A safety officer’s main role in the organization to help in hazard identification and thus he will have a hawk’s eye for hazards. The conditions which are normal for the plant personnel will be hazards in the eyes of safety man and thus when he tells shop floor persons about hazard and need for elimination, the safety man will be seen as a negative minded person. He may be scolded, chided and will be at receiving end depending upon the safety culture of the organization. If the safety officer is having thick skin, then he will not bother and will continue his work. If not, after sometime he may stop cautioning about hazards. If some unusual incident occurs, then again same safety person will be blamed for not identifying the hazard and intimating the concerned. He will be come pessimistic and all his goals / objective in the beginning of a career in safety will lead to total frustration and he will be at cross roads to do what. He will be stressful and it is not possible for any person to be optimistic for ever. Though pessimistic attitude is good for a safety man in hazard identification, when this reach his mind and carried to home, it may spoil his home life also. Over a period of time, he will be at peace neither at work place nor at home and will be blamed all around.
Therefore, it is important for safety professional to stay positive and exercise like walking will help him to stay fit, physically and mentally. Listening to music, attending cultural programmes and book reading are some of the activities which can help the person to lead a peaceful life. Similarly, visiting new places, monumental or religious or others, will fresh up the life.
If it is not possible to continue in the safety department, he can think of change of job. However, I know some persons who left their organizations in frustration continue to be frustrated and are frequent job changers.
There are many programmes available to take care of different professionals, but professionals who help the organizations to identify hazards are helped in identifying their hazards. These safety professionals have to take care of themselves and safe guard their health and life beyond office.
Once the person overcomes his stressful life because of his profession, still keeping his pessimistic approach, he can be helpful to the organization in hazard identification. A safety officer in an organization will have the moral responsibility of ensuring a safe work place and also see that management will not take wrong decisions because of his work methods. He has to envisage what can go wrong and provide feed back to the management in the form of reports regularly. He has to convey hazards along with the statutory requirments under which these are seen as violations and for thick skinned persons, safety officer should not hesitate in telling about the penalties / punishments one deserves for the violations. Though, punishments or penalties are seen as last resort and people say they are not helpful in straightening the organization, as we see the occurrence of incidents in well advanced countries and the penalties imposed by the regulators in these countries, there is no other solution.
In fact, organizations should develop their own penalty structure in terms of cash fine or reduced pay or suspension of the employee from work and termination as last resort. Then, everybody will have the fear of following safety priniciples which the management wants to follow. Of course, nothing can be done, if the management it self pays only lip service to safety.
Feb 12, 2010
Tale of two factories
Sometime back, I visited two factories on the same day. The visit provoked me to narrate my experience immediately. However, I thought that I can observe similar setups and write. But, I did not get opportunity.
The first factory, I visited in the morning, gave a feel of good safety culture right from the entry point of the road leading to the factory. The factory is about ½ km away from this point. Still, one sees good roads, good house keeping with no scrap / waste on either side of the road, no vehicle parking on roads. When we reached the security, I was surprised to see everybody, including the contract workers entering the factory area with shoes. Visitors arrival was informed by the security officials to the concerned in the factory about the visitor(s), were checked on receipt of directions and were guided into the factory. We, a team of about 50 persons, were received by an official and were taken to a lecture hall. The factory is in the business of making some electrical equipment and accessories. It employs about 300-400 regular employees and similar number of contractor workers. The factory layout was explained to us and briefed about the activities of the factory. Then, we were divided into two teams, guided by separate officials for a visit.
I found every where, the aisles are marked and not a single bit of scrap can be found in this area. The sections are marked, bins are available for storing raw material, product and scrap. Everybody on the job appears like a soldier concentrating on the job. Everybody donned helmet and shoe with factory uniform. Instructions are displayed near the workplace. We spent more than two hours in the shop floor before reaching the dining hall for lunch. Only, when I was about to enter the dining hall, I saw a female gardener without shoe. But, this is the only persons and other gardeners (male and female) are in their attire with shoes.
Even, the dining hall is very neat, tables are clean and the items at the counter are in clean containers. I did not go into the kitchen. However, the way factory is maintained overall in such a good condition, I am sure, kitchen also would have been in good condition.
After lunch, we thanked our hosts and proceeded to the next factory in the schedule. Here also the roads are good and I did not see any scrap or waste on the roads outside as well as inside. But, we have to wait at the security for more than 45 minutes before our host could be contacted and then head count was taken before allowed inside. Again, we have guide. Security gave us directions to go to a particular building. By enquiry enroute, we reached the building. There, one of our team member went inside to locate the person and then as in the morning visit, we were divided into teams and were taken around. The factory is involved in the manufacture of machinery and employs about 1000 regular employees and about 400 contractor workers.
Inside the factory (different sections in different buildings), the use of PPE is not witnessed much. Even the supervisors and officers who have to advise their technicians were found without shoes and were seen walking in chappals. Then, materials were dumped everywhere and house keeping is very poor. Cobwebs are found even at arm reaching heights. There is no seriousness in the employees on the shopfloor. A casual attitude is visible. Though, I did not enquire about accident statistics either in the morning visit or afternoon visit, I am sure that this second factory may not be having good record with respect to safety, though their products are of good quality.
At the end of day, when I was on my way back to residence, I thought what could have been the reason for different culture in these two factories, with regards to house keeping, use of personal protective equipment, display of safety procedures and precautions, attitude of employees (security, shopfloor and managerial) and finally canteen.
In the first factory of our visit, there is no job security, though on my enquiry, I found many are working for years in the same factory as it is the case with the second factory. Management is committed to ensuring safe working conditions both by work and action. Even while selecting the contract workers, conditions are stipulated and are enforced. I noted that even in place where lubricant and hydraulic oils are handled, there is no spillage on the shopfloor and they are contained / restricted to within the work area by providing bund / trays. In many factories, which I visited when I did my safety diploma, oil spillage could be found every where sometimes spreading few yards from the source. Without management commitment, in terms of policy, resources and review, this type of culture is not at all possible. Even persons working in the shopfloor must have realized that they can’t bypass safety procedures as they can be terminated. Subsequently, over a period of time, they must have realized the benefits of good safety culture and thus continued in the factory. It is a known fact that casual attitude develops when person is experienced an tries to bypass safety procedures to increase productivity and get some benefits. Again here, the monitoring by supervisors to ensure that this is not the case shows that productivity targets are realistic with the safe production. Though bypassing safety procedures will result in higher productivity in the short term, but in the long tern, it will lead to fall in productivity and result in accidents, compensation claims, decrease in morale, loss of ownership by employees, visits by regulatory agencies, etc.
In the second factory, once a person is appointed, his job is secure till retirement unless otherwise he commits a major blunder. Thus, employees are not bothered about instructions of their superiors. Though, there is no dearth of resources for providing PPE and safety implementation, there is lack of zeal in employees to implement and follow. May be superiors are threatened, if asked to follow safety at the shopfloor. It is totally in contrast with the first factory. It appears that management hands are tied when they can’t control their employees and have to work with so many restrictions.
The first factory, I visited in the morning, gave a feel of good safety culture right from the entry point of the road leading to the factory. The factory is about ½ km away from this point. Still, one sees good roads, good house keeping with no scrap / waste on either side of the road, no vehicle parking on roads. When we reached the security, I was surprised to see everybody, including the contract workers entering the factory area with shoes. Visitors arrival was informed by the security officials to the concerned in the factory about the visitor(s), were checked on receipt of directions and were guided into the factory. We, a team of about 50 persons, were received by an official and were taken to a lecture hall. The factory is in the business of making some electrical equipment and accessories. It employs about 300-400 regular employees and similar number of contractor workers. The factory layout was explained to us and briefed about the activities of the factory. Then, we were divided into two teams, guided by separate officials for a visit.
I found every where, the aisles are marked and not a single bit of scrap can be found in this area. The sections are marked, bins are available for storing raw material, product and scrap. Everybody on the job appears like a soldier concentrating on the job. Everybody donned helmet and shoe with factory uniform. Instructions are displayed near the workplace. We spent more than two hours in the shop floor before reaching the dining hall for lunch. Only, when I was about to enter the dining hall, I saw a female gardener without shoe. But, this is the only persons and other gardeners (male and female) are in their attire with shoes.
Even, the dining hall is very neat, tables are clean and the items at the counter are in clean containers. I did not go into the kitchen. However, the way factory is maintained overall in such a good condition, I am sure, kitchen also would have been in good condition.
After lunch, we thanked our hosts and proceeded to the next factory in the schedule. Here also the roads are good and I did not see any scrap or waste on the roads outside as well as inside. But, we have to wait at the security for more than 45 minutes before our host could be contacted and then head count was taken before allowed inside. Again, we have guide. Security gave us directions to go to a particular building. By enquiry enroute, we reached the building. There, one of our team member went inside to locate the person and then as in the morning visit, we were divided into teams and were taken around. The factory is involved in the manufacture of machinery and employs about 1000 regular employees and about 400 contractor workers.
Inside the factory (different sections in different buildings), the use of PPE is not witnessed much. Even the supervisors and officers who have to advise their technicians were found without shoes and were seen walking in chappals. Then, materials were dumped everywhere and house keeping is very poor. Cobwebs are found even at arm reaching heights. There is no seriousness in the employees on the shopfloor. A casual attitude is visible. Though, I did not enquire about accident statistics either in the morning visit or afternoon visit, I am sure that this second factory may not be having good record with respect to safety, though their products are of good quality.
At the end of day, when I was on my way back to residence, I thought what could have been the reason for different culture in these two factories, with regards to house keeping, use of personal protective equipment, display of safety procedures and precautions, attitude of employees (security, shopfloor and managerial) and finally canteen.
In the first factory of our visit, there is no job security, though on my enquiry, I found many are working for years in the same factory as it is the case with the second factory. Management is committed to ensuring safe working conditions both by work and action. Even while selecting the contract workers, conditions are stipulated and are enforced. I noted that even in place where lubricant and hydraulic oils are handled, there is no spillage on the shopfloor and they are contained / restricted to within the work area by providing bund / trays. In many factories, which I visited when I did my safety diploma, oil spillage could be found every where sometimes spreading few yards from the source. Without management commitment, in terms of policy, resources and review, this type of culture is not at all possible. Even persons working in the shopfloor must have realized that they can’t bypass safety procedures as they can be terminated. Subsequently, over a period of time, they must have realized the benefits of good safety culture and thus continued in the factory. It is a known fact that casual attitude develops when person is experienced an tries to bypass safety procedures to increase productivity and get some benefits. Again here, the monitoring by supervisors to ensure that this is not the case shows that productivity targets are realistic with the safe production. Though bypassing safety procedures will result in higher productivity in the short term, but in the long tern, it will lead to fall in productivity and result in accidents, compensation claims, decrease in morale, loss of ownership by employees, visits by regulatory agencies, etc.
In the second factory, once a person is appointed, his job is secure till retirement unless otherwise he commits a major blunder. Thus, employees are not bothered about instructions of their superiors. Though, there is no dearth of resources for providing PPE and safety implementation, there is lack of zeal in employees to implement and follow. May be superiors are threatened, if asked to follow safety at the shopfloor. It is totally in contrast with the first factory. It appears that management hands are tied when they can’t control their employees and have to work with so many restrictions.
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