Kalimantan Wildfires Raise Concerns Over Protection of Outdoor Workers

JAKARTA, Aug 23, 2026 — Indonesia deployed 12,880 personnel to tackle forest and land fires in three provinces on Kalimantan island as fires and haze disrupted daily activities and raised concerns over the health risks facing outdoor workers.

The personnel were deployed in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan, with 10,700 assigned to Central Kalimantan, the government said on Aug. 21.

The worsening air quality has also drawn attention to workers who must remain outdoors for extended periods and may be exposed to smoke and air pollutants.

Labour observer Dani Satria said protection for workers should be strengthened when air quality deteriorates, particularly for construction workers, cleaners, couriers, drivers, plantation workers and others whose jobs require them to work outdoors.

"When air quality reaches unhealthy or hazardous levels, worker protection should go beyond simply advising people to wear masks," Dani said in Kendal, Central Java, on Saturday (Aug. 22).

Companies and authorities should consider reducing outdoor work, adjusting working hours, rotating workers, moving operations to safer locations or allowing remote work where possible, he said.

The Kotawaringin Timur administration in Central Kalimantan has already ordered schools to conduct lessons from home until air quality returns to good or healthy levels, as authorities respond to smoke from the fires.

Dani said a similar risk-based approach could be considered for workplaces, although measures should take into account the nature of each job.

"Not all jobs can be done from home. Healthcare workers, firefighters, disaster-response personnel, utility workers and other essential services still have to operate," he said.

But the inability to apply work-from-home arrangements to some workers should not be used as a reason to overlook protections for others, Dani said.

"What is needed is a policy based on the level of risk," he said.

Outdoor activities should be reduced when air quality reaches unhealthy levels, while non-essential outdoor work could be temporarily suspended if conditions become very unhealthy or hazardous, he said.

Work that can be performed remotely could also be moved indoors or conducted from home where feasible, Dani added.

Such measures should not be viewed as a halt to economic activity but as part of occupational health and safety efforts to reduce workers' exposure to hazardous smoke, he said.

Forest and land fires are a recurring problem in Indonesia, particularly during dry periods. Smoke from fires can spread beyond affected areas and disrupt public activities while increasing exposure to harmful air pollutants. (Janne Siten)