Opening of the 2025 Occupational Health and Safety Month: PT KPB Encourages All Workers to Prioritize Safety and Health at Work

Tuesday, 21 January 2025

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Month embodies the fundamental philosophy of protecting workers’ safety and health in performing their duties by controlling various potential hazards in the workplace. Since the enactment of Law No. 1 of 1970 on Occupational Safety, OHS Month has been commemorated annually from January 12 to February 12. In line with the 2025 Pertamina OHS Month theme, “Realizing Outstanding and HSSE-Skilled Pertamina Personnel to Support Sustainable Business,” PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan (KPB), as the manager of the RDMP Balikpapan and Lawe-Lawe Megaproject, reaffirmed its commitment to encouraging workers to prioritize safety and health in their daily operations.

OHS culture has become a fundamental element of Pertamina’s business strategy to achieve its vision of becoming a world-class refinery and realizing national energy independence. To mark this commitment, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, PT KPB held the opening ceremony for the 2025 National OHS Month (BK3N) at the Modification Site Office (MSO) grounds. The event was attended by representatives from the RDMP Balikpapan JO contractors and PT KPB stakeholders, including: The Head of the East Kalimantan Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office, H. Rozani Erawadi, S.H, M.Si, along with his team. Representatives from the Balikpapan City Manpower Office. Representatives from the PPU Manpower Office, Balikpapan City Police, PPU Police, Balikpapan District Military Command (Dandim), PPU District Military Command, Balikpapan City Health Office, and the Balikpapan Health Quarantine Office (KKP).

The ceremony was officially opened by PT KPB’s Operations Director, Arafat Bayu Nugroho, marked by the sounding of a siren and the handing over of the OHS flag. In his remarks, Bayu highlighted that this year’s OHS Month at PT KPB would feature various activities to raise awareness about maintaining workplace safety and health. “The theme of the 2025 National OHS Month is ‘Strengthening Human Resource Capacity to Support the Implementation of the OHS Management System (SMK3) for Increased Productivity.’ We hope this emphasis on occupational safety and health will drive both safety and performance among all PT KPB workers in our operational areas, ensuring energy can always be delivered to the community,” he stated.

Echoing this sentiment, the Head of the East Kalimantan Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office, H. Rozani Erawadi, S.H, M.Si, emphasized the need for practical application of OHS principles in everyday life. “OHS Month is not merely a commemorative event but a call to action. By embedding safety and health in our work, we can minimize risks and significantly enhance company productivity,” he added.

The OHS Month at PT KPB, running from January 12 to February 12, 2025, includes activities such as Vendor Day, Energizing 2025, HSSE Banner Competitions, quizzes, OHS seminars, blood donation and HIV/AIDS testing, first aid workshops and competitions, and the HSSE Fair. “We hope that after these activities, both workers and partners will become more aware of the importance of HSSE aspects and improve their skills in handling emergencies,” Bayu remarked.

To further strengthen safety culture, PT KPB continues to educate employees and partners about the importance of adhering to OHS procedures through its 12 Safety Culture Programs: Call Name & Shake Hand, Listening, Tour, Walk About, Good Housekeeping Competition, Family Voice & Family Visit, Women Positive Safety Intervention, Safety Culture Champion, Posko Kita Semua Healing (Poskamling), PJSM Competition, Personal Risk Assessment (KARIB), Karib Patrol, Sahabat Karib, This proactive approach identifies and manages risks at every activity stage, ensuring active participation in workplace safety.

PT KPB’s commitment to HSSE implementation is reflected in the numerous awards it has received, including the Level 4 Gold Award from the World Safety Organization (WSO) in November 2024 for its persuasive and empathetic approach to promoting a strong safety culture. The evaluation criteria included culture measurement methods, results analysis, program reviews, and overall OHS performance.

In her closing remarks, PT KPB Commissioner Haiyani Rumondang encouraged employees to remain steadfast in upholding safety principles while completing the RDMP Balikpapan Project. “Stay motivated and committed to practicing safety guidelines in every step we take. By prioritizing safety, we believe Allah SWT will protect our endeavors, allowing us to work and return home safely. Alhamdulillah, by Allah’s grace, the RDMP Balikpapan Project achieved 103,611,349 safe working hours without fatalities as of December 31, 2024. This achievement is something we should be grateful for and strive to maintain until the project’s completion,” she concluded.