National Safety Week, 2017
To address the rising trend of industrial accidents in India, the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, recommended conducting a conference on safety in factories; and the National Safety Council (NSC) was set up on 4th March 1966 by the ministry. Subsequently, it was decided to commemorate 4th March as National Safety Day every year in the form of a nationwide awareness campaign. It was soon converted into a week-long activity and was renamed as National Safety Week. Since 1972, this day is celebrated every year throughout the country to reiterate the importance of safety.
At Dai-ichi, we celebrate safety week at our Pune factory every year. On this occasion, we decorate our surroundings with safety banners and distribute safety badges to all our employees. The event starts with an oath taking ceremony followed by the insightful speeches by experts in the community. Several competitions are organized to encourage interaction and knowledge sharing on safety concerns.
At Safety Week this year, Mr. Ravindra Gunjal from Unicare administered a training session on the appropriate use of PPEs. Mr. Rohidas Zaware (Manager – EHS, Dr. Beck Ltd.) shared insights on the importance of behavioral safety and its impact on an organization’s performance. Several competitions such as essay writing and quiz contests on safety were organized throughout the week. To give a practical exposure to our employees, we organized a simulation training session on firefighting techniques and a mock drill session on excavation process during emergencies. A lecture session was organized to discuss the importance of a Work Permit System and to highlight the hazards related to activities such as working in night shifts and in a limited space.
Dr. Shrikhande from Lokmanya Hospital was invited to train our employees on necessary actions which should be taken during emergencies. A question and answer session was organized after the lecture session to make the session interactive and clarify doubts of all the employees.
To conclude the week-long event, and encourage our employees to participate in such activities with complete enthusiasm, we organized a prize distribution ceremony and awarded all the winners. The Storage Department was awarded a trophy for Best Safety Performer of the year 2016 as they were able to record zero accidents along with commendable maintenance of housekeeping. Mr. N. E. Kulkarni (Manager – Stores) accepted the trophy on behalf of the whole department.
At Dai-ichi, we continue to prioritize safety measures and training to avoid accidents at the plant site and to promote a positive and healthy work environment.