In India, around 80 per cent of the estimated 465 million-strong workforce is not protected by the existing health and safety legal framework. However, awareness about adopting safety measures at workplace is increasing in India. The best evidence of raising standards of health and safety in the country is the fact that Indian companies won the maximum number of the prestigious Sword of Honour and The Globe of Honour safety awards given by the British Safety Council in 2019. The British Safety Council - one of the world’s leading health, safety and environmental (HSE) organisations - has been helping organisations across the globe to look after their people for more than 60 years. In this interview with Rakesh Rao of IPF, Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of British Safety Council, highlights the importance of workplace safety and having an effective HSE management system.

 

Are industries safer today compared to a decade ago? What factors have contributed to this change? 

 

Occupational safety in India is much better than what it used to be many years ago. The participation and awareness are much higher. Since the last 5 or 6 years, the media has also started giving a lot of importance to terms like safety at the workplace. The general awareness and compliance to safety measures have improved over the years, although a lot still needs to be done. Manufacturing companies these days go for ISO – 45001 or BSC standard audits to ensure best safety standard practices. All this is helping workplace safety because operations are assessed for safety measures, report on number of fatalities, risk assessment, training programs etc. The other factors in improving occupational safety is initiatives like engaging an external auditor to carry out audit for companies in addition to the ones that they already have internally. 

 

All in all, organisations have shown a strong desire to transform their approach and we have seen a demonstration of that progressively. In the construction sector, companies approach us to assess the behavioral issues of workers who cause incidents which can harm other workers and ask us on how to tackle these issues. Some infrastructure projects like ports go for integrated audit which includes health and safety along with environment audit. 

 

Where do you see India vis-à-vis other developing countries when it comes to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards? What lessons can India learn from safety standard practiced abroad? 

 

In India, more companies need to create a culture of health and safety compliance, which is commonplace in Europe and in some countries in Asia, such as Singapore. The government regulators should introduce a system of checks, applicable also to contractors who should be legally obliged to uphold industry standards, have their work monitored and be penalised for breaking them. In India, there are contractors which uphold only basic legal requirements and safety is low on their list of priorities. They tend to take risks, putting their workers at risk.

 

What differentiates best performing companies is their commitment to health, safety and wellbeing of their employees. A good reflection of this is answers to questions such as: What are the values of the company? How does the company handle its safety measures? Does its senior leadership review its safety performance? These aspects are indicative of the safety culture of the organisation. 

 

Which are the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) issues that need urgent attention of the industry and the policy makers?

 

Currently, the issue of presenteeism is a growing concern in most organisations. This is an issue we are committed to raising awareness about. Presenteeism can be characterised by workers who are physically present in the workplace, but who aren’t working as productively or safely as they should be due to physical or mental ill-health or injury. Over the last five years or so, a growing understanding of wellbeing, and in particular, mental wellbeing is also increasing. This is extremely timely, as issues around wellbeing are being amplified, and will continue to be, by changing work patterns, the increasing pace of life, and the now almost total dependence on technology. 

 

Is number of Indian companies going for HSE accreditation increasing? 

 

During our presence in India, we have seen an improvement in general awareness and compliance with safety measures, although a lot still needs to be done. Manufacturing companies increasingly seek to achieve ISO certification and also apply for our standard audits. The best evidence of raising standards of health and safety in India is the fact that this year 41 Indian companies won Sword of Honour. DLF, a leading commercial property developer in India, received the highest number of Sword of Honour awards achieved by a single organisation in each of the past two years, ie 11 awards in 2018 and 13 in 2019. 

 

The ISO 45001, considered one of the most important health and safety management standard ever developed, is already fully absorbed into the specification for the Five Star Health and Safety Audit. So, all the companies applying for it will have to demonstrate their compliance with these highest international standards.

 

As companies aim for sustainable development, where does HSE fits in? 

 

In the UK three-quarters of the total cost of workplace injury and illness of £ 14.1 billion is due to health issues. But there is a complication in terms of the business case - that being, the latency to see a return on investment. This is clearly a reason, but there are also others, for example the fact that health is seen as a very ‘personal’ matter, and also one that is very hard to deliver. So, more robust interventions like HSE accreditations are needed to address these issues if we are to drive improvement and make businesses sustainable for the future. 

 

What are the initiatives undertaken by the British Safety Council India for increasing workplace safety in the country?

 

An example of a service used extensively in India is our gap audit which is less common in the UK or Middle East. Many Indian companies planning to undertake our Five Star Audit want to ensure that they have a good chance of securing a Five-Star Rating the first time they are audited. A gap audit helps them to identify the weaknesses in their systems before they undertake the Five Star Audit. As a next step, we provide the consultancy so we can “hand-hold” these companies. It includes bespoke workshops and training, help with improvement of their documentation and advice on how they can improve. 

 

We have also identified several training centers which help us to deliver training courses leading to our Certificate level and Diploma level British Safety Council Qualifications. The British Safety Council approves these centers looking at their infrastructure and polices, as well as the quality of training they deliver. 

 

In November 2018, the British Safety Council launched the India Safety Leadership Group, a forum for its members in India to share best practice and expertise in health, safety and wellbeing and lead broader change across all sectors. We run workshops, webinars and provide training to internal auditors, as well as consultancy support. The Leadership Group is an important consultation platform to ensure, such products meet the requirements of the Indian market.

 

What are your plans for British Safety Council in India?

 

We are one of the largest international providers of high-quality health, safety and environmental consultancy services, training and audits. In India, we have more of audit services. However, there is a growing demand for services such as training, e-learning and new offerings such as culture change consultancy. We are planning to get into this stage as well for Indian companies.

 

Now, plans are in the offing to start a program next year that focuses on improving general safety awareness among school children. The idea is to help them understand the concept of safety from a tender age which will bring in more positive results when the generation eventually joins the workforce.