NATIONAL OSH MONTH: UI KEEPS ON SPREADING AWARENESS AND COMPLIANCE WITH OSH STANDARDS IN THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT
As a higher education institution that has transformed into an Entrepreneurial University and Smart Campus, Universitas Indonesia (UI) is preparing resources and governance through organizational reform, management innovation, and implementing autonomy at the university level. UI also keeps on promoting a culture of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) on the campus as an important priority in creating a comfortable, safe, orderly, and healthy atmosphere in the campus environment.
In this 2023 OSH month, UI through the Technical Implementation Unit of HSE (UPT K3L) carried out programs from four fields, which are safety, occupational health, fire prevention and emergencies, as well as the environment in efforts to raise awareness and ensure an HSE-cultured campus environment. Head of the UPT K3L UI Dr. Ir. Sjahrul M. Nasri, M.Sc. explained, “Accidents can happen anywhere and anytime, including on campus. The UPT K3L UI is present from upstream to downstream in every activity of the academic community. In the upstream, our task in the health sector is carrying out promotion, prevention, and protection against seven potential risks that may occur in the campus environment, such as fire, transportation accidents, drowning in lakes, earthquakes, medical emergencies, fallen trees, and accidents in a laboratory.”
Sjahrul emphasized that the program done by the UPT K3L UI is carried out routinely every year, not only during the National OSH month. “The UPT K3L UI fields continue to carry out routine reports in an effort to prevent potential hazards, not only within the scope of the campus but also around the UI campus. Regarding the sector of occupational health, the UPT K3L also takes promotional, preventive, and protective measures, so as to prevent the spread of disease in daily work activities for students, lecturers, and academic personnel to keep them primed,” he said.
He mentioned that diseases that arise from the risk of work or activities do not appear suddenly as they could appear after five years or during retirement. In addition, there are several programs implemented by the Environment sector, which aim to maintain the sustainability of campus environment.
The UPT K3L UI also supports the implementation of flora and fauna conservation in the Universitas Indonesia Campus Environment. There are around 900 species of flora and 72 species of fauna consisting of 47 species of birds, 15 species of reptiles, and 10 species of amphibians within the UI Depok Campus. In addition, the environmental sector of UPT K3L UI also protects the environment so that damage and pollution do not occur.
Some of the programs being pursued include the zero plastics program, waste sorting education, environmental monitoring (including lakes in UI), and others. This effort is made so that the environment can be maintained in order to support life on the UI campus. This is also to support global efforts in environmental preservation, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to keep campuses green and sustainable.
Meanwhile, the UPT K3L in downstream is on duty for Fire Prevention and Emergencies. Sjahrul said the field was not only responsive in fire accidents and emergencies but also made efforts to increase the preparedness of UI community in preventing fires and emergencies from escalating.
Efforts are being made to carry out inspections of fire protection and emergencies in the form of inspection of fire extinguishing equipment, installation of signs, and maintenance of First Aid Boxes. Efforts to conduct outreach, educate on emergencies, and simulate emergencies are also carried out regularly in a year to increase emergency preparedness for the UI community.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic era, we carried out promotions, drafted Standard Operating Procedures, and health protocols for UI offices, students, and guests, which were continuously updated according to developments, before and after the pandemic. In confirmed cases, recording, contact tracing, and referrals were conducted. In OSH month, the UPT K3L UI holds joint activities with UI Hospital, which are patient rescue simulations from the top floor, gymnastics, and in March there will be another disaster simulation, as well as promotion with contractors on construction at UI for the safety sector,” Sjahrul said.
He added, when offline lectures is about to resume, the UPT K3L UI conducts outreach about Basic HSE Laboratory online training for all students, lecturers, and campus residents. The online training result certificate is used as a prerequisite before carrying out activities in the laboratory, in order to prevent unexpected things from happening in the laboratory.
In certain months, the UPT K3L UI and stakeholders carry out promotions and education. “For example, as an orderly traffic area, UI is collaborating with the police and the Campus Environmental Security Unit of UI. The program aims to promote transportation safety within the UI environment. The UI Campus also supports government programs in providing a minimum of 30% Urban Green Space in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” said Sjahrul.
