FPH UI Occopational Health and Safety Expert Review Kanjuruhan Stadium Tragedy from Crowd Safety Management Side

Deep sorrow is engulfing the world of football and the people of Indonesia. The riots after the Persebaya vs Arema FC match which ended tragically because 125 people died and 323 were injured on Saturday (01/10) became a very valuable lesson for us. The data is also the third largest in the history of riots in football stadiums in the world after Peru (320 deaths) and Ghana (126 deaths).

Crowd Safety Management is a lesson learned from the Kanjuruhan Tragedy. As it is known that Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) is a series of efforts made to ensure the smooth running of an activity in a safe, healthy, and safe condition. Various potential hazards and risks that can cause harm must be identified, controlled, and communicated. Not a few dangers of Occupational Safety and Health lurk in every major event.

Football matches are people’s matches and people’s parties that involve all levels of society. Without safety induction, safety systems, procedures, facilities, and infrastructure all have the potential to take human lives. Experts, including in terms of Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) from the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI), namely Prof. Fatma Lestari and Zulkifli Djunaidi in this case also gave their views regarding what a football stadium safety system and football match implementation should look like. “Inadequate emergency facilities and facilities are a critical factor in the occurrence of these multiple fatalities. Was the emergency response procedure prepared by the committee? Why is tear gas used to quell the anger of the crowd, even though it is clear in FIFA regulation number 19 that tear gas and sharp weapons cannot be used to protect the crowd in stadiums? Zulkifli Djunaedi, Occupational Health, and Safety Expert at the OHS FPH UI Department.

The stadium is a public facility that can accommodate thousands of people. This condition must be equipped with safety systems, procedures, facilities and infrastructure, safety induction to ensure the safety of all parties involved. To ensure public safety, a safety system and procedure is needed. “This can start from a safety risk assessment, risk management, to emergency procedures. It is also necessary to identify the various risks that may be faced in a football match. The next step is to prepare risk management so that accidents can be avoided and minimized so that they do not occur. This includes what actions should be taken when an emergency occurs, such as at the Kanjuruhan Stadium a few days ago,” said Prof. Fatma Lestari, occupational safety expert at the OHS Department of FPH UI and the Head of the UI Disaster Risk Reduction Center (DRRC).

Without risk identification, risk management and emergency procedures, errors can occur in handling emergencies, even as they happen, which can lead to mass deaths. The Kanjuruhan tragedy must be investigated in depth independently by involving all elements including OHS experts, emergency experts, stadium designers, and other parties.

The lessons learned from the tragedy must be disseminated so that similar accidents can be prevented and become shared learnings. Implementation of a safety system is an obligation for stadium owners and managers. This of course needs to be supported by all management and stadium visitors. Steps that must be taken include preparing safety induction materials, systems, procedures, and infrastructure and supporting resources.

Besides pointing out the importance of a system and the concern of all stakeholders, Prof. Fatma Lestari also touched football lovers to understand the importance of this step. “For lovers of football matches and games, let’s always obey the rules and safety procedures at the stadium. Don’t forget to avoid various dangerous actions for yourself and others, know emergency procedures and evacuation routes for stadiums where you watch live football matches,” concluded Prof. Fatma Lestari.