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Lax safety standards on job sites are behind the relatively high rate of work-related accidents each year, a safety official said.

About 23 out of every 100,000 workers die in work-related accidents each year — a higher rate than in neighboring countries.

“Other country’s figures are much lower,” said Harjono, the president of the National Safety and Health Council of Indonesia. “Malaysia and Thailand only reported six casualties per 100,000, Japan 2.5, Singapore 3.5 and Scandinavian countries 1.5. Our figures are just too high.”

Harjono said reducing the loss of life was important, but the poor work-safety record also hurt the economy.

“We’re also talking about productivity here,” he said. “Because of these [workplace health and safety] issues the country loses Rp 40 trillion to Rp 50 trillion annually, one percent of our national GDP,” he said.

This Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration has launched a monthlong campaign aimed at ensuring workplace health and safety measures are implemented across all relevant industries by 2015.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar kicked off the Work Health and Safety (K3) month this week, saying it would stress the importance of adhering to health and safety principles in reducing the number of industrial accidents.

“We will not only promote the K3 month, but also begin overseeing [companies] to ensure the strict implementation of K3 in the workplace,” he said. “The employees’ day-to-day health should also be given attention, so that it will increase productivity, both in the private and state sectors.”

Muhaimin said safety equipment such as helmets should be compulsory for those employed on a construction site, for instance. He said his ministry was responsible for the supervision of K3 compliance.

“Because this month is K3 promotion month, there will be no sanctions, but next month we will move into the sanction phase,” he said. “Those who neglect K3 will be held responsible.”

Arief Supono, the ministry’s director for monitoring work safety and health norms, said on Friday that the ministry would also monitor how industries kept their employees healthy. He said a company must provide a medical check-up before an employee joined the company and then hold regular check-ups over an employee’s career.

“And companies must provide special treatment when their employers have to work under certain conditions. For example, companies should provide x-ray services for those who work in dusty places.”

Safety equipment and safe machinery and tools were important in reducing accidents, he said. “Machines that could endanger lives shouldn’t be used. They should be re-engineered,” he said.

Local monitoring teams would regularly check companies and legal action could be taken against those that do not abide by the standards. “We will first warn the offenders, but if they keep ignoring our warnings, they will be taken [to court]. The penalties could include three months imprisonment or a fine,” he said.

Harjono welcomed the campaign. But he said companies and their employees needed to work together to make it a success. Companies must be committed to implementing all the regulations issued by the government, he added.