After haze, HSE and HR should give workers a private route to a healthcare professional, help them follow the doctor's plan, share only the health information needed, and keep reducing exposure.
As the haze begins to thin, a worker who still has a cough or feels unwell may not know whom to contact. They may also face another question: what if a consultation clashes with their work schedule? Exposure controls remain important while air quality has not improved.
Start with workers who need help
Smoke affects people differently. CDC/NIOSH explains that health conditions and the nature of work can influence risk. People who work outdoors or do physically demanding work may experience different exposures from colleagues working indoors.
Provide a direct, private route for workers to discuss medical concerns with a healthcare professional. HR can help with scheduling without asking for diagnosis details. Make sure workers know who can help arrange access, including at sites far from healthcare facilities. Explain that they do not have to wait for their next periodic health examination to seek help when they feel unwell.
If a worker has severe difficulty breathing, chest pain, faints, or experiences other worrying symptoms, help them obtain urgent medical care according to local emergency procedures. Healthcare professionals remain responsible for assessing the cause and deciding clinical action. CDC advises emergency help for severe difficulty breathing or chest pain. MedlinePlus explains that fainting has many possible causes and needs assessment in context.
For symptoms that persist or worsen, help the worker contact a healthcare professional for assessment without waiting for a periodic examination.
Connect follow-up with the doctor's plan
After a consultation, a worker may be advised to return or undergo further examination. Not every worker needs the same examination. The doctor determines the appropriate steps for each person's condition and history.
Administrative staff can help ensure the worker understands where to return and whom to contact if there is a difficulty. For example, a worker may need to arrange a consultation around shift work. HR can help find a suitable time, while medical questions are referred to the doctor or clinical team.
Ask in simple language: “Is the next step clear? Is anything making it difficult to follow?” This gives the worker room to raise barriers without having to explain their entire medical condition to a supervisor.
When a doctor gives work-related recommendations, HSE and HR can coordinate their implementation with authorized parties. Clinical assessment and changes to the health plan remain the doctor's responsibility.
Protect workers' health information
HSE and HR need enough information to arrange work and support. They do not automatically need a worker's complete test results, diagnosis or consultation notes.
Explain to the worker what information is proposed for sharing, who will receive it and why. The clinical team handles disclosure of medical records with patient consent or without consent in circumstances provided by law, limited to what is necessary. The company restricts access to authorized people and necessary information. General consent does not automatically grant unlimited access, and the basis for processing must be assessed for each situation. Work recommendations that identify a worker must also be protected as personal data. Micromeet's article on MCU results for companies explains the separation between individual clinical reports and information a company needs.
Review the working environment with the responsible teams
Health follow-up goes hand in hand with exposure control. HSE can review available air-quality information, work locations and activities, exposure duration, and protections already in place. Smoke that looks thinner does not by itself mean the air is safe. These findings help inform discussions with the clinical team and operational leaders about improvements.
CDC/NIOSH advises employers to monitor air quality and consider changing work locations or schedules to reduce exposure. Where appropriate to local conditions, consider reducing strenuous physical work and providing breaks in cleaner air. Measures should reflect local conditions and the company's risk assessment. This guidance comes from the United States and does not automatically become Indonesian law.
In 2015, Indonesia's Ministry of Health reminded companies to help protect workers from smoke and facilitate health examinations. This Ministry source provides Indonesian context; current requirements and guidance should be checked for the location and working conditions.
Who does what after a consultation?
Before exposure occurs, a company and its healthcare provider can agree on contact points for workers' questions and ways to arrange consultations. For example, HSE and HR can agree on a primary contact and a backup with the provider, then tell workers how to reach them.
After a consultation, the clinical team explains the plan to the worker. If the worker asks for administrative help, the designated person can help arrange the next step. HSE and HR coordinate work recommendations they are permitted to receive; medical questions return to the clinical team.
Responsibilities should fit the authority, services and working arrangements of each company. What matters is that workers know who can help when they cannot carry out the next step.
Why pay attention to follow-up now?
On 31 October 2026, ANTARA reported that UI and ILUNI MKK planned a study on workers' and communities' health following forest and land fires. This was a research plan; the report did not present study results.
While waiting for more complete evidence, companies can check whether workers know how to seek help, whether HSE, HR and provider roles are clear, and whether follow-up communications protect confidentiality. The aim is simple: workers should not have to find their way alone when they need help after exposure.
Next step
If workers' latest periodic MCU recommended follow-up for some of them, check with your MCU provider that it has been arranged, and agree that haze-related questions reach the same clinical team. For what employers do when a periodic MCU finds health issues, read follow-up after periodic MCU results.
Frequently asked questions
What should HSE and HR do for workers after haze exposure?
After haze, HSE and HR should give workers a private route to a healthcare professional, help them follow the doctor's plan, share only the health information needed, and keep reducing exposure.
Must workers wait for a periodic MCU to seek help?
No. Workers who feel unwell can contact a healthcare professional without waiting for a periodic examination. For severe breathlessness, chest pain, fainting or other worrying symptoms, help them obtain urgent medical care according to local procedures.
What information does HR need?
HR only needs information it is permitted to receive and needs for work-related or administrative support. Examples include information needed to arrange work or consultation schedules. HR does not automatically need a diagnosis or complete examination results.
Who decides medical follow-up?
Healthcare professionals assess concerns; the doctor determines clinical steps appropriate to the worker’s condition.
