Recurrence of accidents - lack of safety culture

We read a number of industrial and road accidents in news papers. It appears that we never learn and never want to learn also. In factories, we do not follow even the well laid out rules of various statutes and established procedures and on the road, we do not respect the others on the road. We are in hurry always and we do not want to start a bit early. Even if the other person on the road is wrong, if we avoid showing our road rage, we can avoid many of the accidents.

In the factory, regular monitoring of operating parameters, keeping an ear for the noises from the machines,motors, agitators, equipment; monitoring process and storage inventories; leaving the aisles free from obstructions, interacting with shop floor employees, self discipline by employees, etc can reduce accidents. But, most of the supervisors and engineers appear to be stuck to the tables. When there is no monitoring, then it leads to bypassing of procedures, wrong reporting and complacency. This also gives a wrong signal to new recruits.

Most of the plant layouts also appear to be congested. We put more and more equipment in the same area  and whatever planned during initial setup with sufficient space will not be seen after future capacity additions. This congestion also leads to unsafe conditions and can endanger the lives of employees in emergency.

If the rot is not attended in the beginning stage, then even the best management expert can't do anything. When we compromise the above safety issues for the fear of unrest, union problems, unrealistic production goals, then so be it and see the deterioration of safety culture and one day, you may close the shop temporarily for a few months or permanently.

Road rage – what are the reasons?

Now-a-days, TV channels are reporting road accidents every hour and a full page in news papers is about road accidents. Some of the reasons are,


High speed
Overtaking without caring for the vehicles coming in opposite direction
Drivers under the influence of alcohol
Entry of another vehicle from side lane
Parked vehicles on the road without warning / cautioning
Persons / children on the roads
Animals on the road
Lack of proper rest for drivers
Mobile use while driving the vehicles
Not concentrating on the road
Talking with others in the vehicle
Urge to display their driving skills to friends (girls and boys)
Driving before fully learning
Skidding due to sand / soil / oil / water, etc on the roads
Overcrowding leaving little room for the driver to control
Poor condition of the vehicles, etc

Road rage

There was a news report on 20.06.2010 in which a promising actor died in a road accident. He was driving a bike. Suddenly a van entered the main road from a side road. The bike driver could not control his vehicle and in the collision, he died.

It is common for people drive vehicles at very high speed. Everyday, people die in road accidents and is common to see a full page of such accident reports in news papers.

Driving the vehicles at speeds which they can't control is wrong in the first place. Then, not following road discipline is another worst factor. People entering main roads do not slow down to see a clear road and instead enter the road at the same speed as they are driving and thus unnerve the drivers on the main road. Most of the accidents are due to entry of vehicles from side roads or vehicles slowing down suddenly in the same lane without indication or taking turns from extreme left to right without watching for vehicles coming behind.

Our roads are not racing tracks. It is proper if the bikes above 100 cc are banned. Similarly, four wheelers of high engine capacity should be banned so that vehicle speed can be limited to 50 kmph. All side roads should have speed breakers before they join the main road. The road dividers should of such height that nobody can use them to cross the road.

As someone suggested in a TV discussion programme, the licence of the vehicle drivers involved in accidents should be cancelled and drivers without licence should be imprisoned to reduce the accidents. Similarly, the pedestrians crossing the roads as they please should be fined heavily. I observed a few times that the pedestrians crossing the road wave their fingers to motorists. These people do not have sense that even if a motorist sees them, he may hit before slowing down the vehicle.