Occupational Safety Management Barriers on the Usilimo–Karubaga Road Preservation Project in Highland Papua

Background: Remote road preservation work combines construction hazards with difficult terrain and limited access, complicating consistent occupational safety management. Objective: To assess reported and observed Sistem Manajemen Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja (SMK3; Occupational Safety and Health Management System) practices against the 166-criterion framework, rank perceived barriers, and formulate project-specific improvements for the Usilimo–Karubaga corridor in Highland Papua. Methods: A descriptive mixed-methods case study combined observation, document review, an 18-item, five-point Likert-scale questionnaire involving 34 personnel, and structured interviews with 30 informants. Item-total correlations, Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive rankings, and an exploratory one-sample t-test were integrated with qualitative evidence. Results: The overall perceived-barrier mean was 2.97, within the moderate interval of 2.61–3.40; it was not a regulatory compliance score. Item-total correlations exceeded 0.339, and Cronbach’s alpha was 0.829. The leading barriers were PPE awareness and formal training (both 3.18), PPE availability (3.15), and vigilance and supervision (both 3.12). The reported t-test did not distinguish the mean from the neutral value of 3.00. Interview accounts linked these obstacles to transportation difficulties, weather, terrain, and uneven supervisory reach. A complete criterion-level audit score was not reported. Conclusion: The evidence supports coordinated PPE reserves, structured training, risk-based supervision, emergency preparedness, and locally adapted safety communication. These case-specific proposals require prospective evaluation; their effectiveness and wider applicability have not been established.