Overview

The risk of occupational injuries and illnesses caused by accidents in the workplace remains one of the major problems which still needs to be adequately addressed by all of the relevant stakeholders. Indeed, a joint report of the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization (“ILO”) has estimated that around 1.9 million workers die every year and that 90 million people experience so-called Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a result of work-related diseases and injuries.[1] Among these deaths, the WHO/ILO report also identifies 19 occupational risk factors, which include, among others, long working hours as a primary cause (which have been attributed as a causal factor in approximately 700,000 deaths), followed by workplace exposure to air pollutants such as particulate matter, gases and fumes (which has been attributed as a causal factor in approximately 400,000 deaths) and factors relating to work ergonomics (which have been attributed as a causal factor in approximately 300,000 deaths).[2] The aforementioned report also reflects conditions within Indonesia, as the Social Security Agency for Employment (“BPJS Ketenagakerjaan”) reported 82,000 cases of work accidents and 179 cases of work-related illnesses during the January to September 2021 period, with 65% of illnesses being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]