Health and safety<\/p>\n
I was delighted to see the front page article on occupational
\nhealth and safety (OHS) (The Jakarta Post, Sunday, May 13, 2001)
\nwhich outlined the dire situation for Indonesian workers. Indeed
\nsadly, Indonesia lags behind much of the developing world.
\nIndonesia's laws and regulations require updating and its
\nadministrative structure needs urgent reform. It is incumbent on
\nall of us with technical expertise to assist and encourage
\nIndonesia's transition to modern practice for reasons outlined
\nbelow.<\/p>\n
The major objection of managers seems to be that their profits
\nwill be consumed by workplace reforms. For too long have
\nIndonesian enterprise owners behaved like sheltered workshop
\nproprietors. They have largely escaped taking responsibility for
\nthe health and safety of their workers, unlike their counterparts
\nin other regions of the world. This has contributed I would
\npostulate, to the low productivity, competitiveness, and high
\nlabor turnover rates which have been documented recently
\n(International Institute for Management Development 2001)<\/p>\n
What Indonesian owners don't seem to be able to comprehend is
\nthat OHS makes good economic sense. To take care of workers
\nactually increases profits. You don't have to take my word for
\nthis, but that of Jung Moo Young, the company president of PT
\nTong Yang, one of Reebok's subcontractors referred to in your
\narticle. He is on record in Business Week (Nov. 6, 2000) as
\nsaying that the massive outlay of cash required to bring that
\nfactory up to internationally acceptable standards, has resulted
\nin less accidents, higher productivity and efficiency. He
\nestimates he will easily regain the amount outlaid in only two
\nyears. Simply put, owners and managers are being short sighted
\nand misguided if they think that avoiding responsibility for OHS
\nis going to financially benefit them or the nation.<\/p>\n
Tired, stressed and ill workers are not productive; high noise
\nlevels effect performance, the stress induced by irrational
\ntargets only reduces quality, as less attention is able to be
\ngiven to individual products. Workers intoxicated by solvent
\nfumes are also incapable of attention to detail, much less offer
\nproductive work. Managers intoxicated by power and influence
\nfunction as badly.<\/p>\n
The second point I want to make is that while the worthy
\nmembers of Commission VII of the House of Representatives were
\nshocked at the lack of masks in the factory owned by cigarette
\nmaker, PT Gudang Garam, I, who visited there many years ago, was
\nmore shocked by the high levels of reproductive disorders (in the
\nmain presenting as spontaneous abortion i.e. miscarriage) amongst
\nthe women hand-rolling cigarettes, caused by absorption through
\nthe skin of nicotine, the poor ergonomic conditions that saw
\nwomen sitting on unsuitable stools or benches for interminable
\nhours in overcrowded conditions (ideally suited to the
\ntransmission of TB which affected many of the women), and the
\nlack of ventilation.<\/p>\n
Indonesian workers have been, and continue to be, afraid of
\nreporting illness and injury in case they are fired. Since the
\neconomic crisis, workers are accepting higher levels of risk.
\nBecause of the systematic failure to educate workers, most are
\nsimply unaware that accidents are preventable and that some
\nillnesses are the result of working conditions. Instead worker-
\nblaming is rife.<\/p>\n
MELODY KEMP<\/p>\n
Balmoral, Brisbane<\/p>\n
Australia<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/health-and-safety-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }