03 August 2025
Harita Nickel successfully conducted a Large-Scale Emergency Response Drill (LSE) from July 27-29, 2025, at its operational site on Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku. With the theme "Integrated Management of Natural and Technological Disasters," the event was designed to test and enhance the company's emergency response system capabilities in facing complex, multi-hazard scenarios.
The LSE was held in strategic partnership with the Disaster Risk Reduction Center (DRRC) of the University of Indonesia, a leading institution renowned for its expertise in disaster risk management.
The drill involved active participation of the management team, emergency response team, and at least 300 employee representatives from all of Harita Nickel's business units at Site Obi. Also present as observers were representatives from government agencies, including the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Health Agency, and the Environmental Agency (DLH) of South Halmahera Regency, as well as the Kawasi Village Government.
The training scenario involved a high-magnitude earthquake triggering a potential tsunami, directly impacting a number of the company's vital facilities. The series of drills covered several crucial stages, from the activation of the early warning system and mass evacuation to safe assembly points, to victim handling simulations.
Supriyanto Suwarno, Occupational Health and Safety Manager at Harita Nickel, emphasized the importance of this activity. "Obi Island is blessed with beautiful natural scenery and rich natural resources, but it also carries a high potential for disasters with two active faults. As Harita Nickel has significant investments here, we are obligated to protect all our assets: our employees, our facilities, and the sustainability of our business and the surrounding community as part of our corporate social responsibility," he stated.
According to Supriyanto, this LSE represents the culmination of a series of mitigation efforts undertaken by the company. "This training is crucial for enhancing the preparedness of our employees and management. It allows us to identify areas for improvement. According to information from DRRC UI, this is the largest and most complex LSE they have ever facilitated, given the simultaneous involvement of six business units," he added.
During the drill, roles of all elements within the Incident Command System (ICS) structure were rigorously tested. This included the integrated Crisis Management Team (CMT), composed of leaders of each business unit, Incident Commander leading the emergency response team in each unit, as well as activation of the HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) team, medical teams, and cross-business-unit emergency logistics coordination.
Based on the post-drill evaluation led by Prof. Fatma Lestari, S.Si, M.Si, Ph.D., Head of DRRC at University of Indonesia, several positive outcomes were noted. These included effective functioning of the ICS command structure and flow, an average evacuation time of under 12 minutes—surpassing the set target of 15 minutes—and a field team response that was fully aligned with standard procedures. Additionally, several areas for improvement were identified, such as strengthening personnel capacity and the emergency communication system.
"In our assessment, this activity was 90 percent successful. The remaining 10 percent is attributed to it being a drill, not an actual emergency," Prof. Fatma remarked.
Harita Nickel's proactive measures received high praise from the local government. Riski Triandini Ariesta, Head of Prevention and Preparedness at the South Halmahera BPBD, who attended as an observer, welcomed the initiative.
"We highly appreciate the steps Harita has taken. The business sector plays a vital role in disaster management, as it is a shared responsibility. Based on disaster risk index studies, South Halmahera Regency ranks as the second highest in Indonesia. Drills like this are crucial to ensure that every party knows their duties and responsibilities and does not panic when a disaster occurs," Riski explained.
Her party expressed hope that this collaboration will continue and be strengthened to support a comprehensive disaster management effort.
The successful implementation of this LSE reaffirms Harita Nickel's position as an industry leader that not only focuses on operational performance but also places safety, preparedness, and social responsibility as its top priorities.
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