Safety thought leadership needs to be backed up with a clear, actionable to-do list. In the context of Indian organizations, the chance of failure is higher due to the tension between deadline-oriented workmanship and safety-oriented workmanship. These two are often pitched against each other, particularly in industrial and construction engineering domains.
The mindset we have as a collective plays a significant role in shaping our behavior. In a previous article, we examined behavior-based safety through the lens of practical approach and on-ground realities. In this article, we will focus on actionable steps that safety officers can follow to drive better, safer outcomes.
Get Safety on ‘the’ Agenda
For any action to have a meaningful response, its resultant consequences must be fully understood. Just like how a carefully designed lifting plan ensures a higher success ratio and fewer accidents, safety officers need to embed statutory compliance into the fabric of the workplace and ensure every individual understands it. This begins with planning, policy research, and the development of practical solutions.
Compliance is not just about reading from a legislative book; it’s about standing on equal footing with engineers and workers to solve real problems. When safety officers actively engage in problem-solving, it lifts the confidence of the workforce and demonstrates positive intent to management—both of which are critical to a safe working environment. Therefore, a safety officer’s role extends beyond enforcement—it is about fostering collaboration and enabling safer ideas.
Safety Must Have Ideas
Creating a culture of safety is not just about following protocols; it's also about innovating and improving safety practices. Safety officers must cultivate safer, better ideas that address real challenges at the workplace. While budgets, red tape, and poor workforce attitudes can sometimes derail safety policies, internal setbacks like a lack of technical knowledge, due diligence, or insufficient communication can also lead to gaps in safety.
As a trained professional, the safety officer must embody the voice of reason and logic. Safety veterans often state that safety is more intuitive than the work itself, as the very act of living relies on it. With the right balance of observation and discretion, a safety officer’s task is to identify and address even the smallest unsafe aspects of the work environment.
Safety Means Savings
Here’s a real-world example of how safety directly translates to savings and operational efficiency. A new construction project was underway beside a busy highway. As part of the contractor’s obligations, a food canteen was set up to serve workers. However, the canteen was located across the highway, and workers had to cross it multiple times a day during their breaks.
While this may seem like a trivial issue, the safety officer realized that the time wasted and the risk of crossing the highway could lead to significant costs. The workers’ breaks were 15-20 minutes, but the time it took to cross the highway often stretched to 30-45 minutes due to the heavy traffic. This not only increased the time spent on breaks but also led to productivity losses.
Here’s how the safety officer calculated the hidden cost:
- Number of workers: 2000
- Daily wages for a semi-skilled laborer: INR 320/day
- Allotted break time: 20 minutes (avg.)
- Actual break time: 45 minutes (avg.)
- Wasted time: 25 minutes per worker/day
- Wages lost (wasted time): INR 16.66 per worker/day
Monetary loss due to aggregated time loss (over a 2-year project duration):
Wages Lost (per day per worker)×Number of Workers×Project Duration=16.66×2000×600=INR 1,99,92,000 (Nearly 2 Crore INR)Wages\ Lost\ (per\ day\ per\ worker) \times Number\ of\ Workers \times Project\ Duration = 16.66 \times 2000 \times 600 = INR\ 1,99,92,000 \ (Nearly\ 2\ Crore\ INR)Wages Lost (per day per worker)×Number of Workers×Project Duration=16.66×2000×600=INR 1,99,92,000 (Nearly 2 Crore INR)
By relocating the canteen to the same side as the construction site, the safety officer saved both time and money, and reduced the exposure to risk for all the workers. The supervisor initially dismissed the idea, thinking the cost of setting up a new canteen would outweigh the benefits. But once the safety officer presented the detailed report showing the actual cost of wasted time, the supervisor accepted the suggestion.
This example underscores the importance of on-the-spot thinking and precise reasoning with measurable outcomes. Sometimes, it’s not about stubborn management decisions—it’s about recognizing the hidden costs of doing nothing. Practical, logical solutions often have the most significant impact on workplace safety and efficiency.
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