Hana Fajrianti, a student of the Master’s Program in Occupational Health and Safety (K3) at the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI), successfully won the 1st Place Young Scientist Award at The 12th International Conference Working on Safety 2024 in Dresden, Germany, held on September 24, 2024.
Hana was the only representative from Indonesia in the competition, which was attended by 300 participants from 43 countries around the world. Bringing her research titled “Optimizing Subcontractor Selection Processes: Integrating Occupational Health and Safety Criteria in the Indonesian Construction Industry,” Hana managed to win the highest award in this prestigious event.
In her research, Hana highlighted the phenomenon of subcontractor selection in Indonesia, which often prioritizes cost over safety. This has led to a high number of accidents. “Integrating occupational health and safety (OHS) criteria into the two-stage process, namely prequalification (OHS, technical, administrative) and qualification (price competition), is crucial to improving safety standards,” Hana explained.
Her research results showed that 46.2% of subcontractors met only 27.6% of the OHS criteria, 40.3% met only 56.3%, and 13.4% fully complied with the OHS criteria. These differences were caused by factors such as the limited resources of new companies and their heavy reliance on main contractors for safety measures and personal protective equipment (PPE). The low contract value also reduced compliance with OHS criteria. “After prequalification, the main contractor should help subcontractors improve their OHS practices to meet the SMK3 standard and ensure safety across all contract sizes,” Hana clarified.
Hana’s research achieved the highest score in the judging process. The judging criteria included relevance to OHS issues, innovation and originality, the practical benefits of the research, transferability (application in other contexts), structure and language, and various other factors. This assessment demonstrated Hana’s excellence in her research, which she presented to three jurors from different countries: Prof. Thomas Behrens from DGUV Germany, Mary Ogungbeje from IOSH United Kingdom, and Ing. Mag. Christian Schenk from the Austrian Social Insurance for Occupational Risks, Austria.
The 2024 Young Scientist Award is a research competition for young people aged 30 or younger, held as part of The 12th International Conference Working on Safety 2024, initiated by DGUV (German Social Accident Insurance). The Young Scientist Award aims to inspire and involve young people enthusiastic about contributing to occupational safety.
Expressing pride in her student’s achievement, the Dean of FPH UI, Prof. dr. Mondastri Korib Sudaryo, M.S., D.Sc., extended his congratulations and hopes. “Congratulations and high appreciation to Hana Fajrianti, a student of the Master’s Program in K3 at FPH UI, for winning the 1st Place Young Scientist Award at The 12th International Conference Working on Safety in Dresden, Germany. Alhamdulillah, we are delighted with this outstanding achievement that brings pride to our faculty and university. We hope this success will inspire other FPH UI students to be more confident and persistent in presenting their best works on the international stage,” said Prof. Mondastri.
The Dean of FPH UI also added that this achievement proves that FPH UI has great potential in shaping young generations who are ready to compete at the international level. “Outstanding students from FPH UI will play a vital role as ambassadors for Indonesia’s public health knowledge, while also strengthening the reputation and branding of FPH UI, both nationally and globally,” concluded Prof. Mondastri.