The application of OSH is an integral part of the development process to increase productivity and competitiveness
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The application of occupational safety and health (OSH) rules is an integral part of the efforts to bolster productivity, Director of Occupational Safety and Health Examination at the Ministry of Manpower Muhammad Idham stated.

"The application of OSH is an integral part of the development process to increase productivity and competitiveness," Idham noted at an event organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) here on Monday.

Idham affirmed that the government was targeting to reduce the number of cases of work accidents, among others, by necessitating business actors to apply rules regarding safety and health during work activities.

However, he admitted that the OSH rules had yet to be optimally implemented in Indonesia.

According to Idham, the not-yet-optimal application of OSH was apparent from the number of active participants in the work accident and death insurance program by the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) among wage recipient workers, which as of February 2021, had only reached 19.26 million people, while the number of private formal workers in the country reached around 40 million people.

On that occasion, he also drew attention to the lack of awareness among workers in implementing a healthy lifestyle and using personal protective equipment in the work environment where the risk of work accidents loomed large.

Moreover, Idham pointed out that the number of supervisory and examiner staff to ensure each company applies the OSH rules were still limited.

"The current number of personnel for monitoring and examining the implementation of OSH rules is still inadequate. Both are the responsibility of the state in an effort to maintain a balance between the rights and obligations of employers and workers," he remarked.

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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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