admin 
Rajeev Jyoti
Chief Executive (Railway SBG — TIIC)
Foreword
At the Railway SBG, safe work practices are paramount to our business.
Railways projects, being linear in nature, are typically spread across hundreds of km with a multitude of discrete risks that are both location and task specific. Therefore, risk identification and mitigation are continuous processes involving multiple teams across various stretches of the project.
Such challenges make Safety a key priority for the leadership team. Besides, the project organization structure is evolved to provide significant autonomy to the safety function.
Ensuring Safety in internationally funded mega projects through mechanization
The Railway SBG is one of the pioneers in deploying large scale mechanization in track laying and Overhead Electrification (OHE) that includes New Track Construction (NTC) machines, track stabilizing machines, UTVs, specialized augering machines, multi-axis mast grabbers, overhead wiring trains, to name a few. All of these have increased productivity and, at the same time, significantly reduced safety risks that are typical of conventional methods.
Safety is a key priority for our leadership team. Besides, the project organization structure is evolved to provide significant autonomy to the safety function.
Leveraging systems and digital technologies
Across projects, EHS methodologies are continuously monitored and improved with regimented protocols and systems through Quarterly Audit Rating Scores (QARS) – a 20-point comprehensive process to evaluate EHS performance and identify thrust areas. This is further benchmarked through cross project reviews during periodic Safety Conclaves. Such methods allow us to update project specific requirements.
A case in point is one of our railway EPC projects in the Western Ghats that involves OHE installation in over 70 tunnels and 125 bridges over a stretch of 428 km (90% single line). This brings in numerous challenges in the implementation of safe work practices while working amidst highly restrictive ‘block sections’ involving significant material handling and unique erection methodologies.
Our Safety team has been at the forefront to harness digital technologies that include Virtual Reality based training and the implementation of Safety App ‘PREPS’ for critical safety checks that allow multilevel authorizations at work fronts.
- Monitoring the movement of multitude of Track and OHE construction machines in WDFC through first its kind deployment of a GPS-based Central Command Centre that tracks all the Track machines.
- Deployment of Train Warning Systems (TWS) across all mainline projects that are adjacent to live trunk routes — a radio-based system that is a significant upgrade to a traditional flag man based approach.
Across projects, EHS methodologies are continuously monitored and improved with regimented protocols and systems through Quarterly Audit Rating Scores (QARS) – a 20-point comprehensive process to evaluate EHS performance and identify thrust areas.
Safety Accolades
WDFC EMP‑4 project has bagged the British Safety Council (BSC) ‘Sword of Honour’ award 2019 which is a coveted accolade at the global level recognizing meritorious performance and effective implementation of Health & Safety management systems by an organization.
Our Safety performance have won us prominent National & International accolades. WDFC CTP 1 — 2 project has won the prestigious ‘Sarvashreshtha Suraksha Puraskar’ Golden Trophy Award in the construction segment for the year 2017 — the highest honor instituted by the National Safety Council of India (NSCI). We have won this Trophy twice in the last 4 years.
The ‘OPGC Rail link project’ has thus far received INR 3.75 Cr as Safety Bonus from the client – ‘OPGC — American Energy Services’. The project has also won NSCI’s ‘Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar’ in 2018.
Our Safety team has been at the forefront to harness digital technologies that include Virtual Reality based training and the implementation of Safety App ‘PREPS’ for critical safety checks that allow multilevel authorizations at work fronts.
International front
At the Mauritius Metro project, our Safe work practices establishes us at par with world class SHE practices. The Phase 1 of the project is in commercial operation now in a record time of 2 years and we are the first Indian Company to have executed an Integrated LRT project overseas.
At the Riyadh Metro Line 1–2, the project has withstood the test of stringent global safety norms and has received multiple awards and recognition adjudged through Bechtel’s stringent Project Management Systems.
Despite all these accolades, challenges continue to remain to create a high level of Safety awareness and improve our safety performance – towards ‘Mission Zero Harm.
