The repair of road access post-landslide in the Liung Gunung area, Purwakarta Regency, has finally officially begun. However, the initial step of improving this vital infrastructure was marked by a strong reprimand from the Regent of Purwakarta, Saepul Bahri Binzein, who found that the workers on-site were not yet protected by work safety insurance.
The reprimand was delivered directly by the regent, who is familiarly called Om Zein, through a video uploaded on his personal social media account which subsequently went viral. Om Zein expressed his disappointment that the project's physical activities had already begun in a landslide-prone area, while the protection guarantees for the construction workers were only just about to be processed.
According to the regent, the safety of the workers' lives in disaster-prone areas like Liung Gunung is an absolute priority that must not be ignored. He emphasized that protection guarantees, including BPJS Ketenagakerjaan or similar work insurance, must be active from the moment heavy equipment and workers are deployed to the project site.
The reconstruction project in the extreme terrain of the former landslide site carries very high safety risks. Real threats lurking for workers include the potential for subsequent landslides due to unstable soil, heavy equipment operational accidents on sloped land, and extreme weather factors that could worsen at any time.
The Purwakarta Regency Government is now urging the contractor to immediately complete all labor protection administration for staff and workers before proceeding with large-scale construction. This step serves as a stern warning for all project implementers in the Purwakarta area not to ignore work safety regulations.
