Prioritizing a ‘Zero Harm’ Culture Amid Unfortunate Workplace Tragedies

NEW DELHI (India CSR Exclusive): Vedanta Limited, a leading global natural resources company, released its annual report for the fiscal year 2022-23, revealing a somber side to its operations – 13 unfortunate fatalities occurred within the company. As the firm mourns these tragic losses, it’s reinforcing its commitment to creating a safer and healthier work environment.

The latest data shows that the number of injuries causing workers to miss work time has gone down between FY 2022 and FY 2023. Specifically, the rate of these injuries among employees dropped by 20%, going from 0.55 to 0.44. For other workers, the decrease was 8.47%, with the rate falling from 0.59 to 0.54.

Recognizing the Losses: The Human Cost of Operation

The fiscal year 2022-23 was marked with grief for Vedanta Limited as the company suffered the loss of 13 lives due to workplace accidents. The tragic fatalities have deeply affected the organization and serve as a stark reminder of the critical importance of safety at work.

Response to the Tragedy: A Renewed Focus on Safety

In response to the tragedies, Vedanta has amplified its focus on risk management, with respective business CEOs actively overseeing the execution of safety protocols.

Building upon the learnings from the fatalities, the company is improving its safety infrastructure, increasing training frequency, and fast-tracking the roll-out of the Critical Risk Management (CRM) module.

This strategic approach is aimed at mitigating three major risk areas – vehicle-pedestrian interaction, working at heights, and uncontrolled energy release.

Safety Performance Metrics: The Numbers Speak

Vedanta’s safety performance is measured using the Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR), which counts the number of fatalities, lost-time injuries, and other injuries requiring treatment per million hours worked.

Addressing the Root Causes of Fatalities: Identifying and Tackling Key Areas

The analysis of fatal injuries has identified man-machine interaction, vehicle driving, and structural stability as the top three causes of fatalities this year. Recognizing these critical areas, Vedanta has implemented safety measures to prevent future incidents, which include:

1. Implementing Critical Risk Management (CRM): Vedanta has applied a scientific approach to analyze the root causes of fatalities and implement corrective actions.
2. Improving Safety Infrastructure: A safe work environment is a priority. The company is investing in better infrastructure, such as installing pathways with guiderails and separate roads for ash dumpers.
3. Providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): To further protect its employees and contractors, the company ensures that PPE tailored to specific risks is readily available.

Beyond the Tragedy: Commitment to ‘Zero Harm’ Culture

The unfortunate fatalities have served as a crucial wake-up call for Vedanta, prompting it to reassess its safety protocols and working conditions. As the company mourns its losses, it also continues its pursuit of its ‘Zero Harm’ culture, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of its employees.

Safety Improvements Noted Between FY22 and FY23, Though Employee Fatalities Increase

According to recent data, there has been a significant decrease in the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) for both employees and workers from FY 2022 to FY 2023. The LTIFR for employees fell by 20%, from 0.55 to 0.44, while workers experienced an 8.47% drop, from 0.59 to 0.54.

This positive trend continued in the number of total recordable work-related injuries, which also decreased across both groups. Employee injuries dropped by 18.92%, from 37 in FY 2022 to 30 in FY 2023. Worker injuries also fell, albeit less dramatically, from 279 to 271, representing a 2.87% decrease.

However, a rise in the number of fatalities among employees was noted, with one fatality reported in FY 2023 compared to none in the previous fiscal year. The number of fatalities among workers remained constant at 12 in both years.

For the category of high-consequence work-related injury or ill-health, excluding fatalities, there was no available data for either employees or workers in FY 2022 or FY 2023. This lack of data may suggest that there were no incidents of this nature during these years, or that the organization did not track this specific category of safety incidents.

While the data indicates overall progress in workplace safety measures, the rise in employee fatalities underscores the continuous need for vigilance and improvement in safety protocols.

Comparative Analysis of Safety-Related Incidents: FY 2022 – FY 2023

Analysis:

1. The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) decreased for both employees (-20.00%) and workers (-8.47%) from FY 2022 to FY 2023, indicating an improvement in safety conditions.
2. The total number of recordable work-related injuries also decreased for both groups. Employees saw a decrease of nearly 19%, while workers saw a smaller decrease of nearly 3%.
3. The number of fatalities among workers remained constant, with 12 fatalities reported in both FY 2022 and FY 2023. Unfortunately, there was an increase in employee fatalities, from 0 in FY 2022 to 1 in FY 2023.
4. The category of high-consequence work-related injury or ill-health excluding fatalities does not have available data for either year or group. This lack of data might be due to several factors, including the possibility that there were no incidents in this category or that the organization does not track this specific type of incident.

Annual Changes in Key Safety Indicators: FY 2021 – FY 2023

Note: The “% Change” column represents the percentage growth or decrease from the previous fiscal year to the current fiscal year.

The percentage change is calculated as ((new value – old value) / old value) * 100. The sign indicates whether it is a growth (+) or a decrease (-).