safety never happens by accident!

January - March 2015Volume - 5, Issue - 1

Environment SafetyHealth

HELMET

Safety never happens by accident!

2 HELMET, January - March 2015

Contents

Editor : Vinod Jacob Chacko

Associate Editor : Gopi Kannan. S

Process Owners : M. Kamarajan | P. V. Kaliappan

Malay Kumar Mahanta

Stephen Philip Storey

Ramachandran N

K. S. Sudheesh Kumar

Technical Associates : P. Nagarajan | Gabrial Fernandez

Sudarsan Rajendran

Md Quaisar Imam

Sathyanarayana Seelamanthula

Murali Krishnan | Nick Abalde

Mathivanan Palaniappan

S. Anantha Prasanna Venkatesh

Editorial team : V. Ramesh Kumar

Ashwin Chand | Mayura. K

Photography : V. S. Natanavelu | R. Vijay Kumar

Design & layout : Global Print Design, Chennai

Towering high in EHS Management

The road to successful EHS Management

Safety is at the heart of the matter

Piling on safety

Reaching new heights of safety

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From the EDITORHistorically and statistically, air travel is

considered the safest mode of travel. You might be surprised by this fact: if one was

to co-relate the sheer quantum of air traffic to the number of global aviation accidents or incidents, the number is very small compared to that of rail or road travel. It is unfortunate that one air crash can kill many people at one go and the magnitude of the tragedy tends to color one’s perception of safety.

In reality, rail or road accidents far out-number air-related ones and that is because millions upon millions of dollars are spent each year by governments and aviation companies to keep pushing technological frontiers and continuously improve and enhance safety training for everyone concerned. Often, the blame for aviation accidents is promptly laid on the head of the pilot who, in most cases, is never around to defend his case. ‘The pilot is dead; long live pilot error’ is oft-heard in aviation circles. The fact of the matter is that everyone even remotely connected has a vital role to play in ensuring that every flight is safely completed right from pre-take off to post-landing checks. The smallest error or oversight by the most insignificant person in the chain can be the weakest link that can put so many lives in jeopardy.

Similarly, on a construction site, the onus of ensuring safe conduct is a responsibility that is shared by every single individual present at the site. In this issue of ‘Helmet’, we are showcasing 5 projects, one from each of the five Independent Companies of L&T Construction that were chosen as benchmarks for their outstanding safety track records. Winners of the annual Safety Awards 2013-14, these projects were able to clock many millions of safe man hours by meticulously following and rigorously implementing safety norms. Right from creating and inculcating a safety consciousness, hazard identification and taking appropriate steps for its mitigation, risk assessments, stringent adherence to safe operating procedures, frequent medical and health check-ups and ensuring ready availability of medical facilities, constantly keeping safety as a core value and sticking to the basics are some of the secrets of their success.

Having done it all, they religiously followed the one underlying safety principle that one can never be too careful!

3HELMET, January - March 2015

NISER Project, Bhubaneswar September 2011 to March 2015

The Address Wadhwa Project, Mumbai April 2010 to March 2015

Prestige Bella Vista Project, Chennai April 2012 to March 2015

Delhi One Project December 2011 to March 2015

Cognizant Elcot IT Park Project, Sholinganallur October 2012 to March 2015

Rajashree Cement Plant Project March 2011 to March 2015

ITC Sonar Hotel Project, Kolkata August 2009 to March 2015

Kohinoor Square Project, Mumbai June 2009 to March 2015

ESIC Hospital Project, Kollam April 2010 to March 2015

TCS Project, Kochi October 2011 to March 2015

Godrej Garden City Ph-III Project, Ahmedabad July 2011 to March 2015

ESIC Hospital Project, Coimbatore March 2011 to March 2015

Riverview Phase 2 Project, Lucknow March 2012 to March 2015

ESIC Hospital Project, Joka November 2009 to March 2015

CMRL Depot Project, Koyambedu December 2010 to March 2015

AIIMS Project, Bhubaneswar October 2011 to March 2015

HCL Ph III Project, Noida January 2013 to March 2015

ATC Tower Project, Gurgaon January 2012 to March 2015

TCS Customer Care Centre, Siruseri April 2012 to December 2014

Emami City Project, KolkataJanuary 2013 to March 2015

Seawoods PH II Project, Mumbai December 2013 to March 2015

Reliance Convention Centre Project, BKC Mumbai July 2014 to March 2015

UP Awas Vikas Basement Project, Ghaziabad August 2012 to March 2015

DLF Maiden Heights Ph – I Project, Bengaluru November 2012 to March 2015

Omkar Worli Sales Project, MumbaiDecember 2012 to March 2015

Experion Windchants Project, Gurgaon April 2014 to March 2015

C-17 IAF Hindan Project, Ghaziabad August 2012 to March 2015

Mall of India Project, Noida September 2013 to March 2015

Olympia Grande Project, Chennai June 2012 to March 2015

Ireo Victory Valley Project, Gurgaon September 2013 to March 2015

Reliance Twin Tower Project, Mumbai May 2013 to March 2015

Hill Crest Project, Bengaluru July 2012 to March 2015

DLF Crest Phase 2 Project, Gurgaon September 2013 to March 2015

Planet SKS Project, Mangalore October 2011 to March 2015

The Grand Arch Project, Gurgaon May 2013 to March 2015

Vaishnavi Terraces Project, Bengaluru November 2012 to March 2015

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Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving six million and more LTI free safe man-hours

SafetyRoll of Honour



Towering high in EHS Management

BUILDINGS & FACTORIES

Chennai’s importance amongst the pantheon of Indian metros is rapidly increasing with the

growth of industries and commerce. This is attracting fresh talent by the droves which in turn has triggered a growing demand for new homes. Several well-known developers have entered the fray and the Chennai skyline is rapidly transforming as more and more high-rises reach for the sky.

In tune with this trend is Olympia Grande a multi-storied residential

apartment project at Pallavaram on the outskirts of Chennai bearing the excellence of L&T’s construction business. Spread over 7 acres, the project features 17 high rise towers housing 728 apartments that share a common basement, stilt floor and 11 typical floors involving a total built-up area of 1.15 million sq.ft. A standout feature of the complex is its proximity to the arterial GST road, the airport terminal and the sub-urban railway station that promises comprehensive connectivity to the residents.

The project has been divided into two zones: Zone 1 of 395 flats have been handed over for customer occupation while the remaining flats under Zone 2 is nearing completion.

Constructing over a million sq.ft within three years certainly calls for unprecedented speed and steep asking rates of construction schedules which significantly increase EHS risks. Ever mindful of the potential risks, the EHS team stuck to their guns and has successfully completed a lion share of the construction incident free.



Committed to safetyRight from the beginning, the top management’s involvement in the project was very high and safety was put at the top of the priority list by the Project Manager downwards. All the safety boxes were ticked right from readily issuing PPEs, organizing elaborate inductions for workmen, daily PEP talks and weekly safety walk-downs.

Universally, accidents are largely caused either due to ‘Unsafe Conditions’ or ‘Unsafe Acts’. The project leadership took cognizance of this to draw out a clear mandate to ensure the prevalence of the safest conditions throughout the project site. Effective systems such as the formation of a EHS Committee, the implementation of 'safe to start' work cards, safety improvement slips and widespread safety awareness campaigns went a long way in sensitizing workmen to avoid unsafe practices and acts.

A committee for corrective actionTo create a consciousness for and awareness about safe practices, an EHS committee was formed comprising department heads, the project manager and the safety officer to plan, monitor and

implement strategies to create a proactive safe work culture. The committee was responsible among other things to conduct weekly site walk-downs during which improvement areas were identified and on-the-spot solutions were arrived at.

Learning from near-misses Near-misses, though dangerous and completely avoidable, are also opportunities of learning. The EHS committee thoroughly analyzed near-miss cases along with the workmen involved to identify the root causes and arrive at remedial measures so as to avoid re-occurrences. The team also emphasized the need for bottom line communication (right down to the workmen) to create awareness among workmen.

‘Safe to start work’Workmen were permitted to enter the job sites only on receiving the ‘safe to work card’ from their respective site engineers. The site engineer was bestowed with the responsibility to visit the site at the beginning of each day to ascertain safe working conditions and issue ‘safe to work' cards only if the work environment was found conducive. Precautionary measures were drawn up in consultation with the EHS committee on a

Peripheral working platform Overhead protection at driveway



war footing basis if non-compliance and hazards were noticed.

Safety improvement slips‘Safety Improvement Slips’ were issued to erring workmen who exhibited lapses in safety and such workmen were advised on the importance of wearing the right PPEs apart from impressing on them the seriousness of safety lapses. These slips greatly helped in reducing unsafe acts by making the workmen aware of the implications of their violations through a proactive EHS management approach that eliminated repetition of safety lapses.

Assessing risksRisks can either be known or unknown. A detailed risk assessment carried out prior to the commencement of every construction sequence to minimize the known risks involved. Strong preventive

measures were put in place to safeguard personnel from unknown risks.

Investigating incidentsA detailed methodology document on incident investigation report was

devised to identify the source and cause of incidents, if any. This was to ensure that the same incident does not recur. The Olympia Grande project has maintained a “0” incident record to date.

Promoting upward communicationTo create and promote an atmosphere of transparency in communication and make it easier for workmen to approach the project EHS committee especially in the event of near miss cases, a plan was drawn up whereby hazards could be reported using written slips by workmen. The filled out slips had to be dropped into complaint boxes that were placed across the project site. Soon, the committee realized that participation was poor because of low literacy rates among the workmen and therefore the system was modified with a Dictaphone facility for workmen to report the hazard as an audio complaint. This simpler and easier method proved to be an instant hit and several workmen came forward to report hazards. Rapid and unbiased

Floor cleaning machine – Continuous housekeeping

Emergency rescue cage



redressal of such complaints further strengthened the workmen’s trust in the project team.

Solving a lofty issueThe project team implemented golden safety rules, one of which was the compulsory anchoring of the safety harness while working at heights. This was reiterated to the workmen through signage displayed at vantage points across the project site. Several mitigation strategies were implemented to reduce the risks involved in working at heights that included:

Wall Protection: The project comprised of several low-level wall openings for front elevation purposes. These openings were temporarily covered using painted grills.

Peripheral working platform and safety net: As per the original plan, safety nets on working platforms were provided only for a height of 2.1 m, which was increased to 2.7 m to offer better protection and a safer working environment.

Overhead protection: All movement areas on the ground were provided with a safety net to arrest fall of construction material from above.

Lifeline: A standard provision was made to create anchoring points for lifelines on the aluminum shutters itself.

Handrails: Temporary handrails were provided well before the casting of slabs which helped in safe and easy movement of workmen between the floors.

Campaigning on safetyThe EHS committee was also keen to promote health awareness for the overall

Handrail provided in the staircase area before concreting



benefit of workmen and conducted several free health camps such as eye, lungs, dental and comprehensive health checks on a quarterly basis.

Committed to deliverTo emphasize their strong commitment towards safety, the project team made it a practice to begin the weekly review meetings with safety as the first topic. ‘Safety moments’ or sharing of best practices was presented by one of the EHS committee members during these review meetings. It was also mandated that all meetings at the project would

begin with an awareness presentation on a safety aspect and an exclusive, daily EHS committee meeting was conducted to quickly discuss points to constantly re-engineer safety systems and innovations.

The EHS committee also suggested that employees from across departments visit workmen habitats once every two days on a rotational basis to improve the overall hygiene conditions and maintain good housekeeping. Even this subtle contribution towards EHS was duly noticed and greatly appreciated by the client through recognition certificates.

The proof of the pudding While a project site can set safety records owing to various factors, Olympia Grande has achieved a high rate of safety standards thanks purely to the firm commitment from its project management team by promoting and maintaining a positive and proactive EHS culture throughout the project period. Due recognition has not taken long in coming: the project has bagged the internal EHS Award and the prestigious British Safety Council award by clocking an impressive 8 million safe man hours since inception.

y The senior project management team members displayed a sense of individual ownership by personally checking for hazards during their morning and evening site visits which was an invaluable safety initiative One of our goals was to maintain a dust free atmosphere for which we used sweeping and vacuum cleaning machines apart from deploying sprinklers for settling the dust

y We believed that our project was only as strong as the workforce and hence strove to provide them a hygienic living space. The project team inspected their habitat on alternate days to improve the living conditions. We also conducted regular health camps to keep them fit and awareness camps to prevent diseases.

y To make 100% compliance on PPEs, workmen were checked at the entrance with their ID cards and screened through the breath analyser for substance abuse.

y Our dictaphone feedback system opened up new vistas in the communication flow between the management and execution teams at our site. This resulted in the implementation of some great ideas and improvements in safety.

y All engineers and workmen supervisors were encouraged to complete the EHS learning modules on L&T’s Any Time Learning portal and the outstanding performers were recognized with the SCOPE (Safety COnscious PErformer of the month) award.

Mr. S. Ganesan, Project Manager

To me, safety is team work and collective responsibility. The workmen are the real safety heroes and winners at this site as they have taken our safety message to heart and done what is needed and brought laurels to the team, in the process. It is noteworthy to mention the key strategies that have contributed towards achieving the safety milestones. . Every working day commenced with the administration of the safety pledge which was imbibed in spirit by the team to pursue the safety objectives

Mr. S. Ganesan, (second form left) Project Manager, Olympia Grande receiving the safety award


Beawar – Pali – Pindwara Road Project December 2011 to March 2015

Samakhiali – Gandhidham Road Project October 2012 to March 2015

Kandla – Mundra Road Project April 2011 to March 2015

Delhi – Agra Road Project October 2012 to March 2015

Ganjbasoda-Sanchi Railway Project March 2010 to March 2015

Panskura-Kharagpur Railway Project September 2009 to March 2015

Sangareddy Road ProjectApril 2013 to March 2015

10 MTPA Tata Steel Railway ProjectJuly 2009 to March 2015

Kannur International Airport ProjectNovember 2013 to March 2015

Chennai Metro Track WorksFebruary 2011 to March 2015

Hyderabad Metro Rail Track & OETS Project January 2013 to March 2015

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Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving three million and more LTI free safe man-hours



TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The 244-km Beawar – Pali – Pindwara Road on NH 14 in Rajasthan is a very significant one

as it strategically connects the northern part of the country to its nearest port in Gujarat. Consequently, the project that L&T Construction won to convert the existing 2-lane highway into a 4-lane one was as crucial as it was difficult.

Purely, from an EHS perspective, the Beawar – Pali – Pindwara Road Project (BPPRP) was fraught with several challenges starting with the huge area over which the project stretched, managing a largely unskilled work force, having to contend with a high quantum

of constant highway traffic, controlling the dangers associated with blasting and tunneling, having to work with radically differing soil structure and composition, and, perhaps, the biggest of them all – the unpredictable, temperamental local population. Each was unique in its nature and each warranting unique handling and resolution. What was required was foresight to anticipate situations and problems, meticulous planning at times to great degrees of granularity and flawless implementation. All aspects considered, it can be safely said that this project was one of the toughest from an EHS point of view.

The five-pronged strategyWith the project stretching over 244 kilometers and adjoining areas and an army of relatively unskilled workmen, the EHS team had their hands full to instill a culture of safe work practice. If the length of the project was challenging, so also were the extreme climatic conditions of the dry and arid regions of interior Rajasthan that dissuaded even seasoned workmen who had migrated from other parts of the country. Added to this, skilled labour was at a premium and hence the work force had to be

The road to successful EHS Management



constantly motivated and incentivized to retain them.

After considerable brainstorming involving all levels of personnel associated with the project, a five-pronged strategy was adapted to address the following critical issues.

y Human Involvement

y Executive Management Support

y Clear Statement of Requirements

y Proper Planning

y Realistic Expectations

Human Involvement: At a project site, every individual has to be involved in creating a safe work environment and therefore the task before the EHS team was to sensitize everyone – the project team members, supervisors, workmen, subcontractors, vendors and the community at large – to the need for a safe work environment.

Executive Management Support: The top management brought to bear its full influence to support the efforts of the EHS team, making quick decisions and giving prompt budgetary approvals for procuring the necessary safety equipment and PPEs.

Clear Statement of Requirements: Requirements were clearly indicated through statements of audit, security, reports and validation requirements which created a seamless flow of communication among teammates that ensured good clarity on the overall EHS goals and deliverables.

Proper Planning: Based on the requirements, the EHS team laid out the blueprint of the safety plan along with milestones and a clearly defined ultimate goal of zero incidents. The EHS progress was to be completely transparent and constant learning from near misses, if any.

Realistic Expectations: The EHS team was motivated to unhesitatingly seek top management support and understand limitations before committing on deliverables which ensured that there were only realistic expectations from the EHS team thereby eliminating unhealthy performance pressures.

While this 5-pronged strategy did not guarantee a safe work environment and incident-free functioning, it definitely involved a high level of planning that increased the probability of success to a great degree.

Keep the traffic flowing always BPPRP involved the four-laning of an existing two lane carriageway on NH14 and since roads are the lifelines of the economy, the team could ill-afford disrupting the traffic even for

Model showing the advance warning zone



¾ ‘Men at Work’

¾ Details about distance to the hazard

¾ Any change affecting traffic arrangements (such as a reduction in the number of lanes and/or in the speed limit) within the traffic control zone

¾ Extent of the hazard (for instance; the length of restriction)

Approach transition zone: This zone is the point of diversion where road users are redirected from the normal path. The signage in this area should:

¾ Guide traffic into the altered traffic flow pattern around the working zone

¾ Reduce the approach speed of vehicles and channelize them into narrower and / or restricted number of lanes or a temporary carriageway

¾ Maintain visibility of signs and barricades

Working / activity zone: This is the actual construction site where work is executed. It is marked by the presence of a ‘Work space’ (portion of the highway that is closed to road users and earmarked for construction activity) a ‘Traffic space’ (through which road users are routed) and a ‘Buffer space’ that separates the normal traffic flow from the work space or unsafe area. Neither work activity nor storage of equipment, vehicles or material should be present within this buffer space.

Terminal transition zone: From the point of the terminal transition zone, the traffic will be redirected from the deviated path onto the original carriageway, through tapering or circular curves.

a little while. The challenges were to contend with live traffic and plan traffic diversions to enable project execution and create work fronts without causing inconvenience to either the project team or the road users. These again called for careful planning and impeccable implementation by resorting to world-class road diversion and traffic management strategies.

Since vehicular traffic was heavy comprising largely of trucks and trailers, the EHS team had to be doubly cautious in diverting such vehicles hauling heavy payloads, especially during nights or when visibility was low. To address this, mandatory, regulatory and cautionary signboards were placed as per approved international norms to segregate the various zones that fall under the temporary traffic control zones.

Understanding the temporary traffic control zones: The entire section of the roadway between the advance warning sign, through to the last traffic control device is what is known as the temporary traffic control zone which can be further classified as:

1. Advance warning zone2. Approach transition zone3. Working / activity zone4. Terminal transition zone5. Work zone end

Advance warning zone: On entering this zone, the road user is notified about the approaching hazard and is therefore prepared for the change in driving conditions. This is the point from which drivers are advised to reduce speed as they approach the transition zone. A series of traffic signs along the length of the zone communicates:



Work zone end: ‘Work zone end’ extends right from the end of the terminal taper length to the last traffic control device, which may be a signage indicating the end of road work. Either an ‘end road work’ sign or a speed limit sign can be used to inform road users that they can resume normal driving conditions and return to cruise mode!

Thanks to the implementation of all these traffic control zones, the project team mastered the art of executing the critical activity with minimum discomfort to the road users.

Tunneling and blasting safelyThe project scope included twin tunnels through the Aravali range of mountains with each tunnel of about 300 m length featuring three lanes apart from the shoulder area measuring to a diameter of 13.36 m. The tunneling team cautiously avoided voids and cavities in

weak zones to prevent cave-ins during the drilling activity. To further mitigate this risk, the project team installed 4 m rock bolts to stabilize the soil and the drilling rigs were operated at lower rpms to maintain borehole wall integrity. The EHS team worked in close coordination with the tunneling team to ensure that at no time the safety of personnel was at risk and only trained workmen were deployed in this exercise.

Ground vibrations and control flying rocks had to be closely monitored during the tunneling. While the former can cause structural damages to the foundations of nearby structures, flying rocks can be a threat to both people and structures in the vicinity. Muffle blasting was extensively adopted to control flying rocks. The Velocity of Detonation (VOD) was observed and blasts were filmed for a better understanding of the intensity of the blast so as to exercise control over further blasting operations. The blasting crew timed the blasts within

the approved window periods after prior intimation to the nearest police station and traffic department.

The safety team had to ensure that the blasting and tunneling activities were restricted strictly within the authorized project area because blasting in unauthorized areas can attract heavy Governmental penalties and hamper the progress of the project. By way of abundant caution, the team installed high precision GPS-based guidance systems for the tunneling team to get accurate coordinates to progress with the work.

Blast zone safetyA pre-blast meet to sensitize personnel involved in the blasting and traffic control ensured that everyone clearly understood the detonation sequence and when the area could be cleared for restoring traffic. Following an assessment of the bounds of the blast area, all personnel and

Stemming process Temo rock machine for Drilling and Rock bolting in Tunnel Works



equipment were cleared from the area and guards posted at all access points to prevent re-entry of personnel. Once the blast area was cleared, the crew and the blaster retreated into the designated safe shelter area and sounded the warning alarm along with a series of pre-blast signals. Once the blaster was sure that the area had been fully secured, the shot was detonated. Following the blasting, the blaster would wait for the dust to settle down completely before visiting the area and giving the ‘All Clear’ signal to restore traffic and other project activities.

Crossing the Sendra by-passThe Sendra bypass section was perhaps the most difficult section to execute owing to five factors that involved safety. Firstly, there was a live, busy and critical railway line that connects North India to the West. Then there was the future alignment of the Dedicated Freight Corridor project, a network of underground oil and gas pipelines, the rise and fall of the terrain from 0 to 60 m within a few meters and to top it all, heavy traffic on the existing road just 30 m away.

All activities had to be carefully calibrated keeping the safety hazards in mind as unscientific blasting in this section could have serious implications. The EHS team used controlled blasting with utmost care and slowed down the progress, which yielded remarkable results and set exceptional safety track records that are benchmarks for future road projects to achieve.

Treading softlyAnother challenge that the project faced was the varying quality of soil. The project influence area comprised

Erection of steel girders at the Sendra by-pass section

View of the tunnel



metamorphic terrain of the Archean age. Then there were the rolling Aravali range of hills which was a highly faulted area with weak zones of brittle material. The strata varied with almost every passing meter from hard to soft rock and sometimes to even sandy soil, making drilling and blasting a risky task. Overcoming the odds, the project team bored through the mighty hills to safely create a seamless passage towards the end point.

Garnering local support Managing the local populace was another challenge because disgruntled locals could easily disrupt the progress of the project. Every effort was made to strike a rapport with the local communities and prime them about the project. The threat was great during tunneling and blasting as their kuchha mud habitations could hardly withstand the vibrations or fall out but these were

handled as diplomatically as possible. At times, even the media was approached to reach out to the local communities to apprise them of the situation and impress upon them the fruits of the temporary inconvenience.

Behaviour Based SafetyBehaviour Based Safety (BBS) is an application of behaviour science research that has proved that more than 90% of accidents at the workplace are triggered by unsafe human behavior. BBS is essentially a variety of programs that focuses on worker behavior as the cause for almost all workplace accidents. BBS was identified as the proper tool for targeting zero incidents at the site and increased the focus on BBS targeted and structured training programmes.

Even minor aspects such as reversing of a vehicle were given relevant attention. The EHS team made it mandatory for drivers to reverse only in the presence of

a signalman and signage were placed at vantage points to drive home the point which helped avert potential incidents. However, the EHS team was also aware that any one safety program could never be the magic panacea for all safety ills at the project site so they ingeniously integrated several safety programs and with ceaseless vigil over the project operations, carefully knitted a fabric of safe work culture that protected workmen and road users throughout the entire progress of the project.

It is not every day that one hears of a road project achieving over 35 million injury-free man hours! The Beawar-Pali-Pindwara road project has won several International safety awards including MORR (Management of Occupational Road Risk) which was bagged for the very first time in the annals of L&T history and not without reason.


Kakrapar Atomic Power ProjectFebruary 2010 to March 2015

Badarpur Faridabad DMRC Project February 2012 to March 2015

Sawalkote ProjectAugust 2011 to March 2015

DMRC – CMC1 ProjectJuly 2010 to March 2015

CMRL Elevated ProjectJune 2013 to March 2015

Subansiri Lower HEP ProjectMay 2011 to March 2015

Vizag Vessel Project Site April 2014 to March 2015

DMRC CC 28 Project July 2014 to March 2015

Kolkatta RVNL ProjectAugust 2012 to March 2015

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Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving five million and more LTI free safe man-hours


Spot the

HAZARDSWINNERSMr. Vipul Rathi Sr. Engineer, B&F IC, Ahmedabad Cluster

Mr. S. K. Mehedi Hassan Engineer (Civil), W&RE IC

Correct answers y Wire laying on the ground, it

should have been laid either underground or above 7 feet

y Cable laid out over wet area

y Protruding rebars

y No clear access way to the work location

y Slippery ground and trip hazard

y No barricading around the area

y Water logging nearby workplace – Health issue

y Non-compliance with certain PPE (Reflective Jacket)


HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE

Safety is at the heart of the matter

Truly the building of two additional reactors (Units 3 & 4) of 700 MW each for Nuclear Power

Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant (KAPP) is something to write home about. And, to have done it by facing and overcoming some of the sternest tests and clocking some 59.9 million safe man-hours in the process bespeaks of outstanding project and safety management expertise. Significant initiatives were introduced, implemented, monitored by the site team as their safety responsibility. The complexity of the work and the nature of

building demanded high standards and the engineers and workforce at the site positively responded to the challenges. Right from day one, the project site has been successful in continuously improving safety of the workforce. It is no wonder therefore that the many awards have come rolling in, some of them bagged consecutively for years.

The list is long and illustrious: Best Safety Conscious Contractor award from NPCIL for the 4th consecutive year, Best Housekeeping Contractor award from NPCIL for the 5thconsecutive year, ROSPA

Gold Award for the 4th consecutive year, British Safety Council Distinction, Merit & Pass Award from 2011, to 2014, National Safety Council - Sarvashreshtha Suraksha Puraskar for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the internal EHS Award. Several accolades from the client for best safety and housekeeping management have also been won for good measure.

All this is proof enough for a project that was a resounding success from a safety perspective and this article is on how the Kakrapar EHS team succeeded with flying colors.


Setting the contours of the challenge Following the successful operation of two units of 220 MW each at KAPP for over a decade, NPCIL decided to expand capacities by building two more reactors of 700 MW each. Riding on the strength of having built almost all of the nuclear reactors in India till then, L&T won the country’s single largest order in the nuclear sector warding off some stiff international competition. The scope of work for L&T Construction involved the construction of a reactor building, auxiliary buildings, a waste management and exhaust ventilation building, a heavy water upgrading plant, fabrication and erection of structural steel works involving civil, structural and architectural works.

Over several years, KAPP has been the center of hectic activity with several contractors (L&T being the main one)

and sub-contractors straining every muscle and sinew to meet some tight construction schedules.

Inculcating safety as a culture During peak periods, the project had over 6000 men at work, more than half of whom were unskilled. The primary task for the EHS team was therefore to induct the screened workmen and sensitize them to adhere to strict safety standards. In what could easily be considered a record, the EHS team has inducted over 81,600 workmen till date through structurally developed programs.

The nature of work was primarily heavy concreting, structural steel fabrication and erection that warranted close monitoring. Working at heights was another critical area to focus on and the safety record clearly reveals a job well done.

Apart from regular inspections, monitoring and training programs, the project director and the four project

Display of posters on daily peptalk with raised platform

Pep talk delivered by seniors




managers were personally involved in instilling a safe work culture across the workforce. In what could be termed as ‘leadership through action’, the project director made it a practice to directly address the workforce sharing details about near miss cases received from the other projects to increase safety awareness levels and to keep raising the safety bar.

Even general visitors to the project site were given a detailed session on safety induction before being granted entry. An induction card, to be used as a ready reckoner, was prepared and handed over to every single visitor to the project site.

The fusion of safety and productivityA unique system called ‘Job Hazard Analysis’ was introduced wherein both the EHS and construction engineers analyzed the hazards of every single task and prepared a report acknowledging their complete understanding of the situation. It was then the responsibility of the site engineer to explain the hazards and mitigation strategies to the workmen before the commencement of daily activities. ‘Safe Work Procedures’ were prepared and followed for all routine and non-routine activities. Pocket guides as ready reckoners were developed and distributed to fabricators and riggers.

To ensure protection from the failure of tools and tackles, a system was devised by which the safety steward would thoroughly inspect and approve all the power tools before use while all regular tools & tackles were color coded. The fabrication shops were inspected and certified on a quarterly basis and a dedicated committee was formed to ensure continual improvement

Working platform to execute critical work at height

in the overall housekeeping of the site. This committee implemented an innovative idea christened ‘Automated Housekeeping’ which yielded amazing results. Simple in approach, the system encouraged workmen to remove small scraps and debris from their respective work sites and deposit them in bins as they proceeded for their breaks and at the end of the day.

Since work progressed 24x7, a stricter vigil was required during night shifts to ensure zero incidents. Once again, as a

mark of commitment towards safety, the senior project management team stepped in and volunteered to conduct daily night shift vigilance tours on rotational basis.

At a project site that sees heavy concreting of over 600 cu.m per day, it was imperative to ensure complete safety while concreting for which the site implemented a system of commencing the activity only after the ‘concrete pour clearance certification’ was received from the concerned safety supervisor.


The constant movement of concrete mixers to enable the concreting raised a lot of dust thus reducing visibility, especially during nights. To tackle this issue, the EHS team arranged for regular water sprinkling to settle the dust and also created a dedicated walkway across the project to prevent pedestrians from stepping into the paths of the trucks and other heavy vehicles. Reflective traffic signage and dedicated signalmen with baton lights were positioned at important junctions of the project roads to guide the drivers.

Among the tallest of structures at the project site was the Natural Draft Cooling Tower that is soon expected to reach a dizzying height of over 170 m. Workmen for such tall structures were specially trained on working-at-height methodologies apart from ensuring that they wore the safety harnesses that were always anchored to safety lifelines.

At the nucleus was the ring liner erectionAt the heart of a nuclear power plant is its reactor building which usually consists of four layers to contain

radiation in an emergency situation. The first layer is the fuel ceramic itself, fuel cladding tubes make up the second layer while the reactor vessel forms the third and the fourth and final protective layer is a reinforced steel structure which is usually attached to a concrete missile shield. This steel structure is an airtight vessel sealing off the reactor vessel from the atmosphere. While there are stringent norms for the design and thickness of the containment structure and the missile shield, it is generally expected to be strong enough to withstand the impact of a fully loaded passenger aircraft without rupturing.

At KAPP, the reactor building’s inner containment wall is about 50 m in diameter made of a 6 mm thick carbon steel liner plate with backing structural members. Called the performed ring liner, several layers of such 5 m high rings were welded together to form the containment structure. Conventionally, this structure would have been assembled in-situ as parts, but the inherent risks of working at heights coupled with several other hazards such as

Earth resistance tester

Ventilation arrangement to exhaust harmful fumes while welding, grinding and gas-cutting

fire (due to welding, gas cutting & grinding), clash of material (due to frequent use of tower cranes) and fall of loose material got the project team working on alternative safe solutions. Challenges also included the delivery of very high welding quality with zero tolerance and perfect vertical and horizontal alignment of plates; an extremely demanding target given the ambient conditions, high wind velocities and working at heights on narrow platforms.

After an in-depth study and analysis, the project team arrived at an innovative idea of assembling the entire performed ring liner comprising 16 panels (10 m long and 5 m high carbon steel plates) on the ground and lift them into position as single cylindrical hollow structures. Weighing 142 t, the ring liner warranted a high capacity crane with special truss arrangement to lift the structure safely to position without causing any structural deformities.

The in-house team at L&T designed and fabricated a spatial ring type truss




weighing 375 t which was hooked up to the crane from 16 points. Using slings and shackles at 80 points, the spatial truss was attached to the performed ring liner. A dedicated team of over a hundred including signalmen, riggers, welders and gas cutters operated out of a barricaded area, the access to which was restricted to everybody else to ensure the highest safety norms.

A well placed work methodology was prepared for the entire sequence after multiple trails in consultation with experts. The entire workforce was briefed on their role and practices for executing relevant work.

Considered the first-ever feat of its kind in the construction industry, this systematic and modularized erection method to create the containment structure has set a national benchmark in both the construction and safe work methodology at a nuclear power project.

Operating cranes … safelyKAPP featured fourteen tower cranes operating in the thick of construction activities in very congested conditions. The crane operators and crew had to be of high caliber to operate in such intricate situations. The stringent screening process followed by rigorous on-the-job training brought the crew up to speed and desired level. Of the various hazards identified, collision due to the tower cranes falling on the same working radius was critical. An anti-collision plan was evolved and administrative control measures were implemented that included:

y Avoiding operation of cranes within a radius of 25 m

y Operators to sound horn on entering overlapping zones

y Operation of the cranes only at lower speeds

y Suspension of crane operations when wind velocities exceeded 45 kmph

y Positioning the lifting hook at the highest point and the trolley near the cabin when cranes were not in use

y All cranes to feature on-board automatic safe load indicators and cut-off mechanisms

All the measures were not only implemented, but strictly monitored for deviations.

For safety from fireFire hydrants were installed in the buildings and at critical locations identified with high fire loads such as stores, carpentry and paint shops. KAPP was one of the first projects to

have installed fire hydrants at the stores building which was identified as a good practice worthy of emulation by other projects sites of L&T Construction. Fire bins were placed at specific locations for the workmen to combat the cold and dissuade them from randomly lighting up fires to keep themselves warm during inclement weather conditions. The project was also equipped with glass-fiber fire blankets to save victims during a fire incident. Regular fire mock drills were conducted for all the workmen on handling hydrant systems and rescuing victims.

Also trending … y Below-the-ground welding,

grinding and gas cutting activities were producing harmful fumes. Adequate ventilation arrangements were made to exhaust the fumes from such workplaces.

y An emergency water sprinkler system was provided at the ice plant

Poster display highlighting right work practices


to dilute ammonia and mitigate a possible emergency situation because of its leakage.

y It was mandated that all buildings should clearly display the floor opening details at its entrance.

y Sufficient man rescue baskets were made available for rescuing victims in case of emergency situations.

y All overhead electrical lines were insulated using a goal post structure along with cautionary signage to ensure safe passage of vehicles underneath.

y Trip hazards were eliminated by applying fluorescent paint over projected parts including protruding rods.

Staying healthy; keeping the environment healthy too Several health camps were conducted and an ambulance was available round the clock at the site with three first aid staff at a medical center and a visiting doctor. On the aspect of environment management, the EHS team innovatively converted waste to productive use. Unwanted concrete cubes were used for traffic management while about 6 tons of scrap metal was used to fabricate drainage grills, delineators, walkways and fire stands. The ambient air quality was constantly monitored as were the noise levels to keep them within permissible levels.

Ring system for identification


Aerial view of the site showing the complexity of work and high-end P&M Water sprinkling system for the ice plant to dilute ammonia to mitigate emergency issues


Storm Water Drainage Works Jabalpur

Hoshiarpur & Jalandhar Sewerage Scheme

Hogenikal Waater Suply Project – PKG 5

GIDC-DAHEJ Water Supply Project, 25 & 50 MGD

Nalgonda UGD & WSS

UGDS & WSIS Nizamabad

Kamal Vihar Project – Raipur

GDWSS – Hyderabad

Rehabilitation and O&M of 110 MGD Bhagirathi WTP

Trans Varuna Sewerage Work Varanasi

Dhanbad Water Supply Project

Areva 125MW CSP Solar Thermal Plant-Pokaran

GCW Package-Pokaran

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Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving three million and more LTI free safe man-hours


Spot the

HAZARDSIf you have spotted the hazards, rush it to [email protected]. First five correct answers will win exciting gifts!


WATER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

One of the toughest tasks of a Municipal Corporation is to keep the taps flowing otherwise

life literally grinds to a standstill and can often lead to, in volatile places like the city of Kolkata, riot-like situations. As the population grows unchecked, this task becomes increasingly more arduous as the infrastructure that has to be either built or enhanced results in chaos and disgruntlement among the citizenry.

Braving all these challenges, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation took up the task of initiating a water supply scheme to meet the demands of potable water supply to the southeastern part of the city. L&T Construction won

the mandate for the Garden Reach project on the strength of being a comprehensive solutions provider for water infrastructure from concept to commissioning. The major scope of the project involved the construction of an intake jetty, pump houses, reservoirs, water treatment plants and transmission mains all to be done in the midst of a teeming city populace and right beside the mighty River Hooghly.

Getting the right men for the right job The work scope of the Garden Reach Water Supply Project was very daunting involving marine piling on the banks of

the Hooghly and the laying of gigantic transmission mains by carefully circumventing vital underground utilities. Hence, the onus on the EHS team was to evolve innovative solutions to safely accomplish these tasks.

Comprehensive in nature, the project saw a high inflow of unskilled and semi-skilled workmen who were deployed simultaneously at the various packages of the project and the need to induct them with the appropriate exposure to the expected standards of safety and to enforce the proper use of PPEs was imperative. Workmen were inducted only after a stringent screening process at a dedicated facility in the site office following which every single workman,

Piling on safety

Flocculator and IPS (Inclined Plate Settler) building



irrespective of working experience, was given a detailed induction that included audio visual presentations apart from talks by senior members of the project and job related training. Periodic training programs were scheduled not only to inculcate a safe work culture but also to help workmen identify hazards or unsafe conditions on their own and take remedial steps. These measures reiterated to them the need to always don PPEs, anchor harnesses and know appropriate responses during crises situations.

Promoting a safe work cultureThe responsibility of creating and maintaining a safe culture is a shared one and to get workmen involved in the process, the EHS team urged them to come up with work-improvement

Scope of works

y 110 MGD jetty along with laying of twin 1829 mm suction pipes

y Raw water pump house of 5210 cu.m / hr capacity

y 50 MGD water treatment plant

y 8.5 MGD clear water reservoir

y Clear water pumping station of 4000 cu.m / hr capacity

y Laying of 1.5 km long 400 mm diameter line from sludge pump house to sludge pond

y Laying of 3.8 km of 1829 mm raw water transmission main from raw water pump house to collection well of water treatment plant

Safe staging and scaffolding installation

EHS walkthrough


of them was adjudged as the ‘Safest Employee of the month’ motivating them to achieve more.

Target zero achieved The construction of the intake jetty on the banks of the Hooghly and the laying of underground transmission mains and pipes along the highly congested city zones posed the biggest problems for the EHS team. The Hooghly is a very aggressive river with a strong flow and 3-metre high tides. Since work was happening at its banks, special safety precautions had to be taken to avoid

incidents. Hard barricading was done during the entire piling operations and MS plates and sand bags were used for workmen to get a sure footing in the slush. Safety nets were extensively used on the outer periphery of the jetty structure to safeguard workmen from falling into the river. Rescue mock drills were conducted to train workmen on the modus operandi in case something untoward occurred despite the barricades, safety harnesses and nets.

The transmission mains cut across densely populated and busy locations of the city. The port area with its heavy

suggestions which fostered a sense of freedom and innovation at work. Good suggestions were rewarded and so were the workmen who were found adhering to all EHS standards with an ‘on the spot’ mobile phone recharge coupon. The site also made it a practice to choose and display an ideal workman’s image as the model on safety signage which became aspirational for other workmen to be so acknowledged which in turn helped achieve better EHS system adherence. The EHS team did not stop with the workmen, even the construction engineers were screened and one


Emergency mock drills and training


container truck traffic posed several risks to the working crew but with dedicated support from the city traffic police department, the EHS team was able to divert traffic to enable excavation for the cut and cover method of pipe laying. Of the utilities that were encountered, live electric cables were lethal, and therefore, an EHS officer was appointed exclusively to study the underground utility situation using a sophisticated utility monitor that indicated the buried utilities. The excavation commenced only after a clearance from the EHS officer who worked on necessary mitigation strategies in consultation with the utility owners in case of interface issues.

Despite drilling through 1953 piles, 50,000 cu.m of excavation, 14,000 cu.m of concreting and 3.5 kilometers of pipe laying, the team emerged successful with zero accidents as envisioned and also managed to clock 2 million injury-free safe man hours.

The EHS roster Inspections

Risks and hazards at the work place were identified and eliminated by the project team through structured inspections. A typical day began with the construction manager and his team inspecting the work site thoroughly and clearing it as safe and conducive for the workmen to enter. On a monthly basis, the cluster EHS manager made an overall inspection of the site, the report of which was made online with a tracking mechanism to work out solutions and compliances.

Infrastructure

Apart from a dedicated safety training hall, the site created a centralized


first aid center for exigencies. An emergency contact list was prepared and prominently displayed across the project for reporting any untoward

incidents. Snake repellent pits were created at remote store and office locations as the area was prone to visits from the slithering species.

Hygiene precautionary measures

Mass EHS awareness to workmen


Initiatives

Apart from the EHS initiatives, the project team gave due importance to the aspects of health and environment too. During the progress of the project, 2200 saplings were planted and over 200 health camps including a few no-tobacco camps were conducted.

The sweet taste of triumph

Safety was seldom seen as a barrier to progress but in fact as a system for better productivity. The Garden Reach Water Supply project has not only achieved a zero accident and clocked 2 million safe man hours but have also bagged the prestigious award from the British Safety Council for 2014 apart from the internal EHS award.


For us, at Garden Reach Water Supply Project, EHS is not just an act, it’s a responsibility to strive for perfection! Not everyone is lucky enough to be on building projects that provide basic amenities like water to people. I consider myself blessed to be working on such projects and as a responsible citizen, I have resolved never to yield to any circumstance to complete the project without any unsafe act.

Our project culture is never on the lines of ‘I tell, you follow’, especially so with safety. We were cautious to build safety as an attitude and not as a concept that is pushed down people’s throat as a bitter pill. This warranted a lot of patience and guidance from the project management team.

Not every result is achieved through conventional means. There are several instances when the situations demand innovative concepts. This project had a lot of scope for such innovation, and together, the team came up with several path-breaking solutions to enhance the overall safety performance because we firmly believed that EHS is the basic foundation upon which a project is built.

G. Somasundaram, Project Manager

Mr. G. Somasundaram, (second form left) Project Manager, 110 MGD Intake Jetty & 50 MGD WTP at Garden Reach, Kolkata receiving the safety award

Classroom EHS training and induction to site engineers


RSP Raurkela

April 2010 to January 2015

BGTL-Gorakhpur

December 2012 to January 2015

765 kV & 400 kV Kudgi Transmission

Line Project

June 2014 to January 2015

5X270 MW Thermal Power Project,

Amravati

July 2011 to February 2015

RGGVY-II Rural Electrification,

Jaunpur

December 2013 to February 2015

400 kV D/C Kurukshetra Jalandhar TL

March 2014 to January 2015

3X660 MW TPS Expansion Project,

Koradi

March 2012 to February 2015

R-APDRP Project, Jalandhar City (Pkg-5)

May 2013 to February 2015

RGGVY-II Rural Electrification,

Lakhimpur

December 2013 to January 2015

765/400 kV GIS Substation, Pune

October 2013 to January 2015

400 kV D/C Khandwa Indore TL

January 2014 to February 2015

DCU & CHS Package, IOCL, Paradeep

Refinery Project

April 2012 to February 2015

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Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving one million and more LTI free safe man-hours


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POWER TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION

L&T Construction’s PT&D IC won the mandate to build the 765 kV Raipur-Wardha Transmission

Line (RWTL), a 125 km hexa type line to evacuate power from the pooling stations in Chhattisgarh by connecting to the western grid through a substation at Wardha (Deoli). Apart from its strategic importance, the RWTL project involved the erection of 309 towers meandering through thick paddy fields and dense forests. Added to these, were the challenges of crossing a river, railway lines and a couple of critical power lines.

While most projects of this nature pose huge challenges, the RWTL project was particularly critical from a safety perspective and it required the combined skills of the execution team to achieve a safety track record that is clearly something to be aspired for. Rigorous systems meticulously followed and implemented with round-the-clock monitoring, over the 4 years that the project took to complete is how they made it happen and be deemed worthy for the EHS Safety Award for 2014-15.

Managing efficiently For ease of managing a huge workforce, a typical pyramid structure was created. 43 supervisors were deployed to manage about 60 teams each comprising a dozen workmen who had the onus of executing foundation, tower erection and stringing activities. For creating and inculcating a safe work culture, the project deployed 21 safety stewards along the length of line.

Work was suspended during the monsoon and was in full swing during

Reaching new heights of safety



the height of the summer months. In soaring temperatures, project activities were suspended between noon and about four p.m. in the evening to ensure that the workmen remained healthy.

Size matters in safety Perhaps, one of the critical areas of working on a transmission line project is working at heights. All the stringent guidelines listed under safe work at heights were adhered to and implemented at all times right from the word ‘go’. An average tower reached a height of 75 m and weighed about 90 tons while the towers erected across Wainganga river soared to heights of 165 m and weighed a massive 461 tons. This called for meticulous planning and close monitoring of safety systems to avert any untoward incidents.

The primary challenge for erecting the towers on the river bed was handling the heavy loads. To ensure safety and timely completion of work, the first two sections of the tower was erected using heavy cranes and from the third section onwards, the segments were erected using gin poles. Though river crossing works were executed on the dry river bed, all precautionary steps were taken to construct 5.5x5.5 m deep foundations, and for galvanised tower member erection works.

As another safety precaution, only certified tools and tackles were used. Safe Working Load (SWL) details were embossed on tools and tackles such as gin poles, pulleys, clamp, D-shackles and wire ropes that were susceptible to wear and tear. Further, the site team ensured periodical third party inspections apart from daily internal inspections prior to the use of these tools and tackles. As an important procedure the Pre-Task


Plan (PTP) detailing the sequence of erection procedures was prepared well before commencing the actual erection which was shared with the entire working crew so that everybody was on the same page.

Perched safely Working at heights is always fraught with danger. To reduce the risks involved, the team strictly implemented the established fall prevention systems apart from considering behavioural aspects and capabilities of workmen deployed for such activities.

¾ Medical fitness: Only medically fit workmen were engaged.

¾ Trade test: Workmen were screened through trade tests

to ascertain that they did not suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights).

¾ Experienced teams: The heights works were only assigned to teams that had prior experience working on transmission line projects for L&T.

¾ External training: Training on a periodical basis with special programs on working at heights was organised through external agencies apart from regular in-house sessions.

¾ Height pass: The team issued height passes only to those assigned to work at heights. Surprise checks were conducted on these height

passes to ensure that only authorized workmen went up the towers.

¾ Observer: An observer was deployed to monitor and report the unsafe behaviour of the workmen while working on towers. Such occurrences were immediately reported to the concerned site/EHS engineer. The observer was also tasked to correct such mistakes of workmen on the spot to avoid recurrence of such safety lapses.

¾ Height watchers: They were deployed in each team with a specific task to closely supervise and ascertain, using binoculars, whether the tower fitters



had anchored their full body harness properly. These height watchers used whistles as signals to warn the fitters whether their harnesses were secured properly and megaphones for alerting and communicating with the working crew.

¾ Color coding: All tools and tackles were inspected by a competent authority as per statutory requirements and color coded – Blue for those fit and Red for the unfit.

¾ Vertical and horizontal lifelines: These were provided for safe ascending, descending and for lateral movements on the tower.

Stringing it safelyThe execution team effectively used licensed walkie-talkies for seamless communication during the stringing activities. For every span, a signalman with a walkie-talkie device was deployed for monitoring and reporting on the movement of wires and intrusions if any. The wires were strung both manually and mechanically. Manually, the conductor was first pulled at the ground level by means of a portable winch machine and tractor was deposited along the line. Each wire was passed through aerial rollers. The final sag was completed through a winch machine. In the mechanical method, a puller and tensioner machine was deployed for pulling the conductor in between the towers after duly clearing the bushes

and other hindrances. The continuous monitoring and communication within the stringing team ensured that both the personnel engaged and the vegetation in the surroundings were not damaged.

A science in material handling For safe and systematic material handling, the 5S technique was adapted in the project. This helped in executing the work in an orderly and efficient manner and in avoiding missing and mixing of parts.

The towers in the project were of different types with diverse parts of varying sizes, weights and length of segments. For safe and systematic material handling, the parts were packed panel-wise according



kit and trained a few crew members to act in emergency situations that could arise. On a monthly basis, mock drills on potential risks such as ‘fall from height’, electrocution, sunstroke, and snakebites were conducted to test the effectiveness of the emergency arrangements. In addition, several other safety systems implemented included:

¾ Chemical snake repellants to keep reptiles at bay

¾ Tower materials were stored only on tarpaulins to avoid rust and for safer handling and housekeeping

¾ Daily pep talks were given to workmen during which information on near miss cases, violations and good practices were shared

¾ On a monthly basis, the most safety conscious workman was identified and rewarded in the presence of the client

¾ Awareness posters were displayed at all worksites to drive home the point of safety

¾ Mock rescue operations from heights were demonstrated using third party agencies on a periodical basis

¾ All unsafe acts were immediately reported by an online EHS monitoring system for immediate compliance. As per the system, a stipulated timeline was fixed depending on the potential risk and when not complied to, the cases were escalated to senior levels of management for further action.


to the type of the tower. Once received at the stores, the tower materials were stacked using name plates and barricades to avoid mixing or missing of parts.

Most of the project locations were remote, lacking proper approach roads. Due to the terrain, the project team customized a tractor trolley with modifications which was used to safely shift the tower materials to the project location. Specific training was given to the tractor and truck drivers and the crane operators on the handling and shifting of tower parts safely.

Being doubly cautious Apart from having every conceivable safety system in place to ensure a safe work environment, the execution team was fully prepared with crises management strategies. An emergency vehicle with a basic first-aid facility was stationed every 30 km throughout the length of the line. The team tied up with nearby hospitals specializing in anti-venom treatments to ensure immediate treatment in case of snakebites. Every worksite had a rescue


Traversing the terrainThe project traversed thick paddy fields where right of way was an issue and then through dense forest where the threats from poisonous reptiles such as snakes loomed large.

Rewards and recognition Though the challenges were many, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the execution team, the 125-km long, 765 kV Raipur-Wardha Transmission Line project clocked approximately 5 million safe man hours. The project also bagged the prestigious British Safety Council International award in 2014 apart from several accolades from a very delighted client.


The 765 kV Raipur – Wardha Transmission Line Project was quite a challenging one bothin terms of execution and safety management. Of the 125 km, about 65 km was through a foresti in hilly terrain. During the monsoon periods, the project activities came to a grinding halt. Even the foundation pits had to be carefully excavated as the black cotton soil prevalent in the region did not offer much rigidity and was collapsing frequently during excavation. The pits also had to be continuously dewatered for even depths of 5 m. A large group of workmen were deployed for each of the foundation works and at the river crossing tower. Since the bottom most leg of the river crossing weighed about 7 t, a tyre mounted 40 t crane was hired and over a hundred workmen were engaged only to feed the crane. Because of the increase in the number of workmen and the difficult working conditions, our site team took all precautionary steps to ensure that safety was never compromised. Once the river crossing tower was completed, we were elated that we had safely installed the country’s tallest 765 kV river crossing tower. When the work was at its peak in the monsoon season, we realized that the chance of epidemics such as malaria was high and promptly engaged doctors for routine camps and ensured that all water bodies near the camps were decontaminated with chlorine. Over 1500 workmen were engaged in the peak period and thanks to the stringent implementation of all the EHS policies and guidelines, we are nearing completion without any notable incidents..

Naga Chaitanya Evani Project Manager

Mr. Naga Chaitanya Evani, (second form left) Project Manager, 765 kV Raipur – Wardha Transmission Line Project receiving the safety award

Edited by Mr. Vinod Jacob Chacko for L&T Construction from L&T Construction Headquarters, Manapakkam, Chennai - 600 089. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Management. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor. Not for sale. Only for circulation among employees of L&T Construction. Printed at Srikals Graphics Pvt. Ltd., Chennai.

The greatest PPE is to

provide a work environment in which PPE is not

needed.

"Safety is, without doubt, the most crucial investment we can make. And the question is

not what it costs us, but what it

saves."On the lower rungs of blaming others and giving excuses for non-performance?

OrOn the upper rungs of owning it, finding solutions

and getting on with it?

Accountability Ladder

po

wer

ful

po

wer

less

get on with it

find solutions

"own it"

acknowledge reality

wait and hope

excuses

blame others

unaware

The Stages of Behaviour Change

There is no shortcut to safety!

There is no escalator/ lift in bringing positive safety behaviour in employees We have definite steps to go through!!

Maintenance(works to sustain the behaviour change)

Preparation(intends to take action)

Precontemplation(unaware of the problem)

Contemplation(aware of the problem and of the desired behaviour change)

Action(practices the desired behaviour)

safety never happens by accident!

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