The fate of the workers

The fate of the workers

Occupational accidents are commonplace here, but Monday's fatal accident, which claimed the lives of eight workers at a construction project in Sunter Agung, North Jakarta was particularly disturbing.

The accident obviously proves two important things: First, there continues to be poor protection for workers. This could be because of the employer's ignorance in addition to the workers' own unwillingness to use safety equipment or abide by safety regulations. In the Sunter Agung case, the contractor and the engineers had failed to calculate the strength of the supporting beam when the concrete pouring process was taking place. Second, the response to such accidents are far too sluggish. The rescuers failed to get there in a timely fashion to administer first aid to the workers. It is understandable that releasing the workers from the crushing steel beams was not an easy job, however, appropriate medical treatment should have been given to the victims so they could survive.

The bottom line is that we continue to lack a proper appreciation for human life. And these avoidable, fatal accidents prove that human life is very cheap.

The Sunter Agung accident was also one more example of the problems of inequality. A high unemployment rate remains, and so many people have to take whatever job is available, no matter the risk, just to survive.

And for risking their lives, construction workers usually earn between Rp 150,000 and Rp 175,000 per week..

-- Kompas, Jakarta