Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) opened a second round of training and certification for General Occupational Safety and Health Experts (Ahli K3 Umum) with a quota of 2,100 participants nationwide. Registration ran from 6 to 12 April 2026, and the training and certification were scheduled from 27 April to 13 May 2026. Training is free, while participants pay Rp420,000 in non-tax state revenue: Rp150,000 for the training certificate, Rp120,000 for the evaluation and Rp150,000 for issuing the appointment decree. The minister said company demand for OHS experts keeps rising and that their presence can no longer be treated as a mere formality (Zhafira, 2026).
This week, thousands of participants are in the final stage of that programme. A question rarely discussed is what happens once the certificate is issued. This review reads two international studies on what shapes the role of an OHS professional and how their capability is defined, and draws out what they mean for companies that appoint an OHS expert.
The First Study
Provan et al. (2017) reviewed about 100 publications on the practice of OHS professionals, covering commentary, theory and empirical research, and carried out a thematic analysis. The result was 25 factors grouped into eight themes and three categories. Institutional factors relate to the organisation and its social and political context. Relational factors concern how the OHS professional interacts with other people and processes in the organisation. Individual factors relate to the professional's own capabilities, knowledge and beliefs (Provan et al., 2017).
The breakdown is striking. The review found 12 relational factors but only four individual ones: safety beliefs, domain safety knowledge, knowledge worker skills and risk understanding. The authors also concluded that reliable empirical research on how OHS professionals practise within organisations is scarce, and that this gap may reduce their effectiveness in improving safety (Provan et al., 2017).
The Second Study
Pryor et al. (2019) describe how the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations (INSHPO) developed a global capability framework for OHS professionals. In 2013 the network recognised the need for a global approach that positions OHS professionals as influential leaders who integrate OHS into business processes. The framework was developed by an international body representing professional associations from 10 countries and was endorsed by 53 organisations through the Singapore Accord. Its key outcome is the separation of two roles, the OHS Professional and the OHS Practitioner, each with distinct knowledge and skill requirements. The authors stress that the framework should not be static and still needs further work (Pryor et al., 2019).
Limits of Both Studies
The first study is a literature review that maps factors; it does not measure how much each factor affects accident rates. The second documents a consensus process among professional bodies; it does not test whether the framework improves safety performance. Both also draw on literature and associations from countries whose OHS systems differ from Indonesia's, where OHS experts are appointed by government decree after passing an evaluation.
Meaning for Employers
In our view, the findings of Provan et al. (2017) offer a useful lens for employers. Training and exams mainly address individual factors, especially domain knowledge and risk understanding. Relational and institutional factors, such as where the OHS expert sits in the structure, their access to decision makers and how they work with line supervisors, cannot be conferred by a certificate. Those factors are set by the company that appoints them.
The INSHPO framework is also a reminder that one professional label can cover different roles (Pryor et al., 2019). On site, a General OHS Expert may act as a daily inspector or as an adviser to management on major risks. Both roles are legitimate, but their development needs differ, and employers should be clear about which role they expect.
ISO 45001:2018 requires organisations to determine the competence needed, ensure workers are competent on the basis of education, training or experience, and evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken (International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 2018). Seen through that lens, the General OHS Expert certificate is one piece of evidence of competence, not the whole of it.
Steps After Certification
- Write down the appointed expert's role: what they decide, what they recommend and to whom they report.
- Give direct access to management meetings on budgets, process changes and contractors, since institutional factors decide how much of their competence is used (Provan et al., 2017).
- Plan post-certification development aimed at relational skills, such as facilitating risk analysis with line teams and presenting recommendations to management.
- Evaluate effectiveness after six to twelve months through real work examples, not just training attendance (ISO, 2018).
- Separate development plans for experts working as practitioners and those working as advisers (Pryor et al., 2019).
How Nusa Safety Helps
Nusa Safety runs the General OHS Expert (AK3 Umum) programme with licensed PJK3 partners, so official certification is issued by the competent authority, while Nusa Safety itself issues only internal training certificates. To strengthen the relational side, the Nusa Safety team offers HSE Leadership for Line Management for supervisors who work alongside OHS experts, and custom training module development for post-certification plans matched to site risks. To discuss specific needs, please contact the Nusa Safety team.
This article is general information and not legal or professional advice for any specific case.
References
- International Organization for Standardization. (2018). Occupational health and safety management systems - Requirements with guidance for use (ISO Standard No. 45001:2018). https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html
- Provan, D. J., Dekker, S. W. A., & Rae, A. J. (2017). Bureaucracy, influence and beliefs: A literature review of the factors shaping the role of a safety professional. Safety Science, 98, 98-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.06.006
- Pryor, P., Hale, A., & Hudson, D. (2019). Development of a global framework for OHS professional practice. Safety Science, 117, 404-416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.04.033
- Zhafira, A. N. (2026, April 6). Kemnaker kembali buka Pembinaan dan Sertifikasi K3 gratis [Ministry of Manpower reopens free OHS training and certification]. ANTARA. https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5512729/kemnaker-kembali-buka-pembinaan-dan-sertifikasi-k3-gratis
