Strengthening the roles of Indonesian OSH Council to provide better protection for young workers

Thirty members of the National Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Council (DK3N) and representatives of Indonesian youth OSH champions gathered together at one-day seminar in Jakarta on 9 January. They discussed about the importance of protection for young workers and identified appropriate actions that should be taken to promote OSH for young workers.

The seminar, titled “An Orientation Meeting on the Roles of National OSH Council on the Protection of Young Workers”, was in line with the commitment of the Ministry of Manpower to strengthen the national OSH system and to improve OSH compliance, especially for young people. It was also held in conjunction with the commemoration of the Indonesian OSH National Month held from 12 January to 12 February.

We have to continue promoting OSH culture as part of our daily culture. Considering the demography bonus where half of our population are people below 30 years old, we need to continue strengthening OSH awareness and capacity for young people."

Sugeng Priyanto, Director General of Labour Inspection and OSH, Ministry of Manpower who also acts as the Chair of DK3N

The meeting was supported and facilitated by the ILO through its SafeYouth@Work Project, funded by the US Department of Labour. The Project supports countries in effectively addressing OSH issues for young workers, focusing on improvements in OSH data, laws and policies, technical capacity and public awareness.

Sugeng Priyanto, Director General of Labour Inspection and OSH, Ministry of Manpower, who also acts as the Chair of DK3N, emphasized the importance of OSH for young workers, particularly for achieving the national goal of Indonesian OSH Culture by 2020. “We have to continue promoting OSH culture as part of our daily culture. Considering the demography bonus where half of our population are people below 30 years old, we need to continue strengthening OSH awareness and capacity for young people,” he said in his opening remarks.

By developing an effective OSH system and mechanism, young workers will be more protected. The improvements should also be done gradually year by year until we achieve the achievements that we are proud of."

Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia

Director General Priyanto also appreciated the supports given by the ILO to promote OSH culture in the country. “I hope that the ILO together with DK3N continue to strengthen their cooperation and are able to share positive contributions towards the development of OSH culture in Indonesia,” he added.

Meanwhile Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, highlighted the commitment of the ILO to continue supporting Indonesia in advancing its OSH national system. In addition to the SafeYouth@Work Project, the ILO has another OSH project named Youth4OSH, seeking to reduce workplace injuries, fatalities, and occupational diseases through increased preventative actions by young workers and young employer.

“By developing an effective OSH system and mechanism, young workers will be more protected. The improvements should also be done gradually year by year until we achieve the achievements that we are proud of,” she stated.

In the seminar, participants were divided into three working groups where they brainstormed and formulated action plans on the following: 1. Strengthening of the Provincial OSH Councils on Young Workers’ Protection Issue; 2. Development of pilot project on the protection of young workers at the construction sector; and 3. Mechanisms’ Development of Youth Task Force of DK3N and Identification of other innovative ideas on the protection of young workers.

The seminar concluded with the development of initial action plans on OSH and young workers. The Action plans focused on the improvement of OSH data collection and analysis, capacity building for representatives of governments, workers, employers and young workers, integration of OSH in the educational and vocational systems and strengthening advocacies, researches and awareness raising programmes regarding the vulnerability of young workers to OSH risks.



Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-26690-14-75-K-11.

This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. One hundred percentage of the total costs of the project or program is financed with Federal funds, for a total of 11,443,156 dollars.