Government needs to include pandemic diseases as part of disaster management plan and provide needed support at affected locations

P.A. Murali, Vice-President and Head-Regional Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Clariant Chemicals shares his advice to safety officers with regard to safety of employees in the COVID-19 scenario, changes to occupational safety and health standards to be anticipated in large organizations, challenges he perceives in ensuring the safety and health of employees post COVID-19, and the changes the government needs to come up with to safety and health laws in the changed scenario.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

What is your advice to safety officers with regard to safety of employees in the COVID-19 scenario?

Every manufacturing site has its own challenges and Safety officers have an important role to understand the requirements, prepare a process or a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), provide guidance to line managers, employees, contractors and stakeholders. This is not only to minimize the risk of COVID19 spread but also to reduce the risk of disruptions in the activities arising due to this pandemic.

What sort of changes to occupational safety and health standards should now be anticipated in large organizations?

To ensure safety and health of all, it is very important to set up adequate precautionary measures to all those who enter the company premises.
At Clariant, we have multiple manufacturing sites and we have introduced many safety and health standards to ensure maximum safety of our employees. All the sites have created teams A/B and report to work every alternate week. This reduced workforce helps in effective implementation of safety and health requirements along with ensuring business continuity. In a worst-case situation, only employees of one team gets affected in this case. Everyone entering the workplace first time are required to fill a self-declaration form, temperature checks (non-contact type thermometer) are done daily while entering and leaving, social distancing practices are followed while travelling in the company bus and also while working in the shop floor or in office. Employees are encouraged to follow good hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing, face masks along with other required PPE’s at the workplace. Documents received at Site/Office, work wear and PPE’s used are all properly sterilized before use. A cross functional audit is periodically done to ensure all laid down safety and health standards are strictly complied with.

As a safety Head, what challenges you perceive in ensuring the safety and health of employees post COVID-19?

There are many challenges in the current pandemic situation where the number of Covid 19 cases are on an increasing trend across the country and the understanding of the way it is spreading is still evolving.
Some of the current challenges are, ensuring employee discipline in following all prescribed health and safety practices at worksite, engaging contractor employees many of whom living in areas where social distancing is very difficult to follow. Ensuring safety of our employees, some of whom are likely to come from containment zones. Prompt reporting of employees or contractors, if they travel out of town to containment zones for personal reasons and ensuring proper care and treatment and if an employee or his family member gets affected, as the hospitals which can treat are limited in number.

Does the government need to come up with any changes to safety and health laws in the changed scenario?

As the current situation in India is still serious and likely to remain so for some more time to come, Government support is very important. The Government needs to include Pandemic diseases as part of disaster management plan and provide needed support at locations, where the effect is more. There is a need to ease the testing requirements so that anyone suspected can go and test to check their condition. Government should also consider relaxing some of the mandatory requirements like periodical health check of employees, to avoid exposure to health care workers or visit to hospitals.

Any other key information you would like to share with fellow safety officers?

Safety Officers should quickly adapt to this new normal and ensure they provide the needed support to their organizations. As Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution goes, the organisms best adjusted to their environment are the most successful in survival. Creating robust processes, sensitizing the workforce to ensure adequate health and safety practices are followed, supporting them in their mental wellbeing. Use of technology and digital platforms in EHS field can be few areas where Safety officers have a vital role to play.