Excellent safety records, higher productivity, industry-wide recognition for best safety practices – these are some of the positive fallouts of the focus and emphasis that Essar lays on instilling high standards of safety at its locations and workplaces.
At Essar, the safety initiatives begin with awareness building measures that help educate employees on the dos and don'ts of a safe workplace. Essar employees undergo multi-level training on safety – from general topics to specific issues that relate to the industry and the equipment. As a result, safety consciousness is embedded deep in the organization's DNA. The training is backed by solid investments in safety technology – all Essar companies invest in equipment and systems that are specific to the industry they operate in.
Essar companies constantly strive to meet benchmarked global standards in their safety management systems. Each company goes beyond legally mandated safety measures in their bid to achieve higher and better track records. This effort has been recognized through awards and accolades from several industry and safety forums.
As a part of the safety process, employees receive specialized safety training that is customized to the equipment and conditions that they work in. At Essar Projects, for instance, employees receive special training on observing safety rules while working on scaffolding. Fire-fighting and radiation risks are a part of the safety training at Essar Steel. Essar Ports and Essar Shipping have mandated norms for handling cargo at ports. Even vehicle drivers employed at Essar Steel Logistics have to follow the set safety regulations.
Employees are taught to be safety conscious even during routine tasks. A special module even teaches employees how to ensure safety for visitors – including how to educate visitors, what are the rules that visitors need to follow, how to handle particular materials, etc. 
Essar looks at safety of its employees from a deeper commitment that goes way beyond minimizing number of injuries and loss of time. The approach is to look at safety holistically, ie, from an overall health and environment perspective. Essar Steel, for example, regularly conducts a quantitative assessment study of heat stress, dust and chemical exposures; it is, in fact, the first steel plant in India to do so. In order to meet global benchmarks, Essar employees are often sent off-site for specialized training — one example is Essar Oilfield Services where its people receive training in use of rigging and slings.
The commitment to safety has been formalized as strict workplace processes. All Essar companies have developed and follow manuals and guidelines that help ensure a stress-free, injury-free workplace.
Essar companies have large dedicated teams as part of the health, safety and environment (HSE) management systems whose role encompasses safety training, managing and monitoring safety practices and equipment, and recommending and evaluating new technology and systems. External safety experts are also brought in regularly to enhance safety processes.
Starting this week, essar.com will be looking at the safety initiatives adopted by each Essar company. The importance of safety to Essar is evident in its Safety Anthem: "There's life where there's protection". At Essar, life is precious, and protection is given a high order of importance.
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