Safety and Health Maturity Levels as Indicators of Accident Reduction in Indonesia’s Nickel Mining Sector

<ns3:p>Abstract* Background In 2023, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia mandated all mining companies to assess their Mining Safety and Health Performance Maturity Level (MSHPML) as a basis for formulating Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) incident prevention programs. One year into its implementation, official data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (2025) recorded 42 mining accidents and 8 worker fatalities due to illness within the nickel mining sector, highlighting a notable gap between policy expectations and actual outcomes. This study aims to examine the relationship between MSHPML and lagging OHS indicators in nickel mining, with the goal of informing strategies to enhance implementation effectiveness. Methods The study population comprised nickel mining companies operating in Indonesia, with a final sample of 77 companies. The dependent variables were OHS performance out-comes, while the independent variable was the MSHPML score. Quantitative analysis was conducted across three stages: univariate, bivariate, and multivariate, supported by assumption testing Results Results revealed that higher MSHPML achievement was significantly associated with improvements in occupational safety outcomes. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between MSHPML and occupational health indicators. Conclusions These findings suggest that while MSHPML is a useful predictor of safety performance, further refinement is needed to adequately capture occupational health dimensions.</ns3:p>