well-being is never compromised. High-impact incidents have cost manufacturers millions of dollars’ worth of damage, not to mention the injuries and fatalities. There is a need for technological foresight in the safety industry to improve existing policies, tighten regulations, and promote safe practices, with a vision to boost the competitiveness of manufacturing sectors towards overall economic development. A review of socioeconomic and political dynamics related to the safety industry will allow a comprehensive approach to promoting reform in major industries toward safe and secure work environments for Filipinos. Growth opportunities are also examined for the developing safety industry that can create employment opportunities. This research project can guide government leaders in formulating policies and industry stakeholders in making business decisions toward safe manufacturing operations. Innovations for public and private sectors are mapped out while providing a trajectory for the future of the safety industry for the next five to ten years, considering the existing and future political, environmental, socioeconomic, technological, and legal settings. Insights from experts and industry practitioners are evaluated to generate scenarios and provide current and future trends. Scenario-building was performed to identify key predictable drivers to develop a scenario framework.