Work place safety_in_india_research_report_deepgoel

Research Report

On

In

Business Research Methodology

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal Deep Goel

Asst. Professor MBA SEM 2 Roll No 859

UILMS SEC 40 GGN UILMS SEC 40 GGN

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UILMS SEC 40 GGN DEEP GOEL MBA SEM 2 ROLL NO 859

MDU ROHTAK, UILMS SEC 40 GGN (HARYANA) 122001 www.mdurohtak.ac.in

Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal Asst. Professor UILMS SEC 40 GGN- 122001 (Haryana) Dear Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal, This is the business methodology research report on the topic Workplace Safety, which is very essential for personnel working in business entities. There is one major accident atleast in one month all over the world. Loss of lives & businesses has the potential to ruin flourishing economies. I have used the General Questionnaire on Workplace Safety to derive information from 50 respondents, including Metro travelers in NCR, neighbors, people visiting community park and sector markets, according to their response, I have made the report. The general perception that came out was that the respondents were aware of it but most of them thought that it is the government’s duty to keep safe them and to provide compensation to victims in case of accidents. Lots of people and your valuable lectures on the subject helped me in compiling this report. If you have any questions, please either contact me or mail me at my id [email protected]. Yours Sincerely

Deep Goel MBA Student

Letter of Transmittal

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Acknowledgement

I would like to gratefully and sincerely thank Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal, Asst. Professor for his guidance, understanding, patience, and most importantly, his friendship during my postgraduate studies at UILMS. His mentorship was paramount in providing a well rounded experience consistent my long-term career goals. He encouraged me to not only grow as an experimentalist but also as an instructor and an independent thinker. I am not sure many postgraduate students are given the opportunity to develop their own individuality and self-sufficiency by being allowed to work with such independence. I would also like to thank the Director, all of the Faculty Members, Staff, Librarian & the Students of the UILMS for giving me regular support directly or indirectly. I would like to especially thank all the Respondents and other Third Parties for helping me and for giving their valuable time for answering the Questionnaire. I also thank my family for their faith in me and allowing me to be as ambitious as I wanted. It was under their watchful eyes that I gained the drive and an ability to tackle challenges head on.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 6

1.1 Definition ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

1.2 Indian Workplace Safety Acts and Role of Government ................................................................................ 6

1.3 National policy on safety, health and environment at work place ................................................................ 8

1.4 Awards by Indian Government ....................................................................................................................... 9

1.5 Steps taken by private industries towards workplace safety ....................................................................... 10

1.6 Recent Workplace safety incidents in and around NCR ............................................................................... 13

1.7 Recent Workplace safety incidents Photographs ......................................................................................... 14

1. Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 15

1.1 Workplace Safety Preventive Measures and Enforcement Mechanism ...................................................... 15

1.2 Workplace Safety Perception of Indian workers .......................................................................................... 15

1.3 Model Steps .................................................................................................................................................. 15

1.4 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 16

1.5 Gaps .............................................................................................................................................................. 16

2. Description Section ............................................................................................................................................... 17

2.1 Pictorial Introduction of workplace safety: .................................................................................................. 17

2.2 Studies that evaluate the impact of prosecutions in workplace safety ....................................................... 21

2.3 Why prosecutions lead to changes in work health and safety outcomes .................................................... 22

2.4 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 22

3. Background Section .............................................................................................................................................. 24

3.1 Problem Statement: ..................................................................................................................................... 24

3.2 Study Introduction and Background: ............................................................................................................ 25

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3.3 Scope and Objectives of the Study: .............................................................................................................. 30

3.4 Review of Literature: .................................................................................................................................... 31

4. Methodology Section ........................................................................................................................................... 35

4.1 Research Design:........................................................................................................................................... 35

4.2 Sampling Design: .......................................................................................................................................... 36

4.3 Data Collection: ............................................................................................................................................ 36

4.3.1 Primary Data: ........................................................................................................................................ 36

4.4 Data Analysis: ............................................................................................................................................... 44

5.1.2 Secondary Data: .................................................................................................................................... 45

6. Findings Section .................................................................................................................................................... 50

6.1 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 50

9. Conclusion Section ................................................................................................................................................ 51

9.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................... 51

9.2 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................ 51

7.1 Limitations of the study: ............................................................................................................................... 53

8. References ............................................................................................................................................................ 54

9. Appendix ............................................................................................................................................................... 55

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1. Introduction Workplace health and safety hazard has been a curse of the industrial revolution as has been the pollution. More

and more people were forced to work under dangerous conditions inside factories. Even a nature friendly

occupation like agriculture became more and more hazardous with increasing varieties of insecticides, fertilizers

and mechanized farm equipments. And sedentary jobs introduced lifestyle related diseases. As the number of

affected workers increased and government started framing regulations for their safety and industrial processes

matured, employers were forced to look into workplace safety concerns and allocate resources for workplace

improvement. This included educating workers about risks and safety procedures and making them a partner in

ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. Globally, the situation today appears positive with various countries having

formulated strict guidelines and industries have started to embrace the ‘Zero Harm’ concept. There have been

multiple case studies which have highlighted the decreasing accident rate per million man hours across industries

due to a combination of these two factors. Yet, we keep on hearing about safety incidents taking place across

various industries. Despite a growing body of research, very little is known about how and why interventions by

regulators influence compliance and work health and safety outcomes. This report aims at introducing the readers

to the concept of workplace or occupational safety in general and the perception of the Indian workers towards it

and the preventive measures and regulations in particular.

1.1 Definition

Since 1950, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shared a

common definition of occupational health. It was adopted by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational

Health at its first session in 1950 and revised at its twelfth session in 1995. The definition reads:

"Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and

social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused

by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors

adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his

physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to

his job.

1.2 Indian Workplace Safety Acts and Role of Government

The constitution of India enshrines detailed provisions for the rights of the citizens and other persons and for the principles in the governance of the country labeled as “Directive Principles of State Policy”. These Directive Principles provide for securing the health and strength of employees, men and women, that the tender age of

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children are not abused, that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength, just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief are provided , that the Government shall take steps, by suitable legislation or in any other way, to secure the participation of employee in the management of undertakings, establishments or other organizations engaged in any industry, for ensuring that no child below the age of 14 is employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment. On the basis of these Directive Principles and international instruments, Govt. of India enacted the statutes relating to Occupational Safety & Health at workplaces namely:

The Mines Act, 1952

The Factories Act, 194

Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986

The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996

The Dangerous Machines (Regulation) Act, 1983

The Shops and Establishments Act of State Governments

The Beedi and Cigar Workers’ (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966

Radiological Protection Rules, 1971

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

The Manufacture, Storage & Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989

The Electricity Act, 2003 There are also two key laws covering worker compensation and welfare. They are:

Workmen's Compensation Law, by which a worker can claim compensation under establishments covered by the Factories Act.

Employees Sate Insurance Act (ESI Act), which is a contributory social insurance scheme that protects the interests of workers in contingencies such as sickness, maternity, employment injury causing temporary or permanent physical disability or death, loss of wages or loss of earning capacity. As of March 2006, there were 35.4 million beneficiaries under this scheme.

These are some of the important statutes covering workplace safety and health aspects of workers. At present, comprehensive safety and health statutes at workplaces exist only in respect of the four sectors namely, mining, factories, ports, and construction. Under the Constitution of India, Labour is a subject in the concurrent list where both the Central and the State Governments are competent to enact legislation subject to certain matters being reserved for the Central Government. Occupational Safety and Health is one of the subjects allotted to Ministry of Labour & Employment. The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India & Labour Departments of the States and Union Territories are responsible for the safety & health of the workers.

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1.3 National policy on safety, health and environment at work place

A. OVERVIEW:

A critical role is played by the Government of India and the social partners, professional safety and health organizations in ensuring prevention and in also providing treatment, support and rehabilitation services.

The changing job patterns and working relationships, the rise in self employment, greater sub-contracting, outsourcing of work, homework and the increasing number of employees working away from their establishment, pose problems to management of occupational safety and health risks at workplaces. New safety hazards and health risks will be appearing along with the transfer and adoption of new technologies. In addition, many of the well known conventional hazards will continue to be present at the workplace till the risks arising from exposure to these hazards are brought under adequate control. While advancements in technology have minimized or eliminated some hazards at workplace, new risks can emerge in their place which needs to be addressed.

Particular attention needs to be paid to the hazardous operations and of employees in risk prone conditions such as migrant employees and various vulnerable groups of employees arising out of greater mobility in the workforce with more people working for a number of employers, either consecutively or simultaneously.

The increasing use of chemicals, exposure to physical, chemical and biological agents with hazard potential unknown to people; the indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals including pesticides, agricultural machineries and equipment; industries with major accident risks; effects of computer controlled technologies and alarming influence of stress at work in many modern jobs pose serious safety, health and environmental risks.

The fundamental purpose of this National Policy on Safety, Health and Environment at workplace, is not only to eliminate the incidence of work related injuries, diseases, fatalities, disaster and loss of national assets and ensuring achievement of a high level of occupational safety, health and environment performance through proactive approaches but also to enhance the well-being of the employee and society, at large. The necessary changes in this area will be based on a coordinated national effort focused on clear national goals and objectives. It is built on a belief that building and maintaining national preventive safety and health culture is the need of the hour.

B. OBJECTIVES:

The policy seeks to bring the national objectives into focus as a step towards improvement in safety, health and

environment at workplace. The objectives are to achieve:-

a) Continuous reduction in the incidence of work related injuries, fatalities, diseases, disasters and loss of national

assets.

b) Improved coverage of work related injuries, fatalities and diseases and provide for a more comprehensive data

base for facilitating better performance and monitoring.

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c) Continuous enhancement of community awareness regarding safety, health and environment at workplace

related areas.

d) Continually increasing community expectation of workplace health and safety standards.

e) Improving safety, health and environment at workplace by creation of “green jobs” contributing to sustainable

enterprise development.

C. ACTION PROGRAMME

For the purpose of achieving the goals and objectives, the following action programme is drawn up and where

necessary time bound action programme would be initiated, namely:-

1. Enforcement - By monitoring the adoption of national standards through regulatory authorities and other means

2. National Standards - By developing appropriate standards, codes of practices and manuals on safety, health and

environment for uniformity at the national level in all economic activities consistent with international standards

and implementation by the stake holders in true spirit;

3. Compliance

4. Awareness

5. Research and Development

6. Occupational safety and health skills development

7. Data collection

8. Review

1.4 Awards by Indian Government

Prime Minister’s Shram Awards - The objective of the Prime Ministers Shram Awards is to recognize the

outstanding contributions made by workmen as defined in the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 in organizations

both in public and private sector and who have distinguished record of performance, devotion to duty of a

high order, specific contribution in the field of productivity, proven innovative abilities, presence of mind

and exceptional courage and also to the workmen who have made supreme sacrifice of laying down their

lives in the conscientious discharge of their duties.

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Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar - Good suggestions leading to outstanding achievement or good

performance on the part of workers in increasing productivity, quality, safety, working conditions, import

substitution etc. are suitably rewarded by the Management at the enterprise level with financial & non-

financial incentives including prizes & citation.

National Safety Awards (Factories) - To promote a competitive spirit amongst factory owners for the

betterment of safety standards in factories and to give due recognition to outstanding safety performance

at national level.

National Safety Awards (Mines) - To promote a competitive spirit amongst mine operators for the

betterment of safety standards in mines and to give due recognition to outstanding safety performance at

national level.

1.5 Steps taken by private industries towards workplace safety

1.5.1 Hindustan Unilever Limited

Issue:

As Hindustan Unilever Limited prepared itself to enter into the new millennium, the HUL management recognized

that an organization with world class safety performance would give them an added competitive edge and it was

vital that they go through safety culture transformation.

Challenge:

HUL leadership underwent a reality check around year 2002 and discovered that they were nowhere near world

class in safety performance and needed safety culture transformation and effective safety sustenance drivers

across the organizational set up.

Solution:

To facilitate the desired change and journey towards safety culture transformation, HUL had engaged DuPont for

its safety culture transformation journey.

DuPont found that the HUL leadership team was highly committed to safety but their leadership and action was not

felt across the organization. To address this, DuPont facilitated a series of visioning workshops and executive

leadership development programs aimed at identifying personal action plans for each leader to demonstrate his

safety commitment.

Once the leadership had bought into safety, involvement of all 15,000 employees across the HUL organization

helped achieve the desired objectives around safety performance. Apart from this, DuPont applied science

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powered solutions and processes to facilitate entire safety and sustainability agenda for the company. DuPont

facilitated every manager and supervisor in the company to carry out safety behaviour observation. Processed

other metric to track key safety deliverables like safety evaluation, quarterly safety report, projects, proposals and

procedures; safety system audits by managers and officers; rewards and progressive discipline policies linked to

safety performance.

Benefits:

HUL’s total recordable accident frequency rate dropped from 0.68 to 0.20 in five years. A recent HUL internal safety

survey conducted in August 2007 by Indica Research Consumer Insight covering all employees indicated that an

overwhelming majority ‘strongly agree’ that safety is now integral to HUL’s business performance.

1.5.2 Tata Chemicals Limited

Issue:

Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) has long considered the safety and health of its people as a top priority in its policies

and business strategy development. However they were experiencing variations in safety performance, fatalities

and near fatality incidents were occurring. In 2001 a serious process safety incident caused the plant to remain shut

for nearly three weeks.

Challenge:

TCL’s safety culture had been mainly reactive and dependent. A major challenge was to bring about behavior and

mindset change among employees and contractors. The safety performance measurement system was not

consistent with international standards and with those used by the companies with world class safety performance,

and maintaining a consistent level of reduction in recordable accidents was a big challenge.

Solution:

TCL collaborated with DuPont in 2004, to integrate a safety culture transformation that would prevent and

subsequently eliminate the sporadic incidents by changing the mindset and behavior of people.

DuPont developed a safety roadmap for TCL Mithapur based on the assessments and initiated various safety

initiatives to change the employee behavior and mindset both on and off the company premises.

To address the contractor safety performance, DuPont developed a contractor management system with a

coordinated safety training programme to improve the safety performance. DuPont facilitated TCL to put in place

an integrated safety organization including an Apex Safety Council and six standing sub-committees to address

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safety observation, incident investigations, safety rules and procedures, safety training, contractor management

and process safety management.

DuPont also facilitated the visit of TCL leadership to the DuPont Savli plant in Gujarat to provide insights into the

world class safety processes and systems of DuPont.

Benefit:

TCL achieved steady reduction in Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate from 12.55 per million man-hours to 1.67

per million man-hours in 2009. These improvement milestones demonstrate the fact that when safety is

incorporated as strategic businesses value it serves as catalyst for achieving excellence in business performance.

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1.6 Recent Workplace safety incidents in and around NCR

Despite strict regulations, policies and enforcements and governmental motivations in form of awards, workplace

accidents keep on happening, generally in the unorganized sectors. Some of these accidents that happened in the

recent past in and around the National Capital Region are listed below:

1. Delhi Metro Zamrudpur Accident - Five Metro workers and an engineer were killed and 15 injured after a

launching girder gave way at a construction site near Zamrudpur in south Delhi in July 2009. The accident

was a result of deficiency in design and material that the design consultant failed to acknowledge even

after cracks started showing up three months before the accident.

2. Sewer deaths and sanitation work related diseases - Two sanitation workers employed by a private firm

suffocated to death in a sewage drain under MG Road, Gurgaon in November 2013 while trying to repair a

blockage. The workers had gone in without masks and the mandatory safety kits around 10.30am and

choked on toxic gases before they could be rescued. In a similar incident, a cleaner at ESI Hospital, entered

a manhole after his contractor claimed that it had not been properly cleaned and became a victim of the

toxic fumes emanating from the manhole.

3. MIG Crashes - An Indian Air Force MIG-21 crashed in a field in Sirsa district of Haryana in Dec 2011. The

MIG-21 had taken off from Sirsa Air Force base and crashed in a field nearby. Though there were no

casualties this time, over 40 pilots have lost their precious lives till now in MIG crashes.

4. Severe Radiation exposure at Mayapuri scrap dealer – In April 2010, six people fell ill after coming in

contact with a "mysterious shining object" in a scrap shop in Mayapuri area of West Delhi. The shiny

material which led to a "very powerful" radiation was identified as Cobalt-60, the exposure to which left

five persons injured including one seriously.

5. Driver killed while replacing flat tyre – There was an accident on the Noida-Greater Noida carriageway in

April 2014, when a Canter belonging to a cargo transport company was travelling to Delhi. A dumper whose

tyre had been punctured was parked on the left shoulder of the expressway. The speeding Canter rammed

into the stationary dumper, killing its driver who was changing the flat tyre on the spot.

6. Lineman electrocuted while repairing fault - A lineman in Kanpur was electrocuted when he was repairing

fault on an electricity pole in February 2014. While he was repairing the fault, someone at the sub-station

allegedly switched on the power. He received a severe electric shock and fell on the ground.

7. Stuntman dies while rappelling down mall facade - A stuntman died today while performing a stunt at the

inauguration ceremony of a mall in Greater Noida in April 2012. The man, who was rappelling - an

adventure sport involving controlled descent down a rock or a wall using a rope - from the roof of the mall,

was killed when the rope supporting him snapped around 100 feet above the ground. The police in its

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initial investigation found that the mall didn't have basic security provisions to hold this kind of adventure

sports. According to the police, there were no ambulances, safety net for the stuntmen, first aid or

paramedics at the mall.

In addition to the above, there have been multiple safety and health hazards for

1. Call centre employees who need to be on phone for the entire duration of work

2. Firemen involved in fire-fighting and rescue work

3. Workers at LPG cylinders refilling plants, etc.

1.7 Recent Workplace safety incidents Photographs

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1. Executive Summary

1.1 Workplace Safety Preventive Measures and Enforcement Mechanism

As the industrial practices are maturing, governments have started taking active participation in workplace safety.

For this purpose, very strict acts and stringent regulations have been formulated in different countries. In India, the

Labour Ministry has drafted Industry sector specific regulations that cover workplace safety from accidents,

compensation structure for victims and long term health hazards of daily exposure to the chemicals or particulate

matter. Enforcement agencies have also been set up at the sector level. The major classification of sectors for this

purpose includes:

Mining Sector Manufacturing Sector Port Sector Unorganized Sector

All this is covered under a very comprehensive National Policy on Safety, Health and Environment at Workplace

which is aligned as per Directive Principles of State Policy provided by the Constitution of India. The policy aims at

spreading awareness and training workers and has set ambitious targets within the twelfth 5 year plan.

1.2 Workplace Safety Perception of Indian workers

Workplace safety is being considered as a major concern by the Indian workers post Bhopal Gas Tragedy. They understand the value of a safe and healthy work environment. Yet the perception in their minds is that it is the Government’s responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for them. They lack the awareness that workplace safety is an interdepartmental all encompassing requirement that calls for an active participation from every single human being present on the premises. There is an urgent requirement to educate workers on this key aspect so that it gets engrained in their DNA, they become active participants and no one thinks of taking an unsafe or risky measure.

1.3 Model Steps

1. Few Industries have gone ahead with making their premises safe enough to ensure a ‘zero-harm policy’. Such industries have taken specialized assistance to improvise their factory processes to ensure complete safety.

2. Setting up of awards at national level for the best workplaces dealing with hazardous materials has had a very good impact. It has changed workplace safety measures enforcement from a liability for the industry owners to a motivation that would help them gain more business. It has been a win-win situation for both owners and workers.

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1.4 Results

As a result of the preventive measures formulation, the accident incidence and frequency rates have reduced

significantly across industries over the last one and a half decade. The model steps taken by industries have also

helped in this direction. Reduction percentages range from 30% to a whopping 400%.

1.5 Gaps

1. Lack of trained manpower for inspection leads to a slow or missing enforcement of the policy

2. Lack of prosecution in case of defaults

3. Lack of specific steps for the workers in unorganized sector where the accident rates have not come down

significantly.

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2. Description Section

2.1 Pictorial Introduction of workplace safety:

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2.2 Studies that evaluate the impact of prosecutions in workplace safety

Study 1: Hopkins (2005)

Hopkins (2005) analysed the judges’ reasons for sentencing for the companies prosecuted over the Gretley mine

disaster in NSW. He found that the need to send a signal to the industry regarding the specific issues involved and

the general need for attention to safety formed only a minor element of the basis for the sentences imposed. The

key issues that Hopkins identified in his analysis were the culpability of the different defendants in the case, the

extent to which individual defendants showed remorse and the need for retribution i.e. imposing appropriate

punishment. His analysis suggests that, from the perspective of the regulator and the state, deterring others is only

a relatively minor part of the purpose of prosecution of work health and safety offenders.

Study 2: Jamieson et al. (2010)

In a study of the impact of work health and safety prosecutions in Australia and the penalties imposed, Jamieson et

al. (2010) found that prosecution had a small general deterrent effect. The effect was stronger for larger companies

who employed more resources to monitor developments in work health and safety. These larger companies

sometimes had managers with specialist knowledge and skills who could analyse the details of the cases to

determine what lessons the company could learn and apply to their own safety practice. Small employers were

often only aware of prosecutions from newspaper accounts or cases they had heard about themselves from other

businesses. They did not have the knowledge or capability to identify lessons for their own safety practice and often

saw the potential for prosecution as simply another threat to their business.

Study 3: Thornton, Gunningham and Kagan (2005)

This study assessed companies’ responses to signal cases in environmental regulation in 2005. Thornton et al.

(2005) found that knowledge of high profile prosecution has different effects on subgroups of non-prosecuted

companies. For “good apples”, i.e. those companies that are complying, they provide a reminder of the value of

compliance with regulation. For “bad apples”, i.e. businesses that are not complying prosecutions may have a

deterrent effect if the specific case is close to the circumstances of the individual business. A further issue that

Thornton et al. (2005) identify is the historical context of companies’ views on compliance with regulation.

Study 4: Johnstone (2003)

This study present a critical analysis and argument based on empirical data documenting the way in which

prosecutions for work health and safety offences are constructed in Victorian Magistrates’ courts. Several elements

of Johnston’s findings are relevant to this review in particular, in an analysis of sentencing outcomes for work health

and safety convictions Johnstone found that the average fine imposed was 21.6 per cent of the maximum allowed

for the offence. He also found that the Magistrates imposed good behaviour bonds for 17 per cent of those cases

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resulting in convictions. Johnstone (2003) notes that prosecutions are normally only launched for the most serious

work health and safety offences leading to death or significant injury. He argues that as good behaviour bonds are

not an appropriate disposition under OHS law for offences leading to serious injury the number of good behaviour

bonds seems remarkably high. He argues that the low levels of penalties reflect the way in which work health and

safety offences are treated and effectively “trivialised” by the legal system. One key way in which Johnstone finds

that the legal system does not deal effectively with work health and safety offences is an emphasis on the specific

sequences of events leading to the death or injury rather than dealing with the system failure.

2.3 Why prosecutions lead to changes in work health and safety outcomes

The studies reviewed provide only very limited evidence as to whether prosecutions actually do deter others from

offending. Study two suggests that prosecutions have a small general deterrent effect that is more significant for

larger businesses. This may be because larger businesses are more concerned about the potential damage to

reputation. The findings from Study four suggest two possible explanations for the low level of deterrence

associated with prosecutions. First that the courts imposed relatively low levels of penalties and second that the

way the cases were treated in the courts tended to focus on the very specific and individual aspects of the events

leading to the death or injury rather than the broader context including the quality of work health and safety

management and work organisation.

Jamieson et al.’s (2010) results suggest that small businesses had very limited awareness of prosecutions. Their

awareness was typically limited to information from the media and personal contacts. When they were aware of

court cases they were not able to understand the implications for their businesses. By comparison, large businesses

with access to the skills and resources to monitor and interpret work health and safety prosecutions were able to

extract relevant information that they could use to improve their own safety practice.

Thornton et al. (2005) suggests that larger businesses’ motivation for compliance is to avoid the risk of damage to

their reputation. Their findings also suggest that complying and non-complying non-prosecuted businesses may

interpret prosecutions differently. The “good apples” see prosecutions as supporting the value of compliance and

seek to learn from them to improve their own practice. By comparison “bad apples” may only be influenced by

prosecutions if they see a direct parallel with their own practice.

2.4 Conclusion

Prosecutions serve a number of different functions including satisfying community expectations around

investigation and punishment of wrong doing as well as deterring others from offending. The treatment of work

health and safety cases in the courts and the outcomes are likely to influence how prosecution of work health and

safety offences serves both of these objectives. Investigation of the outcomes of work health and safety

prosecutions under the model work health and safety legislation will be needed to assess the impact of the new

legislation on ways that offences are treated in practice by the courts and whether the new legislation has changed

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any of the issues that Study four identified for example the low levels of penalties imposed. Systematic collection

and analysis of data on the outcomes of prosecutions could be used to inform prosecution policy as well as how

regulators publicise the outcomes of prosecutions.

Further research is also needed on the specific and general deterrent impact of prosecution. No evidence was

located on the impact of prosecutions on the businesses that were the subject of prosecution and only limited

evidence was found on the impact of prosecutions on non-prosecuted businesses.

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3. Background Section

3.1 Problem Statement:

Thousands of workers throughout the world lose their eyes, limns and even lives, everyday. The perils inherent in

industrial work have made the life of the worker very cheap. It is a tragedy that “much blood flows in the sewers of

industrial establishments”. When the personnel at the workplace are not safe, then how can the business entities

survive and what would happen to the dependents of the affected workers? The challenge faced by the industries

today is how to move towards a “zero-harm” system so that this situation does not arise. This challenge can be

tackled by addressing the following

1. Why do these accidents occur?

2. How can they be prevented?

3. What should be the action plan of an organization?

4. What are the workplace safety norms and standards prescribed by the government?

5. What is being done to ensure enforcement of the prescribed norms?

6. What are the punitive measures in case of non-conformance and what should be the liability of the

Industry in case of accidents?

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3.2 Study Introduction and Background:

Before taking a look at the preventive measures and enforcement systems for workplace safety, it is necessary to

understand the classification of industrial accidents that have happened till now, their causes and the hazardous

industries.

3.2.1 Hazardous Industries:

The industries prone to frequent accidents are:

1. Defence sector – Arms, ammunition, etc.

2. Energy Sector – Petroleum, Natural Gas Drills, etc.

3. Manufacturing Sector – Auto industry with moving machine parts

4. Mining Sector – Iron ore, coal, bauxite, mica mines etc.

5. Food Sector – Pickling, Cashew nut extraction, etc.

6. Chemical Sector – Pesticides, phenyl, etc.

7. Maritime Sector – Shipping, fishing, etc.

8. Miscellaneous Sectors – Construction, road and rails, scrap materials, fireworks, other unorganized sectors,

etc.

3.2.2 Types of Industrial Accidents:

1. Accidental release of chemicals

2. Explosions – boiler explosions, chemical explosions – Bhopal Gas Tragedy

3. Nuclear Radiations – Fukushima accident, Chernobyl accident

4. Fire – Sivakasi factory fires

5. Structural Collapse – Garment factory building collapse in Bangladesh, Metro pier fall

3.2.3 Industrial Accidents Impacts:

1. Pollution – Atmospheric, land, water

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2. Acid Rain

3. Radiation

4. Green House Effect

5. Fatalities and disabilities – Loss of life and livelihood

6. Ecosystem disbalance as many other organisms get killed

All these problems affect human beings and the ecosystem. No amount of compensation can restore the lives

of victims to normalcy and neither can it restore the environment.

3.2.4 Severity of Industrial Accidents:

3.2.5 Causes of Industrial Accidents:

Industrial accidents are caused by negligence and unsafe acts of people. These can also be caused by unsafe

mechanical and physical conditions also.

Unsafe Acts of People

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1. Operation without governmental clearance

2. Failure to heed to warning signs

3. Working at unsafe speed

4. Manually bypassing safety devices

5. Unsafe loading to reduce number of trips

6. Unsafe posture

7. Working on moving equipment

8. Failure to use safety devices

9. Teasing, abusing

Unsafe Mechanical and Physical Conditions

1. Unguarded or Inadequately guarded areas

2. Lack of height or strength of physical structures, etc.

3. Defected, decayed, slippery instruments

4. Unsafely designed machines

5. Poor housekeeping

6. Less light or glare

7. Poor ventilation

8. Unsafe processes

9. Unsafe clothing, high heels, etc.

3.2.6 Need for safety:

Statistics at global level point to the crucial evidence, out of all accidents that happen, 98% are preventable, its only

2% that are not preventable. Thus, there is a big need for safety as prevention is always better and safer than cure.

So entities need a proper coordination between various departments in handling such accidents. Proper synergy

between the various departments will minimize the accidents and ensure timely compensation to victims. Hence

there is a need for safety as it

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1. Provides cost saving

2. Increases productivity

3. Is a legal and statutory requirement

4. Is ethically and morally the right thing to do.

Shown below is the safety process overview:

3.2.7 Role of Management and Union in ensuring workplace safety:

Workplace safety can be ensured through a combination of following steps:

1. Safety posters and film shows

2. Safety week and safety awards

3. Proper Policy Implementation

4. Regular Program evaluation

5. Taking Organic Measures

6. Regular safety inspection

7. Timely safety audits

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8. Taking systemic measures

9. Opting for expert consultancy for safety improvement

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3.3 Scope and Objectives of the Study:

The scope of study for preventive measures and enforcement systems for avoiding industrial accidents is being

limited to the measures suggested by the Indian Government Labour Department and the improvement in

workplace safety in two Indian companies.

The objective of the study is to

1. Analyze the trend in workplace safety in Indian Industries in the last one and half decade.

Only Secondary data from the Labour Ministry report for twelfth planning commission and Dupont public

domain Case studies has been used to analyze the trend in workplace safety in Indian Industries in the last one

and a half decade due to time and logistical constraints.

2. Gain an understanding of the Indian workers perception towards workplace study.

Primary data has been collected to gain an understanding of the Indian workers perception towards workplace

study.

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3.4 Review of Literature:

Study 1: House of Lords - Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee (2009)

This study contributes to understanding the effects of awareness of a regulation and its interpretation on

compliance. The evaluation findings suggest that businesses were aware of the regulation because they took action

however the actions were in some cases wrong and ineffective. This suggests that while businesses were aware of

the regulation they did not understand what they needed to do in order to comply.

Study 2: Martinez, et al. (2009)

Martinez et al. (2009) provide some insights on the impacts of context factors on the effectiveness of regulations.

The key outcome from this study concerned the influence of context factors on the effectiveness of the directive as it

was adopted into legislation for construction safety in different countries. The authors suggest the educational level

of the workforce as one potential explanation for differences in outcomes in different countries. Thus the

educational level of the workforce can be seen as a contextual factor that influences businesses capacity to

implement safe work practice.

Study 3: Foley et al. (2009)

Foley et al. (2009) examined the impact on safety outcomes before during and after the period in which an

ergonomic rule was introduced in Washington State and subsequently repealed as a result of an industry-led

campaign. This study contributes to understanding the effect of willingness to comply on the impact of a new

regulation. The study showed that the introduction of the rule resulted in a decline in musculo-skeletal disorders

(MSDs) that was reversed when the regulation was repealed. A key finding was that incidence of MSDs had begun

to increase prior to repeal of the regulation.

Study 4: Lipscomb, Li and Dement, (2003)

This study evaluated the impact of a standard introduced in Washington State in the US for vertical fall arrest on the

rates of work related falls among carpenters. The study found evidence of a sharp decline in work related falls in the

group of carpenters studied very shortly after introduction of the standard. This study contributes to understanding

the impact of awareness of a regulation on outcomes. The authors suggest that the early change observed was due

to the effort by the regulator to communicate the standard to the industry prior to its introduction. The authors do

not provide enough details about the communication strategies used by the regulator to make it clear whether

these strategies focussed on awareness or understanding or both.

Study 5: Vickers et al. (2005).

This study contributes to understanding how differences between subgroups can influence the effectiveness of

regulation. Vickers et al. concluded that small businesses can be divided into several groups based on their

responses to and attitude towards regulation. Vickers et al. grouped the businesses into three groups:

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avoiders/outsiders, reactors and proactive learners. The Vickers et al. results suggest that businesses’ overall

attitude towards regulation influenced their awareness of and responses to regulation. Vickers et al. also noted that

retail businesses were less likely to be able to identify relevant health and safety legislation and micro businesses

were less likely to be aware of legislation. This suggests that size and industry sector should also be included as

group factors influencing awareness and capacity to comply. There were also differences in acceptance of

regulation between businesses owned by different ethnic minority groups that Vickers et al. suggest can be

interpreted as being due to cultural differences in acceptance of regulation.

Study 6: Swan et al. (2002)

Swan et al. (2002) found that representatives from businesses, unlike those from laboratories, saw application of

the legislation as difficult due to its technical language and approach. This was despite the fact that ten of the

fourteen paragraphs are intended to be general in application, only four paragraphs refer to intentionally working

with biological agents as distinct to incidental exposure.

The results suggest that laboratories, for which the issues covered by the legislation were part of everyday practice,

had the background knowledge to understand and implement the requirements whereas other industries that dealt

with these hazards occasionally found it more difficult.

Study 7: Suruda et al. (2002)

Suruda et al. (2002) found that a revision of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trench and

excavation standard which removed some ambiguity, together with a targeted inspection program led to a

reduction in fatalities resulting from trench collapses. Two other key observations were the overall lower rates of

fatalities at larger firms and unionised firms compared to smaller non-unionised firms.

Study 8: Smitha et al (2001)

Smitha et al (2001) found that regulations that targeted employers with high accident or claims rates were

relatively ineffective while regulations that required businesses to take actions to improve safety or to communicate

better with their workforce were the most effective. The authors argue that it may be that the targeting initiatives

were not effective because they focussed on a small subset of the population of businesses whose behaviour may be

relatively difficult to change.

Study 9: Addison, and Burgess (2002)

The study can contribute to understanding how sub group differences within small business can influence awareness

of regulations. Addison and Burgess found that awareness of and understanding the area of application of manual

handling regulations in a group of small businesses in the UK varied greatly by industry type with metals and

engineering being the highest and food and drink being the lowest. They also found that while smaller businesses

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were less likely to be aware of the regulations this did not necessarily mean their work practices were unsafe.

However it often meant they were not aware of less visible hazards such as chemical exposures.

Study 10: Wells and Greenall, (2005)

Wells and Greenall (2005) found that reductions in hazard exposures in the foundry industry in the UK were a result

of complex interactions between legislative change, investment in new machinery and changes in work practice. The

results showed that while reductions in exposures were associated with legislative change the change was also

associated with investment in new machinery. The investment in new machinery was driven by a number of factors

and actually happened prior to the legislation coming into force. Once the legislation came into effect it drove

additional monitoring and subsequent changes to work practice to achieve compliance.

Study 11: Henson and Heasman (1998)

Henson and Heasman (1998) investigated the process that food businesses follow in complying with food safety

regulations. They investigated the compliance process through a survey and in-depth interviews with a sample of UK

food manufacturers and retailers. Henson and Heasman found that the decision to comply was not based on a

calculation of the relative costs and benefits of compliance and non-compliance but rather reflected a concern not

to be seen as operating outside the rules. Another factor suggested in this paper is that of compliance culture.

Business reported that they made decisions that followed their compliance culture i.e. whether they usually

complied or not, rather than basing the decision on a full economic analysis.

Study 12: Gray and Scholz (1991)

Gray and Scholtz (1991) investigated the equity and efficiency of OSHA enforcement. In their analyses of OSHA’s

inspection practice they found that:

Enforcement actions against mid-size firms were more effective in reducing injuries than those against smaller or

larger firms. More intensive inspections regardless of the focus tended to have more impact on outcomes than less

intensive inspections. Larger penalties did not reduce the likelihood of future citations for either the same breach or

any breach, and small penalties reduced the likelihood of injuries as much as larger ones and required less

inspection time.

Study 13: Cooke and Gautschi (1981)

Cooke & Gautschi found that inspections significantly reduced days lost due to injuries for firms with more than 300

employees. This study used OSHA inspection data and injuries data from the US State of Maine for the period from

1971-76. This study also found that as business activity level declined the injury rate also declined. Inspections did

not reduce overall incidence rates of injuries. The authors suggest that because standards are aimed at more serious

hazards they may have the effect of reducing the severity of injuries rather than eliminating them.

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Study 14: Gray and Mendeloff (2005)

This study investigated the effect of OSHA inspections on injuries in manufacturing plants. It built on several

previous studies conducted in this area and used a similar modelling strategy and parts of the same data set. Their

key finding is that the effect of inspections on injuries from 1979-1985 declines in subsequent years and becomes

non-significant in the period 1992-1998. The authors note however that inspections continued to have a substantial

effect in reducing injury rates at smaller and non-union workplaces.

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4. Methodology Section

4.1 Research Design:

A research design will typically include how data is to be collected, what instruments will be employed, how the

instruments will be used and the intended means for analyzing data collected. The function of a research design is

to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible.

Research design refers to the structure of an enquiry: it is a logical matter rather than a logistical one. In social

research the issues of sampling, method of data collection (e.g. questionnaire, observation, document analysis),

design of questions are all subsidiary to the matter of what evidence do I need to collect?

We must not simply look for evidence that supports our favourite theory: we should also look for evidence that has

the potential to disprove our preferred explanations. It is not difficult to find evidence consistent with a theory. It is

much tougher for a theory to survive the test of people trying to disprove it.

For the purpose of this case study, a questionnaire has been created for respondents working in different

industries. The data collected though this instrument would be analyzed to understand the Indian workers

perception of workplace safety.

Tables with data details of incidence and frequency rates and mortality across various industries and states

prepared by the Labour Department, India Government would be used to analyze the effectiveness of preventive

measures and enforcement systems in ensuring workplace safety.

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4.2 Sampling Design:

A sample design is the framework, or road map, that serves as the basis for the selection of a survey sample and

affects many other important aspects of a survey as well. One must define a sampling frame that represents the

population of interest, from which a sample is to be drawn. The sampling frame may be identical to the population,

or it may be only part of it and is therefore subject to some under-coverage, or it may have an indirect relationship

to the population. The sample design provides the basic plan and methodology for selecting the sample. A sample

design can be simple or complex.

For the purpose of this study, simple random approach has been used. The aim was to interview the Indian workers

from multiple industries. Sample size used is 50. Sample distribution is as follows:

1. 25 Random people travelling towards Gurgaon on Delhi Metro in the morning – As Gurgaon is one of the hubs of Industrial activity, people travel to Gurgaon every day. This made the job of reaching a diverse worker group easy. The respondents worked in different industries as follows:

a. 5 – IT Industry

b. 5 – Telecom Industry

c. 4 – Pharmaceuticals

d. 2 – Auto Industry

e. 2 – Electricity Department (DHBVN) f. 1 – Irrigation Department g. 1 – Tourism Industry

h. 1 – Airlines

i. 2 – BPO

j. 2 – Not Known

2. 5 workers, engineers and oveseers from 5 building construction sites

3. 12 people including 2 santitation workers, 1 farmer selling his produce in weekly market, 1 courier boy and

1 soldier, 1 conductor, 1 teacher, 1 person working in restaurant and 2 entrepreneurs.

4. 2 Medical professionals

5. 3 people working in malls in various roles

6. 5 neighbors working in various industries

4.3 Data Collection:

4.3.1 Primary Data:

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GENERAL QUESTIONARE USED FOR ASSESSING WORKPLACE SAFETY PERCEPTION

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Directions for filling questionnaire

A. For AGE, fill values as:

18 – 38 = 1

39 – 60 = 2

B. FOR “Q 3, 4, 10” USE “Licker Scale”

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4 5

C. For all other questions, USE one of “A, B, C, D” as response.

BLANK CELLS MEANS DATA WAS NOT GIVEN BY RESPONSORS DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINT

THIS DATA IS TAKEN FROM 50 PASSENGERS COMING OUT OF HUDA METRO STATION

R A B* C D E* F* G H I J K L* M N

0 M/F AGE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 OCCUPATION TRAVELED BY

1 M CONDUCTOR DTC

2 F A B C D 1 NURSE AUTO

3 F 4 4 4 IT METRO

4 M B A B C D D BPO METRO

5 F 1 2 4 C D 1 BPO METRO

6 M B B 3 3 B B B B B 3 DOCTOR SUZUKI

7 M 2 5 5 5 TOURISM METRO

8 F D MALL

EMPLOYEE

CAB

9 F 2 B C 3 3 D B B D A 1 TEACHER CAR

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10 M 2 B 2 4 A B 2 AUTO METRO

11 F 1 A A B C D C A 5 MALL

EMPLOYEE

CAB

12 M 2 D D 2 RESTAURANT

WORKER

SCOOTER

13 M 2 A A C C B A D 3 IT METRO

14 M 1 B A D D 4 IT METRO

15 F 2 B D C D D A 3 DHBVN METRO

16 M 2 A C 1 4 A A A B D 5 IT - ASST

MANAGER

METRO

17 F 1 5 2 B A 1 PROFESSOR ZEN

18 M 2 A C 1 4 A B D A B 3 IT - HR TRAINEE METRO

19 M 1 B A 3 4 C A C A B 5 IRRIGATION METRO

20 M 1 D D 3 B D B D 3 COURIER BOY BIKE

21 M C 1 4 5 TELECOM METRO

22 M B C 2 5 D B A B 4 SOLDIER BIKE

23 F 2 C 5 MALL

EMPLOYEE

CAB

24 F 2 A A 3 2 B D A DHBVN METRO

25 M 1 D D D C D B SANITATION

WORKER

DTC

26 F 2 A 4 3 A A 4 SANITATION

WORKER

DTC

27 F C B 3 B C B D CONSTRUCTION

WORKER

ROADWAYS

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28 M B 5 3 C A D A 4 OVERSEER AUTO

29 F 1 A C A D AIRLINES METRO

30 M 2 D B 1 5 C A B D D 1 TELECOM METRO

31 F 1 A C 2 4 B C C C 2 PHARMA METRO

32 M B A A D A B CONSTRUCTION

ENGINEER

CAB

33 F 2 5 ENTREPRENEUR MERCEDES

34 F 2 TELECOM METRO

35 M 2 4 PHARMA METRO

36 M 2 A 3 3 B C 3 PHARMA METRO

37 F 1 B D 2 5 D 2 OVERSEER SCOOTY

38 M 1 C 1 2 B A 1 ENTREPRENEUR SWIFT

39 F 1 A 3 C 4 TELECOM METRO

40 M D 4 4 4 CEO MERCEDES

41 M 2 B C 5 2 D B D B D 4 SALES BIKE

42 M 1 A 3 3 A D A D A 1 CONSTRUCTION

WORKER

CYCLE

43 M 2 D 1 2 B C B A 1 PHARMA METRO

44 F A 1 3 B TELECOM METRO

45 F 1 B 4 4 C A C 4 HR CAB

46 F 2 D 2 5 B D D 5 AUTO METRO

47 M 1 C D 1 2 C D A 5 SALES CAR

48 F 2 B C 4 5 C A B C D 5 FARMER DTC

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49 F 1 B 4 2 A D 3 METRO

50 M 1 C 5 A D B 2 METRO

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4.4 Data Analysis:

Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 4 Q 5 Q 6 Q 7 Q 8 Q 9 Q 10

M F D B A 2 5 D C D B D 1

TOTAL 27 23 8 5 6 7 4 6 10 8 8 8

M F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F M:F

A 1 8 9 2:0 1:1 0:3 1:1 1:0 2:2 2:2 1:1 0:2 3:2

A 2 11 9 3:1 1:0 1:1 2:0 1:1 1:0 2:2 3:0 4:2 2:1

A1:A2 19 18 5:1 2:1 1:4 3:1 2:1 3:2 4:4 4:1 4:4 5:3

6 3 5 4 3 5 8 5 8 8

NOTE*: A1 = AGE (18-38); A2 = AGE (39-60); M: F = A1/A2 M: A1/A2 F

Responders are aware about the workplace safety but do not want to take active participation in it before such

event occurs, depend on government that it will fulfil their safety desires as they has voted them to power. Some

says that if they face the music then only they will think on this portfolio.

This type of thinking is not favoured for the development of the country. When citizen do not want themselves

to coordinate with government, nobody can help them in case of emergency. India is a big country by means of

geographically & government is not so much, only unity & coordination can help each other.

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5.1.2 Secondary Data:

Accident Rates:

Various measures are used to evaluate the level of workplace safety. These are listed below:

1. Incidence Rate per million = Number of recordable injuries *1 million/Number of employee hours worked

Note: Employee hours worked do not include any leaves

2. Severity Rate per million = No of days lost due to work injuries * 1 million/Number of employee hours

worked

3. Frequency Rate per million = No of lost time injuries * 1 million/Number of employee hours worked

In India, as per the labour ministry, two important statistical measures for injuries are (i) Frequency Rate and (ii)

Incidence Rate. Here The Frequency Rate is calculated by dividing the total number of injuries by corresponding

number of man days worked in lakhs. The incidence rate is calculated by dividing the injuries by average daily

employment in thousands.

The statistics are based on injuries reported in the annual returns submitted by States/ Uts and the following table

shows the same.

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Latest available analysis of injury statistics published by Labour Bureau, Govt. of India, shows a decline in total Incidence Rate (IR) for Industrial injuries from 65.59 in 1980 to 1.91 in the year 2007. Similarly, in respect of the Frequency Rate (FR) of industrial injuries in factories also shows a decline from 22.02 in 1980 to 1.73 in the year 2007. The Incidence Rate of total injuries per 1000 workers has gradually declined by 43% and Frequency Rate of total injuries per one lakh man days worked has declined by 31%. Hence there is a marked decrease in the total number of injuries. However, the rate of fatal injuries has been more or less remained the same.

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6. Findings Section

6.1 Results

1. On the basis of the study, it can be found that many preventive mechanisms have been introduced in form

of crisp regulations in India and most of the other countries of the world to improve workplace safety

situation. These mechanisms are being gradually implemented and are showing up positive results in form

of definitive decrease in Incidence Rates and Frequency Rates across industries in India and worldwide.

2. In the last decade, organizations have started embracing and owning up workplace safety culture. They

have started to value workers’ health and life. Such industries have gone ahead and implemented very

good mechanisms to prevent accidents. They have even taken specialized assistance from workplace safety

experts. Such steps have given very good results and also boosted the workers morale and factory output.

3. Workplace safety prevention needs participation and commitment at all levels, right from top management

to the least skilled worker in the factory premises. Workplace safety plans implementation begins with

making the workers aware.

4. In general, workers in the Indian context agree that though workplace safety is essential to their well being,

yet they believe that ensuring a safe workplace is only the Government’s responsibility.

5. As Workplace safety is not in the DNA of the workers by default, so training them to start considering

workplace safety as a natural behaviour takes time, but it is an effort worth spent.

6. There is not enough research available in all the aspects of workplace safety as of now. It is a relatively new

concept to which the industries have started warming up in the last decade.

7. Large businesses by comparison have a much stronger understanding of regulations and how they apply to

their business. Compared to small business they are likely to be more concerned about the impact that

being the subject of enforcement action may have on their reputation.

8. Unorganized sector is the area most lacking in workplace safety. This can be seen from the list of 10

accidents from NCR region in the last 5 years. Eight out of ten accidents involved workers from unorganized

sector.

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9. Conclusion Section

9.1 Conclusions

On the basis of the study, it can be concluded that many preventive mechanisms have been introduced in form of

crisp regulations in India and most of the other countries of the world to improve workplace safety situation. These

mechanisms are being gradually implemented and are showing up positive results in form of definitive decrease in

Incidence Rates and Frequency Rates across industries in India and worldwide. Such steps have shown very good

results and also managed to boost the workers morale which in turn has led to an increase in factory output.

Workplace Safety is a joint responsibility of every single person associated and proper coordination between

departments in an enterprise strengthens it. Regarding enforcement of safety measures, there is more work to do,

especially in the unorganized sector.

9.2 Recommendations

1. Whenever an accident happens due to lack of required safety measures, those responsible should be made

sufficiently accountable and tried in the court of law. This will go a long way in promoting easy

enforcement of workplace safety culture.

2. Industry and government should partner for generating research results on various aspects of workplace

safety, be it measures, methods of enforcement, their impact, motivation for workplace safety, long term

benefits, etc. This would help in making the workplace safety plan cost effective and faster to implement.

3. More awareness needs to be generated in form of multiple campaigns about workplace safety. This topic

should be introduced at High School level itself to condition people towards this important fact.

4. The amendments to various acts should be made to incorporate changes in the ownership, new

technology, system, machinery and to ensure proper safety, health and welfare conditions for the

workers.

5. Labour ministry should be provided with more manpower and the inspecting officers so that the

factories and mines which are left uninspected for years together are inspected regularly.

6. In order to reduce the incidence of accidents, disasters and dangerous occurrences, a special initiative

need to be undertaken through use of analytical tools and risk assessment techniques that would be put

in factories to continuously monitor the impact of preventive regulations and their enforcement.

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7. The hazardous sectors require effective emergency response and disaster management system installed

with adequate number of vehicles, communication facilities, DMRS Labs and facilities, emergency

mobile rescue lab and vans along with other facilities to meet the emergency needs in cases of

accidents, disasters and other dangerous occurrences, for example, Mayapuri radiation. The affected

victims should be provided with a long term support in such incidents.

8. Easy availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as Helmets, ear plugs and ear muffs,

Safety goggles, face masks, hand gloves, safety belts and Safety Harness and safety Shoes as per the

relevant BIS standards.

9. Organise National wide yearly campaigns on various issues such as Respiratory Diseases, Musko

Skeleto Disorders, Central Nervous System (CNS), Dermatitis, Noise and Vibration through various

awareness programs.

10. For the unorganized sector workers various segment-specific occupational, safety and health guidelines

need to be developed by multi-disciplinary group of experts taking into account the uniqueness of the

socio-cultural context, general characteristics, etc. of the concerned geographical region.

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7.1 Limitations of the study:

CONSTRAINTS IN THE EXISTING SET UP

1. The primary data was collected when the workers were not at their workplace, so there might be some

amount of casual approach to their responses.

2. The workers covered were from the Gurgaon region only. Workers from other areas might have different

perceptions.

3. To understand the impact of preventive measures on workplace safety, no primary data could be collected

due to time constraint. As such only secondary data was used. This data might be distorted if the publishing

sources were biased and the intent of data publication was veiled marketing.

4. The sample size was kept small due to time constraints, for a more meaningful conclusion, it should be

bigger looking at the scope of the study topic.

5. The study has covered workplace safety only in the local Indian context and should be looked at in the same

manner. It lacks a global outlook and comparison of Indian data and standards with those being followed

globally.

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8. References 1. Business Research Methods by Naval Vajpayee, Pearson Publications.

2. Safety Representatives and Safety Consultation Guidelines, Published in January 2006 by the Health and Safety Authority.

3. The role and effectiveness of safety representatives in influencing workplace health and safety, Prepared

by Cardiff University for the Health and Safety Executive 2005.

4. A blueprint for health & safety at work published by law minister of New Zealand.

5. Business Research Methods by Dr Sue Greener, Ventus Publishing ApS.

6. Government of India Ministry of Labour and Employment NATIONAL POLICY ON SAFETY, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT AT WORKPLACE.

7. The effectiveness of work health and safety interventions by regulators: A literature review by Australian government.

8. Dock workers (safety, health and welfare) rules, 1990.

9. Google and news websites for news archives

10. Report of the working group on occupational safety and health for the twelfth five year plan (2012 to 2017) Government of India, Ministry of Labour and Employment

11. A safety Journey That Changes mindset and Improves Performance - Tata Chemicals Limited Case Study

12. Leading Corporate Safety Culture Transformation through Behavior Safety – Hindustan Unilever Limited Case Study

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9. Appendix

It is not necessary that accidents only happen inside the premises but when outside the reason could be anything

but no body of premises are responsible then also many personnel may injure/die/missing.

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Work place safety_in_india_research_report_deepgoel

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