GROWING WITH PROJECTS

“Ever since joining L&T in 2017, I have ensured that we have had NO environment incident nor received any NCR either from customers or from environmental authorities and I have worked in both domestic and international markets,” says Geetha Umapathi with a quiet confidence that belies the responsibility that rests on her shoulders to drive L&T’s environmental agenda.

Having been previously involved with the MTHL, TCB-3 Project in Mumbai and Project Seabird (Naval Base) at Karwar as Assistant Environment Manager before joining the Etihad Rail project in 2021, Geeta shares, “I grow with my project and implement innovative ideas in the environment domain based on my previous experience. L&T has provided me a platform where I can use and practice knowledge to the fullest that I attained during my academic years and my stint at various project sites with several customers and NGOs.”

Soon after Geetha joined the Etihad Rail Project, her predecessor had to leave without a proper handover. “Relying on my previous experience and the support from the management and my EHS colleagues, I was able to cope,” her smile says that she managed well. “HSE Manager Jagdish Singh Chouhan and all site EHS leads helped and supported me whenever I required any assistance. The Engineer’s Environment Manager was a great support too,” she adds.

For her efforts, Geetha has a few achievements to share: saving 40-50% of non-drinking water during the construction phase which was recycled during the curing of the 4 silos saving 2,500 gallons of water each day, protecting an Arabic deer cub from the DIC site and handing it over to the Forest authority; relocating trees, and strictly following the marine related environment compliances when constructing the marine railway bridge at the KPO site.

“On joining, I found that all the quarterly audit reports of KPO and Ruwais were long due for submission to the EAD (Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi) through the EAD approved consultants and those I resolved one by one,” she remarks. Adjusting to a multinational workforce, understanding their culture, addressing unique customer requirements, adjusting to the hard nut behaviour of the Engineer and huge amount of travel were challenges that she overcame.

SAFETY IS ALL ABOUT FINDING WAYS
TO REDUCE RISKS

“We have a good safety record and are awarded for our performance too. A lot went into winning this award,” he reminds, ticking off the training, audits, monitoring, inspections and corrective actions, mentoring, engagement activities, leadership guidance to prevent incidents and injuries. “This award truly belongs to each and every project member and my heartfelt thanks to all the seniors and colleagues from HSE, QC, admin teams for their support and guidance at all times,” Dhanesh says with a sense of deep gratitude.

Akhilesh Sharma’s favourite hobby is to watch and play cricket, and therefore understands that a team wins not only because of 11 players on the field, but also thanks to a whole army of support staff behind the scenes who contribute equally to the team’s victory. Akhilesh, as the Admin and Stores In-charge for the Safety awardwinning Etihad Rail Project at the ADP Site in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, is one of those behind-the-scenes contributors who are not at the frontline of construction but without whom projects will find it extremely difficult to progress.

His objectives at the project, his 6^th project with L&T and 4^th in the Middle East, are to minimise and dispose of the permitted construction waste within the time frame and ensure that no NC is received from the Government authority for the facility.

When he first moved to the site in March 2021, the pandemic was still raging, and his primary task was to engage the workmen at site. He and his team were responsible for ensuring that everyone at site strictly followed COVID protocols, arranged to quarantine positive cases, set up isolation facilities, make hotel bookings, provide for food, medicine, and medical equipment, arrange for special vehicles, trace infected people, isolate them and inform the status to the government authorities, then clients, consultants, and L&T management.

“Communication has been key, not only during the times of the pandemic but otherwise too,” points out Akhilesh. “We use WhatsApp groups for rapid communication and real time site issues for immediate action. As per the project core HSE practice, we raised many SOSCs using the digital platform, and these observations from the staff and workmen helped us to improve our welfare standards and create a robust safety culture across the project,” he says sounding pleased with the achievement. “I always sought Admin Head, P N Prasad’s guidance that has helped me to complete my tasks without any hindrance,” he remarks gratefully. “Support from our sincere and hard work subordinates has helped me achieve my targets and successfully complete the project as planned.”

LEARNING AND GROWING IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA

A GCT from the batch of May 2014, Thummala Yogananda, working at the Safety Award-winning Etihad Rail project which is his 3^rd with L&T and first in the Middle East, is a very happy and contended man and not without reason. “We are proud that we have always achieved a score of more than 85% as per the Consultant’s monthly inspection check list and have not received a single NC for not complying with the environmental requirements as per the quarterly environmental authorities’ audits.” This has taken a lot of doing, having to follow international standards and comply with the protocols of Etihad Rail. “We have also been recognized by the customer as the best in providing welfare to the workers during the midday break,” he adds, “and we have won this prestigious award thanks to an all-round team effort.”

It has not been easy for Thummala and his team by any stretch of imagination and, as he mentions, it has been everyone’s responsibility to push EHS even if all are not EHS professionals. “We face a lot of challenges at site when interacting with sub-contractors of different nationalities to mobilize resources like manpower,” he shares, “to communicate and advise them about strictly following our EHS protocols at site in terms of workmen facilities.”

On the digital front, Thummala says, “We use the digital platform to raise many SOSCs, as per the project core HSE practice, that have helped us to improve welfare standards and create a robust safety culture across the project.” He mentions using WhatsApp for instant communication and EPFM, a user-friendly digital platform, to send/ receive documents to the Engineer for their approval and feedback.

Thummala attributes his personal success to the leadership and mentorship of Prabhu Nath Prasad, Head-Site Accounts & Admin for all the six sites across UAE for L&T Power China JV. “He always motivates me to plan, coordinate, manage and complete the task as per schedule and with his support and guidance, I have always completed my task in time,” his sense of gratitude very evident.

INTRODUCING A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE

Anirudh Patibandla

Bridge Engineer, M&M SBG

According to Anirudh Patibandla, his most significant contribution to the Etihad Rail Project has been to introduce a transformational leadership style. “This type of leadership,” he explains, “means that I spend most of my time working on inspiring my squad, encouraging effective communication, and creating a comfortable environment to help my team members to ask the right questions. I am considered a blue-sky thinker and I like to promote a similar way of thinking with my team.” An index that his approach is working is that the project has won the Safety Award 2022 (International), and he is extremely proud of that achievement.

At his project, with the nature of the work they are doing, Anirudh’s challenges were threefold. “As a civil engineer, working at heights and lifting heavy equipment have to be carried out with extra care and caution,” he warns, “as also working next to ‘live’ traffic and diverting dense traffic.” All these activities are fraught with risks and hazards and Anirudh is happy that the project has yet won the Safety Award by strictly following the best EHS practices. “Practicing Safety is beneficial to all,” he remarks wisely, “and I always share safety points and safety best practices from other projects with all my team members via WhatsApp.”

Anirudh’s native place is Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and is married to Ramya, a homemaker. They are blessed with a son, Anantha Sathvik, and holding him for the first time is Anirudh’s life’s most precious moment. “Listening to songs and vedic chants are what relaxes me the most,” he smiles contentedly.

DRIVING SAFETY DESPITE CHALLENGES

Raj Kumar Ram Bachan

M&M SBG

At the Safety award winning Etihad Rail Project, Raj Kumar Bachan is at his first project with L&T and is extremely proud of being part of a Company that prioritises safety and recognises its employees for their efforts. This certainly must be music to the ears of this Safety Champion who smiles and says, “I am also proud to be part of a project team that has completed almost 19 million safe manhours.”

Driving EHS at a project is certainly no easy matter as Raj Kumar has discovered. “Sometimes we are unable to do proper planning and make proper arrangements for activities due to job pressure, and many times we must adjust with limited resources,” he says with a long face. He finds it difficult to understand why even after training and instructions, some of his team members perform some of their jobs in an unsafe manner, like even failing to wear their PPE, a basic safety requirement. “As a direct supervisor, I am accountable for such violations of my team members and hence need to be doubly vigilant,” he says with determination.

Raj Kumar is happy with the support and guidance from his seniors at site who always communicate, share method statements and safe work procedures prior to any activity. “They always ensure that every activity is properly planned and executed,” he emphasizes. To ensure adequate control measures, the EHS team imparts necessary trainings, shares communication on risk assessment, and conducts regular onsite inspections. Raj Kumar nods that EHS observation reporting has become extremely simplified using the SOSC App. “Of course, WhatsApp is very helpful for quick communication and to coordinate with all the teams,” he grins.

Belonging to Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, Raj Kumar is married to Pushpa, a homemaker, and they are blessed with four children, Ranjan, Rittoo, Saweta, and Amrita. Playing cricket and listening to music are what he likes to do during his free time. “My first child’s birth is my most precious moment,” he says happily.

The Etihad Rail Freight Facilities Project winning the Safety Award 2022 has been a matter of great pride for Safety Officer, Mohammad Irshad, and he attributes their success to integrating technology with conventional HSE practices. “I used Google Forms with some basic programming to establish a permit-towork system,” he relates, and to develop an EHS culture, the team designed training sessions based on Blooms Taxonomy for scientific and objective learning. “Every week, I conduct dedicated sessions on lessons learnt from unsafe incidents from across the various packages of the project, for the cognitive development of our employees and to make them aware of the hazards.”

One of Irshad’s major challenges has been to ensure proper competency of skilled people involved in critical activities like electrical work and operating heavy machinery. “It is sometimes difficult to detect forged competency training certificates and experience certificates submitted by the workmen,” he rues. “Moreover, to be honest, some subcontractors have a poor HSE culture with an inherent slowness in the process of formally communicating health and safety concerns to the people.”

The pandemic was another challenge for the EHS team to ensure the health of their workmen and prevent the spread of the virus, which was efficiently handled.