On 5 August 2024 Indonesia's Minister of Manpower signed Decree No. 180 of 2024, setting a national competency standard (SKKNI) for lifting, hauling and load-securing operations in mining support services. The draft was agreed at a national convention in Bandung on 20 September 2022 at the request of the Directorate General of Oil and Gas. The decree revokes Decree No. 135 of 2015 and requires anyone applying the old standard to adjust within 6 months of its entry into force (Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan Republik Indonesia [Kemnaker], 2024).
It contains 64 competency units, from applying workplace safety, preparing and supervising a lifting plan, and inspecting hooks, wire rope and load charts, through to operating mobile cranes, pedestal cranes, overhead cranes, forklifts and manlifts and signalling crane operations (Kemnaker, 2024). Standards like this matter because cranes account for a large share of work deaths; one review estimates cranes are involved in up to a third of all construction and maintenance fatalities (Neitzel et al., 2001).
A new standard tends to raise a practical question on site: what proof does a person actually need before they may lift a load? This article compares the three proofs most often used.
Comparison Criteria
Each proof is compared on its legal basis, what it shows, who issues it, how long it lasts, and the gap it leaves open. The three are a competency certificate based on the SKKNI, a K3 licence from the Ministry of Manpower, and the employer's appointment and lift plan.
Competency Certificate
Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 8 of 2020 on safety and health for lifting and hauling equipment requires installation, operation, maintenance, inspection and testing to be done by competent and authorised personnel (Article 140(1)). Competence is shown by a competency certificate (Article 140(3)) referenced to the SKKNI (Article 143) (Kemnaker, 2020). Decree 180/2024 states that the SKKNI is the reference for education, training and competency certification, while its mandatory application is set by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and/or the relevant technical ministries (Kemnaker, 2024).
Its strength is assessment against standard units. Its weakness is that it captures ability at the time of assessment and says nothing about a particular lift at a particular site.
The K3 Licence
Regulation 8/2020 separates competence from authority. The authority of technicians, operators and riggers is shown by a K3 licence (Article 140(4)), and operators must be qualified for the type and capacity of the equipment (Article 141(2)). A rigger, for example, needs at least senior high school education, at least 1 year of experience, fitness for work, a minimum age of 19, a competency certificate and a K3 licence (Article 157). The employer applies to the Director General, attaching among other things the competency certificate (Article 159), and the licence is valid for 5 years and renewable (Article 162(2)) (Kemnaker, 2020).
Its strength is that authority is tied to equipment type and capacity and has an expiry date. Its weakness is that a licence does not plan a lift either.
The Employer's Plan
The UK approach puts the duty on the employer. Regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 requires every lifting operation to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. The guidance says the planner should have adequate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience, and that the degree of planning depends on the equipment and the complexity of the lift (Health and Safety Executive [HSE], 2014).
Its strength is that it deals with the actual lift, including weather, load and equipment position. Its weakness is that quality depends on the company's own system, and in Indonesia it does not replace a certificate or a licence.
Reading the Differences
In our view the three are layers, not alternatives. The certificate answers whether the person can do the work, the licence whether they are authorised for that type and capacity of equipment, and the lift plan whether today's lift has been thought through. The inclusion of units on preparing, supervising and evaluating lifting plans in the 2024 SKKNI (Kemnaker, 2024) suggests planning is starting to be treated as a competence in its own right. We have not, however, found Indonesian data comparing accident rates between crews who are only licensed and crews working to written lift plans, so this assessment rests on regulatory logic and general reviews such as Neitzel et al. (2001) rather than field evidence.
Practical Steps
- Map every operator, rigger and technician against the equipment types and capacities actually in use, and check their K3 licences and expiry dates (Kemnaker, 2020).
- For oil, gas and mining contracts, check which certification scheme the technical ministry applies following Decree 180/2024 (Kemnaker, 2024).
- Require a written lift plan for non-routine lifts, tandem lifts, and loads near people or plant, with a named supervisor (HSE, 2014).
- Make a post-lift review routine, in line with the SKKNI unit on evaluating lifting plan execution.
How Nusa Safety Helps
Nusa Safety runs lifting operator and rigger training with licensed PJK3 partners, helps register candidates for BNSP competency certification through licensed certification bodies, and coordinates statutory equipment inspection. Nusa Safety issues internal training certificates only and does not issue K3 licences or BNSP certificates.
This article is general information and not legal or professional advice for any specific case.
References
- Health and Safety Executive. (2014). Safe use of lifting equipment: Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and guidance (L113, 2nd ed.). HSE Books. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l113.htm
- Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan Republik Indonesia. (2020). Peraturan Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Nomor 8 Tahun 2020 tentang Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja Pesawat Angkat dan Pesawat Angkut [Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 8 of 2020 on occupational safety and health for lifting and hauling equipment]. https://jdih.kemnaker.go.id/peraturan/detail/1668/peraturan-menteri-ketenagakerjaan-nomor-8-tahun-2020
- Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan Republik Indonesia. (2024). Keputusan Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Nomor 180 Tahun 2024 tentang Penetapan Standar Kompetensi Kerja Nasional Indonesia Kategori Pertambangan dan Penggalian Golongan Pokok Aktivitas Jasa Penunjang Pertambangan Bidang Operasi Pesawat Angkat, Angkut dan Ikat Beban [Minister of Manpower Decree No. 180 of 2024 on the national competency standard for lifting, hauling and load-securing operations in mining support services]. https://jdih.kemnaker.go.id/peraturan/detail/2530/keputusan-menteri-ketenagakerjaan-nomor-180-tahun-2024
- Neitzel, R. L., Seixas, N. S., & Ren, K. K. (2001). A review of crane safety in the construction industry. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 16(12), 1106-1117. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473220127411
