14 September 2018.
Jakarta – A Better Work Indonesia competition on the theme of Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) has seen a flood of entries from workers and management in garment and other factories across the country.
The competition, developed by Better Work Indonesia with support from Compliance Community Indonesia (CCI), encouraged workers and employers in garment factories to creatively develop a short video or photos that illustrate the importance of safety in the workplace. It is part of a broader campaign to raise awareness of the importance of safe workplaces in garment factories and increase the participation of OSH committees, managers, and trade unions in OSH related initiatives.
The contest proved popular, with BWI ultimately receiving 70 video and 282 photo entries from 72 Companies, of which 69 are garment factories. Throughout the submission period, entries were posted on Facebook and Instagram to increase engagement from workers and employers. Winning entries were those that gathered the most ‘likes’ by the end of the period.
Finalists felt that the competition was an effective platform to increase awareness in factories and also a way to share best practices in safety at workplace initiatives: “This competition is not only useful for our factory but also we share it to our sister company, PT Anggun. Using video and photo is very effective way to promote safety at workplaces. We also take best practice from other factories that we can use in our factory,” said Anisa, representative from PT Ameya Living Style, among the winners in the video category.
All finalists stressed that continuous awareness and training is very important to maintain safety at the workplace.
“Sometimes workers forget to use personal protective equipment (PPE), then supervisors have the obligation to remind workers every morning by saying ‘zero accidents and don’t forget to use PPE’,” said Indra from PT Changsin Reksa Jaya, another winner in the video category.
The finalists also expressed their gratitude to Better Work Indonesia for organizing the competition and pride in being able to contribute to promoting safety in the workplace culture, not only in their factories but also in the textile industry in Indonesia.
Finalists of the video competition were:
Overall winner:
PT Citra Abadi Sejati: Carrying Big Object
Finalists of the photo competition were:
Overall winner:
Pregnancy Medical Check, by Rudy Gunawan, PT Sumber Bintang Rejeki
Studies show the many businesses that prioritize safety at work significantly gain more satisfied and productive workers, who produce higher quality products and services. Safe and healthy workplaces attract and retain investors and good quality workers and are assets to communities and to nations.
Better Work – a collaboration between the United Nations’ ILO and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group – brings together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions and boost the competitiveness of apparel businesses. Currently active in seven countries, the programme creates lasting change through assessments, training, advocacy and research. An independent study of Better Work by Tufts University showed that the programme had made measurable impacts in the lives of millions of workers and their families, and made businesses more competitive and up to 22 per cent more profitable.