Labour Minister emphasises occupational health and safety for public transport workers during exodus
Jakarta — Indonesia’s Minister of Labour (Menaker) Yassierli has emphasised the importance of occupational health and safety (K3) measures for public transport workers during the 2026 Idul Fitri exodus period.
“We recognise that during the exodus, drivers face considerable workload pressure. By implementing K3 testing for transport workers, we expect drivers in good physical condition to be more vigilant in performing their duties,” said the Labour Minister in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.
The Labour Ministry has established K3 Care Posts for Safe Exodus — Occupational Health and Safety Service Posts for Transport Workers (drivers and assistants) during the 2026 Lebaran exodus at six monitoring locations: Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Samarinda, Medan, and Makassar.
These inspections aim to ensure that drivers and assistants transporting people during the exodus are in good health, physically fit, and ready to work, enabling safe, comfortable, and secure travel throughout the Lebaran holiday period.
The Minister believes this initiative is crucial because exodus safety depends not solely on vehicle and road conditions, but also on the physical readiness and vigilance of transport workers.
“Therefore, occupational health and safety checks for transport workers form an essential component of risk prevention measures during the exodus period,” said Yassierli.
The programme is a collaborative effort involving the Labour Ministry, the Indonesian Ergonomics Association, and several Indonesian universities.
Through this partnership, driver preparedness is assessed through health examinations, interviews, and computer-based testing to measure work readiness, including reaction time.
“This occupational health and safety testing programme for public transport workers represents a new initiative from the Labour Ministry and is extremely important,” said Yassierli.
The Labour Minister explained that decreased alertness can also be detected through an application developed by his team, making adequate rest before driving a crucial factor in maintaining travel safety.
He stressed that the government is committed to ensuring the 2026 Lebaran exodus runs safely, comfortably, and securely by verifying that drivers are in optimal health and have had sufficient rest.
“We must ensure drivers have excellent health and adequate rest. We cannot allow drivers to be compelled to work when physically unfit, as the safety of passengers and other road users is paramount,” he stated.