ecchelmet Enter our site only if you have passed the safety induction – Project team at TCL, Mithapur
All project sites must be conducting Safety Inductions, but how many take them seriously to ensure that engineers, workmen, subcontractors, and all other stakeholders working or even visiting project sites are suitably informed about the risks, hazards, and appropriate mitigatory steps to stay safe? A safety induction is the vital first step, a direct method to create awareness of safety issues and procedures and an important tool to prevent injuries or accidents.
“An effective safety induction is a best EHS practice that should cover topics like how to report an incident, what to do if something goes wrong, how to work in unsafe places, like at heights or in confined spaces, how to interact with other workers and watch each other’s back, and so much more,” points out K P Ravinath, Head – EHS, L&T GeoStructure (LTGS). He cautions that conducting safety inductions should not be just to tick a box and he is speaking with purpose, for L&T GeoStructure is presently executing a particularly challenging project for Tata Chemical Limited at Mithapur.
An effective safety induction is a best EHS practice that should cover topics like how to report an incident, what to do if something goes wrong, how to work in unsafe places, like at heights or in confined spaces, how to interact with other workers and watch each other’s back, and so much more.
K P Ravinath
Head – EHS, L&T GeoStructure
A tough ask
The mandate for LTGS is to construct a treated effluent disposal system through a pipeline laid on the outfall jetty, also involving building a HT pumphouse, piping system, diffuser system, a 3.88 km long trestle-based jetty in the Gulf of Kutch, an electrical equipment building, control room, and ancillary works, such as roads, loading & unloading bays with storage areas. Additionally, all necessary equipment, such as transformers and flow meters, must be procured and installed.
“Safety is our paramount concern,” remarks Project Manager, Jayprakash R Thripathi, “for we are mandated to construct 651 piles – 156 on land and 495 at sea – a 3.88 km, 10.8 m wide trestle, casting and erecting 11,533 precast elements weighing anywhere between 1 to 32 tons, fabricating and installing a 12.6 km long pipeline of 1.2 dia, installing two EOT cranes at the pump house, and three gantry cranes over the trestle.”
Safety is our paramount concern for we are mandated to construct 651 piles – 156 on land and 495 at sea – a 3.88 km, 10.8 m wide trestle, casting and erecting 11,533 precast elements weighing anywhere between 1 to 32 tons.
Jayprakash R Thripathi
Project Manager
“The majority of our activities rely on heavy equipment,” informs Planning Manager, Nishant Manohar, “such as marine flotillas with two jack-up barges, two tugboats, service boats, pick-andcarry cranes, 6 crawler cranes with holding capacities of 50 T to 100 T, as wel as three gantry cranes at precast yards with capacities of 10 tons, 20 tons, and 60 tons respectively.”
The majority of our activities rely on heavy equipment such as marine flotillas with two jack-up barges, two tugboats, service boats, pick-and-carry cranes, 6 crawler cranes with holding capacities of 50 T to 100 T, as well as three gantry cranes at precast yards with capacities of 10 tons, 20 tons, and 60 tons respectively.
Nishant Manohar
Planning Manager
The task for EHS Manager, Sakeer Babu Kuriyedath, is well cut out: the job must be completed without a hitch. “Even a tiny bit of safety negligence can severely impact the project,” he warns, “so we have developed a hierarchy of control right from the beginning to ensure that everyone is aware of the project’s safety requirements.”
Even after giving detailed information, it is impossible to judge whether all the information has been absorbed by the inductees and the best result will come when they grab and understand the topics and information shared at that first safety induction.
Sakeer Babu Kuriyedath
EHS Manager
Keeping the spirit of Mission Zero Harm alive
The EHS & P&M teams conduct joint inspections before deploying any form of equipment, but it is tougher deploying people at site, for having a newcomer roaming around the site, unaware of the project activities, rules, specifications, hazards, and protocols, is a huge safety risk. “We deploy a person only after skill evaluation and assessing their safety skills irrespective of whether the person is an employee, contractor, or workman,” says Sakeer in all seriousness. “It is critical for a new person joining the project to have a solid understanding of the system needs and safety criteria, and a safety induction is the perfect tool to convey these.” This is even more important when dealing with unskilled workmen. “Even after giving detailed information, it is impossible to judge whether all the information has been absorbed by the inductees,” Sakeer shakes his head, “and the best result will come when they grab and understand the topics and information shared at that first safety induction.”
Making safety inductions more effective
Conventional methods of conducting safety inductions by delivering speeches will not communicate effectively or completely. It is very possible that the speaker misses out some important content or data; it is equally difficult to maintain the attention of the inductees. “Behaving while performing the task assigned based on improper or halfinformed topics will impact safe behaviour of the workmen and project EHS culture,” remarks Ravinath.
Our EHS team has developed a software, Anzen Yudo and with the help of data from WISA, we are digitally maintaining an exclusive induction register.
Jayprakash R Thripathi
Project Manager
To keep a good thing going, it is imperative that the inductees are regularly evaluated to assess their knowledge levels and performance, for which the Mithapur project team has adopted digital technology for the safety induction process to cover all workmen at site. “Our EHS team has developed a software, Anzen Yudo,” mentions Jayprakash, “and with the help of data from WISA, we are digitally maintaining an exclusive induction register.” Every inductee is evaluated through the test and after watching a video featuring site-specific rules and regulations, Dos and Don’ts, EHS concerns, and safety control measures developed by the TCL project team. “Every inductee receives a digitally printed safety induction card with photograph if his score is at least 7 out of 10,” informs Sakeer. “People scoring less than 7 must re-do the safety induction, and site entry gate passes will not be issued to workmen not qualifying in this evaluation process.” He certainly means business.
Not only does the process ensure that only ‘qualified’ workmen are at site, but it also obviates the need for hard copies since the process is digital. The process saves time, facilitates easy tracking of data, supports proper implementation and, most importantly, prevents accidents. The Mithapur project is therefore showing the way for others to follow.