JAKARTA (Joint Press Release) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) together with the Ministry of Manpower, and the Embassy of Japan today (28/9) launched a risk assessment service to help businesses identify, assess and manage the distinctive COVID-19 risks within their workplaces. The risk assessment tools were developed based on the national guideline on COVID-19 prevention and control at the workplace to support safer and more sustainable businesses during the pandemic. The launch of the COVID-19 risk assessment service by Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia and Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia The service is provided for free to benefit up to 1,500 workplaces by strengthening their preventive measures as guided by professional occupational safety and health (OSH) doctors. The risk assessment service also allows enterprises to register up to five workplaces and review risk factors in the workplaces. It also conducts employee surveys to assess workers’ risk awareness and behaviors. Preventive actions will help companies and offices to develop a strategy to suppress the spread of the virus in the workplace clusters and beyond. By doing so, it will promote protection of workers’ safety and health as well as ensure business continuity.” Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower Participating enterprises will receive recommendations based on risk assessment results. OSH doctors under the Indonesian Medical Association for Occupational Health (IDKI), as the implementing partner, will provide suggestions on short and long-term infection control measures for each workplace as well as keep the enterprises abreast of public health advice to ensure their preparedness to respond to localized outbreaks. Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, praised the establishment of the free service as it will reinforce the tripartite collaboration to continue strengthening the OSH regulatory and management system at the national and workplace levels. The service will also help to overcome the intertwined health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic.“Preventive actions will help companies and offices to develop a strategy to suppress the spread of the virus in the workplace clusters and beyond. By doing so, it will promote protection of workers’ safety and health as well as ensure business continuity,” said Minister Fauziyah when officially launching the service. Taking together employers and workers to implement additional safety measures will help create a safe and healthy workplace and workforce which is the foundation of sustainable development.” Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste The ILO has long recognized that protection of workers is essential to ensuring access to decent work. OSH has been a core element of decent work and in the context of COVID-19 pandemic this has become ever more important. “Investing in the OSH management system will build resilience and improve response and recovery in the face of crisis. Taking together employers and workers to implement additional safety measures will help create a safe and healthy workplace and workforce which is the foundation of sustainable development,” said Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste. I believe that the risk assessment service will contribute to Indonesia’s countermeasures against the COVID-19.” Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, emphasized that the Government of Japan has been a long-lasting partner of the country. “In order to protect the health and safety of workers, it is important to recognize where the risk of infection lies at each workplace and to implement appropriate countermeasures against that risk. I believe that the risk assessment service will contribute to Indonesia’s countermeasures against the COVID-19.”The service is rolled out under the ILO’s Enhancing COVID-19 Prevention at and through Workplaces project, funded by the Government of Japan. It aims to enhance the protection of workers’ safety and health by harnessing the public and private sector engagement to build a culture of prevention of the COVID-19 occupational risks.Indonesian enterprises with more than 10 workers in each workplace can access and register to the service today by visiting www.ilocovidproject.id For further information please contact: Gita LinggaILO Senior Communications Officer Email: gita@ilo.orgAdelin Alexandra Communication Project Officer Email: alexandra@ilo.org