ecchelmet ‘Safety Ambassadors’ pushing the EHS agenda forward at the Mumbai Metro Project
151 and counting …
Safety training is essentially spreading awareness of risks and hazards amongst the workforce and communities at home with the belief that, the sooner people understand and appreciate the risks and hazards involved, the greater the chances of them taking appropriate mitigatory steps to keep themselves safe.
Our objectives were to increase workmen participation in EHS activities and thereby improve the EHS culture at our worksites, to raise workmen issues during meetings, to improve EHS awareness among the workmen, to assist the site team to identify Unsafe Acts and Unsafe Conditions, and to elevate and promote workmen who are interested in making a career in EHS.
Michael William Sanderson
Head – EHS
The same principle works at project sites, and site leaderships have realized that for better and more efficient EHS implementation and, to take purposeful steps towards achieving Mission Zero Harm, a bottom-up approach is just as important and relevant as a top-down one. Ultimately, every effort towards creating and nurturing a positive EHS culture at sites depends on how well the last and most vital link in the chain – the workman – understands, espouses, and implements the EHS dictates. Recognizing this vital need, the site leadership at the L&T–STEC JV Mumbai Metro UGC-01 project site comprising Palwinder Singh, Project Manager; Michael William Sanderson, Head – EHS, Heavy Civil IC; and Mohsin Anwer, EHS Manager, under the able guidance of A H Khan, Vice President & Head – Operations (Mumbai), kickstarted the ‘Safety Ambassador’ initiative in September 2019.
A timely and effective initiative
“We were very clear of our objectives when we started this initiative,” begins Michael. “They were to increase workmen participation in EHS activities and thereby improve the EHS culture at our worksites, to raise workmen issues during meetings, to improve EHS awareness among the workmen, to assist the site team to identify Unsafe Acts and Unsafe Conditions, and to elevate and promote workmen who are interested in making a career in EHS.”
Having set their objectives, the next task for Michael, Palwinder, and Mohsin was to arrive at a set of criteria to select the Safety Ambassadors, which were decided after many deliberations and discussions.
A safety briefing in progress
“Once selected, these Safety Ambassadors are guided and honed by our site’s EHS team through trainings, briefings, meetings, and interactions,” says Mohsin, who proudly adds that they have till date identified and trained 151 Safety Ambassadors.
The Safety Ambassadors initiative has certainly improved the Safety Culture as a whole. Our consistently high MARS Audit score among all the Mumbai Metro packages is an indicator of the continuously improving Safety Culture.
Palwinder Singh
Project Manager
“Who is an ambassador but a representative or promoter of a specific activity, and our Safety Ambassadors are empowered to drive the EHS agenda at site,” explains Michael. “They brief their co-workmen, spread awareness, conduct training sessions, participate in monthly Site Workmen Committee meetings to raise workmen-related issues, attend monthly Site Safety Ambassador meetings to discuss their concerns and suggest remedial measures, report Unsafe Act/Unsafe Conditions at site, and advice their workgroups on safe work practices.” The Safety Ambassadors initiative has become an integral part of their project since its inception, and the founder trio are most impressed by the commitment of the chosen workmen towards EHS. To further motivate the Safety Ambassadors, they are rewarded at Safety functions such as Safety Month, National Safety Week, Environment Day, Safety Day, and others.
Introducing a standout Safety Ambassador
Safety Ambassadors interested to pursue a career in EHS are encouraged to take up EHS courses, and standout performers are selected after being interviewed. One such success story is Satyendra Pratap Singh, who has been promoted to the role of a ‘Safety Steward’ after cracking the interview process at the project. “Currently, as a ‘Safety Steward’ at our project, he is helping the site team to develop and maintain the required EHS standards,” adds Mohsin, “and we hope to further nurture Satyendra in his future as an EHS professional.”
Satyendra is overjoyed and proud of the progress he is making. “I am really enjoying my work as a Safety Steward in this company. I am learning a lot from my experience under the guidance of all my seniors, and I hope in the future I will be able to make a sustainable career in this field.”
This initiative has been a positive step towards enhancing behaviourbased safety at our worksites. It acts as an extra pair of eyes for project site management in reporting Unsafe Acts and Conditions. In Safety, we believe that every Unsafe Act/Unsafe Condition we mitigate, we prevent an incident.
Mohsin Anwer
EHS Manager
The benefits of successful site-based initiatives are reaped by the site team, and Palwinder is extremely satisfied with the way the Safety Ambassadors initiative has panned out. “Since its inception, it has been transformative for us in helping to develop a positive behaviour towards EHS by encouraging and guiding fellow workmen to comply with the required safety standards at our project locations,” he says. “It has certainly improved the Safety Culture as a whole. Our consistently high MARS Audit score among all the Mumbai Metro packages is an indicator of the continuously improving Safety Culture. We wish to further develop and nurture our Safety Ambassadors to achieve the Zero Harm Mission,” he rounds fervently.
The initiative has certainly strengthened Mohsin’s arm as he strives with his team to keep EHS standards high. “This initiative has been a positive step towards enhancing behaviour-based safety at our worksites. It acts as an extra pair of eyes for project site management in reporting Unsafe Acts and Conditions. In Safety, we believe that every Unsafe Act/Unsafe Condition we mitigate, we prevent an incident,” he smiles, with much relief.
Over the past two and a half years, the initiative has taken root, and Michael, Palwinder, and Mohsin are keen to see it bearing more fruit so that the project’s EHS performance remains top-notch.
Success, they say, begets success, and the Safety Ambassador programme is certainly a best practice that can be successful adopted across other sites of L&T Construction. After all, our goal is Mission Zero Harm.