Ministry pushes stronger OHS culture at workplaces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower continues to encourage the strengthening of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) culture to reduce workplace accidents and foster a safe, healthy, productive, and competitive work environment.

"Workforce development is not only about boosting productivity and industrial competitiveness, but also about ensuring that every worker is protected and able work safely, healthily, and with dignity," Deputy Manpower Minister Afriansyah Noor said in a statement on Wednesday.

He noted that although the overall trend of workplace accidents has declined, the risks remain a real challenge for businesses and industries.

According to data, workplace accidents in Indonesia reached 462,241 cases in 2024 before declining to 319,382 cases in 2025.

Afriansyah emphasized that preventing workplace accidents requires more than merely fulfilling administrative requirements and complying with basic OHS regulations.

He underlined the need for a more fundamental transformation driven by a safety culture that is deeply embedded in organizational values, daily work behavior, and leadership practices.

"A well-established safety culture encourages safer work behavior, more effective risk management, and stronger organizational capacity to prevent workplace accidents and occupational diseases. Therefore, strengthening this safety culture must be a shared priority," he said.

The Deputy Minister explained that various studies show that organizations with a higher level of safety culture maturity tend to record fewer incidents and demonstrate better safety performance.

Therefore, he said, an assessment of OHS culture serves as an important instrument to measure an organization's current position and map out measurable and sustainable improvements.

He encouraged all stakeholders to follow up on the assessment results by preparing clear action plans, strengthening safety leadership, improving risk communications, enhancing human resources competency, and conducting periodic monitoring and evaluation.

"By strengthening occupational safety culture, we are not only protecting workers but also improving productivity, business continuity, and Indonesia's industrial competitiveness," he remarked.

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Translator: Arnidhya Nur, Raka Adji

Editor: Bayu Prasetyo

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