Hundreds of palm oil enterprises in four regions strengthen their OSH preventive culture
The ILO joins forces with Social Security Provider for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) to improve working conditions and productivity as well as promote occupational safety and health (OSH) sustainable delivery mechanism of palm oil enterprises in Northern Sumatra, Southern Sumatra, Riau Islands and Kalimantan regions.
25/12/2024 (ILO News), Northen Sumatra, Southern Sumatra, Riau Islands And Kalimantan, Indonesia - A total of 406 representatives of employers and workers from 210 palm oil enterprises in four regions—Northern Sumatra, Southern Sumatra, Riau Islands and Kalimantan—have participated at the Training of Trainers on Participatory Action-Oriented Training (PAOT), jointly organized by the ILO and the Social Security Provider for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). These series of training programmes were held within the months of September and October.
PAOT is the ILO’s training methodology designed to improve working conditions and productivity in small and micro enterprises (SMEs) and the informal economy. It also promotes sustainable delivery mechanisms for improving occupational safety and health (OSH) in SMEs.
The training programmes were delivered and facilitated by the trainers from Indonesia Network of OSH Professionals (INOSHPRO) and the project officers of the ILO’s Strengthening Social Compliance in Indonesia’s Palm Oil Sector. These training programmes were also a follow-up to the workshop on the prevention and promotion of OSH in palm oil sector jointly held by ILO, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) in October last year.
“Based on the discussions held during the workshop, it was agreed to conduct a series of
activities focusing on promoting OSH preventive culture through awareness raising, knowledge-sharing and skills development to improve working conditions and address occupational hazards and risks at the enterprise level,” said Yunirwan Gah, Project Officer of the ILO’s Strengthening Social Compliance in Indonesia’s Palm Oil Sector.
The training programmes concluded with the commitment of the participating enterprises to conduct their own training programmes for their workers and implement the OSH prevention and promotion actions by applying the PAOT methodology. They also agreed to develop and submit follow up actions. To date, 108 out of 210 participating enterprises have submitted the plan of actions and many have already implemented the internal OSH training programmes.
Roswita Nilakurnia, Director of Service of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, appreciated the participation of the ILO in these joint training programmes. “I am confident that these training programmes would contribute to the improvement of OSH preventive practices and actions at the enterprise level. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan hopes to continue this fruitful collaboration for next year to create a healthy, safe and resilient workplace in the palm oil industry,” she said when opening one of the training activities in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan.
The Indonesian palm oil sector is one of the main contributors to the national economy and a source of employment for around 6 million workers in both smallholder and private plantations, predominantly located in the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. As of 2023, the identified extent of palm oil plantations in Indonesia has reached 16.8 million hectares and has positioned Indonesia as the world's largest producer and holder of palm oil land.
However, in term of OSH, as one of the sectors classified as "hazardous”, the number of work-related diseases and accidents in the palm oil industry remains relatively high, with many cases going unreported. Based on occupational accident data from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, the agricultural, plantation, fisheries, and forestry sectors account for 60 percent of all work-related accidents across the nine sectors.
The ILO support to these training programmes were given by its Strengthening Social Compliance in Indonesia’s Palm Oil Sector project. The project aims to improve the implementation of social compliance systems that promote acceptable conditions of work and access to labour rights, including the elimination of forced labour, in supply chains.