SRINIVASAN RAMABHADRAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR ASIA PACIFIC, DUPONT SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS ARE WE LEARNING FROM INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS?

Common theme arising from the incident investigation reports is that required internal safety procedures were not adhered to

vestigation reports is that required internal safety procedures were not adhered to. It is not just about workers following the procedures alone. It has to do with decisions made across the entire supply chain. (Figure 1).

Learning from past incidents

The spate of industrial incidents has called for a serious introspection regarding the consciousness around industrial safety in India. Interestingly, it was reported that in the Baghjan and Vizag gas leaks, required environmental clearances had not been obtained. While enforcement efforts are more often reactive and fragmented, the responsibility for compliance lies with the companies and not just the regulatory agency. The primary purpose of these clearances is to ensure that all possible risks are identified and controls put in place to mitigate the risk. Neglecting this important step means risks are neither anticipated nor are controls put in place. Simply identifying major non-compliances after the occurrence of an incident serves no meaningful purpose.

Within the first three weeks of January 2021, A common theme arising from the there were three major incidents in India incident investigation reports is that realone a toxic gas leak that resulted in at least quired internal safety procedures were four fatalities in the Rourkela Steel plant, not adhered to. It is not just about worka fire that took the lives of 10 babies in a ers following the procedures alone. It hospital in Bhandara and another fire that resulted in the loss has to do with decisions made across the of at least five lives in Serum Institute, Pune. This is entire supply chain. For examon the back of a few major incidents in 2020 that ple, the use of an improper include gas leaks in Baghjan Oil India Ltd. and gasket procured from the Vizag LG Polymers and explosions in Yashah- “A common theme local market has been vi Rasaya, Dahej and Neyveli Lignite. Why arising from the incident identified as a probable is there a sudden increase in the number of investigation reports is cause of the leak which incidents? that required internal led to the massive fire safety procedures were at ONGC’s Hazira gas Risk Accelerators not adhered to” plant in the early hours The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic of September 24, 2020. has prompted most, if not all, companies to re- This finding is based on a focus their priorities to ensure that workplace in- report by an enquiry commitfection is prevented. The decisions made in response tee set up by the Petroleum and to COVID-19 and the attention demanded by the pandemic Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) have resulted in neglect and acceleration of other risks that to investigate the incident. have always been present, particularly safety risks. These risk Some of the underlying conditions accelerators have had serious consequences to the companies’ that inhibit safety improvement include bottom line, and the safety of employees and surrounding an abundance of cheap labour, paltry communities. A common theme arising from the incident in- spending on Occupational Safety &

Figure 1: Examples of risk accelerators

Health (OSH), stakeholder resignation to unsafe OSH conditions, inadequate implementation of existing legislation, lack of reliable OSH data and measurement and a shortage of OSH expertise and professional institutions.

Applying lessons learnt

Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat will undoubtedly be major drivers for change with both positive and negative impacts on levels of compliance and good practice at the workplace. There is a huge opportunity to capture lessons learnt from other countries and prevent the recurrence of such incidents in India. There is a great opportunity in adopting international best practices that not only improves safety but also

improves productivity.

A huge amount of data and insights are available in the public domain about incidents in the gas pipeline. One such source is shown in figure 2 that is based on incidents over 10 years compiled by EGIG (European Gas pipeline Incident data). The Hazardous Material Safety Administration under the Department of Transportation has almost 50 years of data on pipeline incidents. As companies are embarking on ambitious plans in terms of laying pipelines and expanding gas distribution networks, it is imperative that companies proactively incorporate lessons from the abundant information and insights available in the public domain and prevent catastrophic incidents.

Industrial Safety Evolution in India

The Bhopal gas tragedy was possibly the single largest trigger for increased regulations worldwide, including India. However, there is a level of cohesion necessary between regulatory agencies, industry associations, companies and the

public to achieve a progressive reduction of work-related fatalities, accidents, and diseases.

The new legislation Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 has consolidated 13 Acts that regulate health, safety and working conditions and is a step in the right direction. This could lead to a centralized collection and collation of data that can be analyzed for concrete actions across industries as well as for a specific industry to prevent incidents.

Over the last 20 years, several leading companies, such as Tatas, Birlas, Reliance, Jindals and Hindustan Zinc to name a few, have adopted international best practices. The starting point for all of these companies was a realisation at the leadership level of the need to have a structured and robust approach to increase awareness and create a culture of safety. Many industry associations such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) and the Indian Chemical Council (ICC) have all embarked on increasing the level of safety consciousness among their members. DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) has been working with companies across the spectrum to increase safety awareness and prevent injuries. While awareness has increased, the journey has just begun.

Unfortunately, there is no single source of truth in terms of industrial fa-

There is a great opportunity in adopting international best practices that not only improves safety but also improves productivity”

tality and injury data.

Whatever data is available in the public domain seems to be outdated. A major challenge in measuring and improving India’s workforce Occupational Safety & Health is that data is available for only 10 per cent of the workforce employed in the organized formal sector, mainly in industry, mining and some services.

Call for Action

The first and foremost action of critical importance in improving safety performance is a change in mindset. Each time a person takes an action to deviate from an established norm or rule and gets away with it behavioural reinforcement takes place. As an example, if I jump a red traffic light and get away with it, then I get emboldened to do this again. And every time I do it and get away, then such deviations become a way of life, a habit. This normalisation of deviations is one of the critical factors that contribute to incidents and accidents in industrial sites.

An industrial case as an example is a fire involving a pharmaceutical company that not only destroyed the entire factory but also impacted the entire supply chain. The mindset is “I have done it this way for the past 20 years and nothing wrong has happened”. Just because nothing happened in the last 20 years, does not mean it will never happen and when it does happen, it can be catastrophic. The required consciousness is that risks are always present and there is a need to understand and manage risks proactively every single time.

A critical component that can significantly enhance the safety consciousness is the span of influence of people in power. It does start with leadership. Tata Steel introduced measures to protect employees long before legislation to the effect was introduced. The focus on safety was always there. Tata Steel chose to adopt international best practices in safety to enhance the level of safety consciousness. Leaders like Mr Muthuraman, Mr Nerurkar and Mr Narendran have all personally committed to achieving excellence in safety. They built upon efforts made by their predecessors and hence, safety is now respected as a core value in Tata Steel.

The use of technology can significantly enhance the consciousness of the frontline workforce.

Digital apps, including e-learning content, are available at affordable rates and with the click of a button using mobile. This should particularly be a boon for small and medium enterprises to raise levels of awareness for the employees at an affordable cost and time.

Safety consciousness is akin to breathing. We can never claim that we have arrived. Every day is a new day and the focus on safety has to be continuous and non-stop. The primary purpose is to do everything to prevent avoidable incidents, fatalities and injuries. There is also a business angle to the need for safety. The productivity of any facility is Zero when it gets burnt down or is shutdown due to non-compliance. Aren’t these reasons enough to act?