Confined Space Fatality in Ahmedabad: Are Indian Industries Failing on Safety?

Please go through the attached file. Sharing as received from another source. I am sure we can't get the detailed investigation report of this kind of incident. However, these accidents really show the lack of safety management systems in most of the Indian industries.

Regards.

In small-scale industries, it's very hard to work as a safety professional as they cannot afford supervisors or safety personnel for all high-hazard tasks. They assign people to different tasks to increase production and save money. However, most of the final results end in accidents, with some being reported in the media while others are hidden by management. This is the common scenario in small-scale industries.

In most cases, safety professionals are helpless and lack the authority to implement safety standards in the workplace. Let's take L&T (for example), one of the largest groups in our country known for engineering standards, timely project completion, and high-quality work. However, when it comes to safety, the outcomes are often the same. They may report a few accidents and even fatalities. What does that signify? When projects are located within city limits, visible to the public and government, there is a façade of working safely. As a safety professional, you can observe numerous unsafe acts and conditions in these highly visible areas. However, once you move out of the city, the situation deteriorates. Lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is evident, with only high-visibility jackets on road projects. There are no safety shoes or hard hats, and even supervisors fail to adhere to safety regulations. The only person seen with all proper PPE is the "Safety Guy" stationed nearby.

In all cases, safety professionals struggle to address issues with management due to communication errors between the two parties. While supervisors (with a few exceptions) play a crucial role in projects, they often falter in implementing safety standards at the workplace. Without support from superiors, safety personnel are rendered powerless. It's the harsh reality.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing the news with us. Welcome back.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Thank you for the update. This incident will be used for training on why a work permit is necessary.

Role of Safety Professionals

What you have said is true. However, the safety professional has to perform a role as a "catalyst." If you choose this role, then you have to communicate hazards even if you do not receive support from top management.

Thanks and Regards,
Sudhir

Mr. Sudhir is very right; safety professionals are the support and resource only. Actual management of safety on the floor is the line management function. One or a few safety staff cannot be everywhere all the time. Just as managing production and quality is the responsibility of line management, so is safety. Highlighting unsafe acts and conditions is the responsibility of everybody in the organization, as these are the actual causes of injuries and other unplanned events.

Safety Focus of Top Management

Safety is the focus of top management to ensure safety, not for implementation.

Regards,
Lokesh