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“‘We Care’, or Workforce & Environment Protection Programme, is our purposeful, people-centric initiative that, apart from what the name suggests, also aims to nurture a robust and participative EHS culture across all our project locations,” informs EHS Head, WET IC, K S Sudheesh Kumar. “We believe that it promotes engagement, builds ownership, and drives performance.” ‘We Care’ has many interesting components, and presented here are some of the key ones.
Empowerment from the top
A team of EHS Ambassadors, execution engineers, serve as role models by promoting EHS compliance & culture and ensuring safe execution. In addition, Safety Champions at site, who are selected workers, act as safety leaders in their respective teams. Their responsibilities include proactively identifying unsafe acts or conditions, guiding their colleagues on safe practices, participating in inspections and walkthroughs, and contributing inputs to EHS reports that are reviewed by the Project Manager.
Every 15 days, based on observation data, the top 10% of individuals, such as subcontractors, engineers, and section in-charges, are selected for a focused EHS Coaching and Mentoring Programme, conducted at site by the Project Head aimed to enhance leadership in safety, reinforce key EHS behaviours, and promote a culture of continuous improvement. EHS@ Workplace is a series of live awareness sessions conducted by subject matter experts from across WET IC on emerging trends, global best practices, and innovations in the EHS domain. “This initiative has fostered cross-functional learning, promoting a proactive EHS mindset,” notes Sudheesh.
‘We Care’ promotes engagement, builds ownership, and drives performance. The initiative has fostered cross-functional learning, promoting a proactive EHS mindset.
K S Sudheesh Kumar
Head – EHS, WET IC
Walking the talk
The ‘Gemba Walk’ involving site visits by project leaders and functional heads from departments such as P&M, QA/QC, Admin, and HR(W) are facilitating knowledge exchange by identifying best practices and promoting peer-led improvement. Complementing these walks are the ‘Safety Ki Baat’ dialogues between the workforce, site engineers, and EHS teams that are a channel for workers to voice their concerns, share feedback, and actively participate in the site-level EHS agenda.
Our EHS Coaching and Mentoring Programme has instilled a safety-first mindset among engineers and supervisors, encouraging safety leadership across all operational levels, while the EHS@Workplace initiative has further embedded safety ownership among workers, promoting safety dialogue in daily planning and encouraging cross-learning from best practices across L&T sites.
Vinay Kumar
Project Head, Khatan WSS
A comprehensive Skill Matrix helps the team to assess individual skill levels using standardized formats, based on which specific workers are identified and nominated for focused competency development and refresher training programmes. Post training, supervisors closely monitor these workmen for their adherence to Operational Control Procedures (OCPs) and safe behaviours, enabling timely interventions and continuous improvement.
The Construction Safety Programme is another structured online learning initiative focusing on key areas like safety in confined spaces, working at heights, electrical safety, safety during excavation, material handling, environmental protection, and housekeeping. Targeted at frontline engineers & supervisors, it allows for flexibility without compromising effectiveness.
As a team, we are committed to building not just infrastructure but also a culture of safety and wellbeing. Through regular Gemba Walks, we have strengthened leadership visibility on the ground, while our weekly Safety Ki Baat sessions have become a vital platform for open communication and behavioural reinforcement. Importantly, the introduction of EHS Ambassadors has created a network of passionate individuals driving environmental, health, and safety awareness across all functions.
P Umayakumar
Project Manager, Vellore UGSS Ph III
Rewarding the best
Up to nine workers are recognized as the EHS-Conscious Workers every month with a cash award of ₹3,000 each; three employees win the SoP & SEC Implementation Awards monthly, with a cash prize of ₹4,000 each, while the quarterly EHS-Conscious Site Engineer Award is given to up to three engineers, carrying a cash award of ₹5,000 each.
The EHS-Conscious Subcontractor Award encourages subcontractor participation, given every half-year, with a prize of ₹10,000. In addition, there are the Monthly EHS Quiz Rewards ( ₹500 each) for six staff members for their safety knowledge; Quarterly Star Trainer and Star Auditor Awards, each worth ₹5,000, recognizing those who excel in training and safety audits; and the EHS Annual Trophy, promoting continued engagement and positive competition in safety culture.
Abhishek Kumar
EHSO, Khatan WSS
Bhuvanesh M
EHS-In charge, Khatan WSS
We have implemented Dynamic Risk Assessments, BIM-integrated safety signages, site-wide fall prevention campaigns, and video-based toolbox talk contests to actively engage the field teams. I strongly believe that when safety is embedded into everyday behaviour, excellence becomes inevitable; at Khatan, we are not just managing risk but redefining what safety leadership looks like in large-scale rural infrastructure projects, which is how we have already clocked 19.48 safe million manhours and counting.
Towards creating a healthy workforce
‘We Care’ boasts of a comprehensive wellbeing programme aimed at improving both mental and physical health involving daily wellness routines such as warm-up exercises, yoga sessions, and recreational activities including morning walks, marathons, cultural events, and weekend movie screenings. Driving the initiative are Wellness Champions coordinating professional counselling, health surveillance, HIV/AIDS awareness, job adjustments based on medical needs, and family engagement activities.
Motivational awards raise awareness, encourage safe practices, and recognize outstanding safety performance. Clean, safe, and wellequipped worker habitats support overall well-being and job satisfaction. Digital safety tools like ViewEHS and Power BI help manage risks in real time, and together, these efforts have enhanced safety, reduced incidents, and created a healthier, more productive work environment for all.
M Srinivasakan
Project Manager,
Masalia Ranishwar LIS
Strengthening compliance
“By strengthening our internal EHS audit programme in alignment with global expectations, our audits now comprehensively cover focus areas such as environment, tree survivability, OHS, wellbeing, road safety, and process safety,” points out Sudheesh. Dedicated audit teams assess each area in depth, ensuring that site practices align with both internal standards and international benchmarks.