Workplace safety measures should be improved to prevent future incidents

JAKARTA (ILO News): The International Labour Organization (ILO) would like to call attention on the tragic incident of Tangerang, Banten, on the outskirts of the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta on 26 October 2017 that resulted in the unfortunate deaths of at least 47 people, many of them workers of the factory contained in the building. The ILO offers its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and sympathizes with those injured.

The ILO will continue to engage with its tripartite constituents, the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations to explore how best to improve safety measures in order to prevent such type of incidents in the future."

Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia

The ILO is currently supporting the Government and social partners of Indonesia to adapt its occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation and policies to the requirements of the ILO Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention (Convention No. 187) ratified by Indonesia in August 2015.

This international treaty, one of the pillars of the ILO’s systematic approach to OSH, defines a safe and healthy working environment as a right and prescribes how national system and national programmes should be designed in order to promote continuous improvements in OSH.

“The ILO will continue to engage with its tripartite constituents, the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations to explore how best to improve safety measures in order to prevent such type of incidents in the future,” stated Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, commenting on this tragic incident.

This incident is a stark reminder of the unsafe conditions still faced by many. According to the latest ILO estimates, more than 1.8 million work-related deaths occur annually in Asia and the Pacific region. In fact, about 2/3 of global work-related mortality occurs in Asia. Tragedies like these are also not new to the Region and demand action to improve safety and health in the workplace.

The ILO urges that necessary workplace safety measures be put in place to improve the protection of health and life of all workers from basic but significant hazards such as fire and renews its commitment to support member States’ efforts to strengthen their capacity to prevent occupational accidents and diseases.