"Worker dies at work at industrial complex in Morowali" 24 February 2025

A worker at PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), a nickel smelter industrial complex in Morowali, Southeast Sulawesi has died after a heavy object crushed his head at the smelter of Nickel Pig Iron (NPI) producer PT Ocean Sky Metal Industry.

Executive chairman of the Morowali Industrial Workers' Union-Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Unions (SPIM-KPBI), Komang Jordi Segara, told Indonesia Business Post that on February 16, 2025, Marjan Daud, a worker at PT Ocean Sky Metal Industry, was cleaning hardened HB (solidified matte liquid) from the londer (liquid flow channel) at about 9.30 a.m. local time. While pushing the HB at the edge of the londer with his hands, his gloves got caught in the HB, which weighed around 150 kg, and the heavy object crushed the right side of his head.

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PT IMIP Media Relations Representative, Dedy Kurniawan, issued an official statement expressing regret over the incident while also criticizing the labor union’s remarks as lacking accurate information.

"We deeply regret the incident that resulted in the loss of a worker's life. However, we also regret the statements from the labor union, which were made without sufficient information about the event and were spread without a complete explanation," he said as quoted Tempo.co.id on Sunday evening, February 16, 2025.

According to eyewitness accounts, the shift change between Shift A and Shift C took place at 8 a.m. During the work briefing, two foremen provided safety instructions and assigned work areas to the workers.

At 10.30 a.m., steel slag cutting using oxy-fuel was in progress, producing many sparks. Workers in the surrounding area paused their activities to wait for the cutting process to be completed. However, Marjan Daud decided to continue working despite warnings from his colleagues to wait.

"The victim was cleaning at the end of the londer without wearing gloves. This was against the SOP, which requires workers to use assistive tools such as an iron rod or a special pulling tool. While pushing the steel slag without these tools, the victim lost balance, fell, and was crushed by the material he was pushing," Dedy said.