Periodical review of safety measures and training should be conducted and recorded.

V. Narasimhan, Sr. Process Consultant, Enyes Associates and ex-Sr. Officer (Operations), Coromandel International Ltd, Chennai presents his views on the current occupational safety and health scenario in India and how it compares to global safety standards, key challenges in implementing safety regulations within a large organization, what more does the govt needs to do to help improve OSH awareness, the various activities and training programmes they undertake to improve worker safety across organisations and his advice to large occupational safety and health shows such as OSH India to help further the cause of spreading awareness in Indian organisations.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

1. What is your assessment about the current occupational safety and health  scenario in India? How does it compare to global safety standards?

Indian companies are yet to reach their standards in Occupational Safety and Health scenario. Very few organisations give importance and preference for the Safety and Health and adopt the methods as suggested by OSHA. Rest of the Companies are not adopting the guidelines and do very little activity on safety measures due to failure in awareness, allocation of budget due to competition in the market and lesser margins.
First of all, OSHA standards is not mandatory in India, whereas in U.S, European and Western countries the OSHA is mandatory. Without the Safety standards are made mandatory achieving the Global standards is not possible in the near future

2. What are the key challenges to implementing safety regulations within a large organisation.?

Each and every organisation should understand that the safety and health is a primary concern for the management and workforce. Then the Management should come forward to bear the expenses on safety. Though the amount spent on safety equipment and cost of training and refresher training periodically may be a cost for the Management initially, in the long run the benefit will be definitely availed by the Management.
The loss of production might be there in the initial times. Over a period of time, the workforce including the contract workers will show the improvement in productivity and individual efficiency.
Due to the conservative approach of the Management, it is very difficult to make them to understand the seriousness of the safety measures. There are organisations for whom the production and the service and the safety areas take lesser priority. Once we achieve improvement, then rest of the activities will follow steadily
Safety and Risk are brothers and sisters. If you avoid safety, risk is involved in resulting accidents do happen. Safety cannot be compromised. In case of incidents and accidents, the Management has to shell out heavy amount for the repair of machinery and equipment, medical expenses to the affected workforce and suffer for want of labour resulting loss of production for a short period or till the workforce attend their functions. If you have safety in tandem, you will have production and other things will follow automatically.

3. What more do you believe the govt needs to do to help improve OSH awareness?

The Goverment of India and the State Governments are enforcing OSH to a certain extent. Periodical review on safety measures and training is to be conducted and recorded. Non compliant organisations should be watched and proper advice and follow up by the authorities will show improvement but how far is the question.
The Management takes a little steps on safety for a shorter period and gradually the safety activities are vanished. As and when somebody suggests, they adopt the steps and after a period of time, the actions are given third preference. There should be a regular follow up by the authorities and Management should also come forward to adopt without compulsion or force.

4. List the activities and training programmes you undertake to improve worker  safety in your organisation.?

We are safety consultants employing 10 members to enforce guidelines and  train people OSHA and safety programmes under OSHA 3132 and 3133 and to  enact them in comprising 14 elements in Process Safety Management  System in any industry.

5. What is your advice to large occupational safety health shows such as OSH India to help further the cause of spreading awareness in about safety in Indian  organisations.?

OSH India have to certify and employ safety consultants just like us to enforce companies safety companies to comply safety standards under OSHA international standards. Equally OSHA should request the Government of India to enact a law in the Parliament for safety and health as compulsory for any industry.