An unsafe incident is just the tip of an ice-​berg – a sign of a much larger problem that lurks below the surface. Every accident is a warning that something is wrong with men, method or material and it’s time to investigate and act quickly. With every accident there is impairment or even loss of human life and the damage to the dependants of deceased is crippling that leaves them devastated. Apart from this, we lose a good workman.

Every time we analyse the root cause of an accident, we find that improper human behaviour is always the cause and we keep repeating our mistakes without learning from them. This is unpardonable. Time has come that we must take up mass initiatives to eliminate all these recurring accidents.

The positive impact of right human behaviour and a disciplined approach in enforcing sound EHS practices are clearly visible in the international market. For us to compete in these markets, we need to ensure that a uniform practice is enforced both in domestic and international markets. Only then will we be able to ensure our premium position in the domestic market and also establish ourselves as a major international player.

A statistical survey of our safety records reflects that maximum accidents happen due to reversal of vehicles /​ equipment, failure of cranes, falling from height and electrocution by live high voltage wire. All these are known to us and I expect that through this magazine we will be able to formulate a sound action plan to eliminate these occurrences.

In today’s world, every process is getting upgraded to mobile apps. These are easily accessible, highly standardized and transparent since everybody can reach, analyse and judge the information. I urge all to actively participate to make this path breaking initiative hugely successful. I hope this app-​based initiative will arouse mass awareness and usage across all levels of our employees.

Safety should no more be a statutory compliance, but a way of life. I would like everyone to drive the cause of safety passionately and I am sure this will significantly change our attitude towards Safety.

Staying safe in the middle of ‘live’ traffic!

This officer was lucky to escape with his life, but the sad fact is that many are not so lucky. ‘Live’ traffic is one of the menaces that safety managers of road projects must constantly contend with.

The success of any EHS strategy is in being on top of all ‘safety-​threatening’ factors but, in this case, EHS teams have a host of factors to face that are not entirely in their control. “How can we plan for the mistakes of bad or drunken drivers, control dense, snarled traffic, look out for jaywalking pedestrians or careless cyclists,” laments B. Rajeev Ramakrishna, EHS In-​charge for the Hospet-​Devangere-​Chitradurga Road Project (HCRP).

For Ramakrishna and Project Manager, R Prabhakaran, traffic woes and other safety trouble spots like workmen tripping, injuries from cranes & machineries, exposure to heat and vibrations, collapse of structures or equipment being used cannot be speed-​breakers as they have a crushing deadline of three and half years to complete the 120 km project and, of course, the added responsibility of keeping their safety record clean.

Dense, unruly traffic is an acute problem for Safety In-​charge, at the Delhi-​Agra Road Project (DARP), Vireshkumar Ramesh Nawale too. “You can imagine the volume of traffic on a National Highway that starts from the national capital, passes through the industrial towns of Faridabad and Ballabhgarh, religious places like Vrindavan and Mathura before reaching Agra, easily the country’s biggest tourist destination. The highway was fully operational, and our work zone was just beside it!” Against this challenging backdrop, the team led by Chief Project Manager, Rajesh Kumar Jha have been tasked to widen the existing 4 lane NH‑2, that involves 14 flyovers, 14 VUPs, 10 PUPs 1 Viaduct, 359 km of carriageway, 204 km of service roads and 204 km length of drains.

Keeping P&M safe

Safety of P&M is just as crucial for site teams and to address this issue, the Chennai EHS Cluster team introduced two initiatives – the VECT (Verify & Ensure Controlling Traffic) and Green Card – shares Subhamoy. “Through VECT, accountability of all activity on a ‘live’ road is squarely on the front-​line execution team from Day 1 and these control measures are changed as per the demands of a particular site as each site is unique.”

Work at site only begins after the carefully chosen VECT managers confirm that it is safe for work to begin. “VECT forms are available at each location and these are rigorously monitored on a weekly and monthly basis,” he adds. The Green Card is a system-​oriented safety process to keep P&M safe at site that involves a joint inspection by the Project EHS & P&M teams, signed off and thereafter regularly monitored. If deviations are detected, they are immediately addressed and rectified. “Both these initiatives have significantly helped improve our safety performance in the Transportation Infrastructure IC and enhance our brand value too,” avers a satisfied Subhamoy.

Higher the height, taller the risk!

The Ghoshpukur-​Salsalabari Road Project involved several activities at critical heights such as erection of RCC, PSC and steel girders over live railway lines all of which was beside ‘live’ traffic. “Instead of a task-​based approach that is usually adopted, we went for a systembased method including HIRA, SWM (Safe Work Method) and behaviourbased training to address safety,” reveals Project Manager, Niloy Mukherjee. The EHS In-​charge, Tushar Gangopadhyay chips in that the EHS team involved workmen, local villagers and even the local administration in their safety regimen. “We used events like the Safety Month, Road Safety Week, Environment Day to drive EHS awareness.” Malay Kumar Mahanta — Head EHS TI IC, mentions, “Introduction of systems like the formation of an EHS Committee, the implementation of the Reverse the Risk (RtR) system, Permits to Work (PtW) and widespread safety awareness campaigns went a long way in sensitizing workmen to avoid unsafe practices and acts.”

Lifting of precast elements

To maintain safety when working at heights, the team erected and used formwork based safe access systems with safety nets. “With workmen having to work at heights of up to 14 m, we evolved a sound lifting plan,” shares Tushar. “One key consideration was to certify whether the ground surface was suitable with adequate compacting to place plants, equipment and operating cranes as there is the constant threat of the ground caving. ” The Erection Engineer was responsible to ensure that all personnel, including those of the sub-​contractor, were given EHS training and made aware of different aspects like first aid, fire safety, defensive driving, etc., familiarizing them with the procedures and risks involved in girder erections to eliminate or at least reduce risk.

“Initially, we had to work near an OHE line and our number of near-​miss cases was not funny,” Niloy shakes his head. To overcome this challenge the team evolved an insightful zoning plan: green where the clearance between OHE line and FRL (Finished Road Level) was more than 5.5 m; blue where the clearance was more than 4 m but 5 m or less; and red if the clearance was less than 4 m, all marked with reflective stickers.

Smart risk management

“In essence, identifying risks, analysing and responding to them adequately is the difference between a successful and not-​so-​successful EHS strategy,” states Niloy. Towards this end, he and his EHS team have put together a Risk Profile of their project by listing down both routine and non-​routine activities based on which they developed their SWM. “After all, it was not only a question of the safety of our own people,” smiles Tushar, “it involved the safety of the general public too.”

In the final analysis, safety is dependant on our emergency preparedness and team work, according to Nawale that is echoed by all EHS managers. Rigorously following the Golden EHS rules, distributing EHS guidebooks like those given to workmen at DARP, constant training, walk-​downs, regular housekeeping are some of the methods that keep lives safe on ‘live’ roads as L&T continues to build projects that make India proud!