“We can buy a man’s time, we can buy his physical presence at a given place, we can buy a measured number of skilled muscular motions per hour. But we cannot buy enthusiasm, we cannot buy loyalty, we cannot buy the devotion of heart, mind, or soul. We must earn these.”
— Clarence Francis
A Culture of Safety
As outlined in our Company’s Safety Policy, a Company can gain competitive advantage by supplying superior products and services. But at the heart of it all, are the people who create, innovate, and ultimately make the difference between success and failure.
On 4 March, 2002, while transferring Storwel door material by trolley from one place to another, one of our workmen, P.N. Salkar, was injured on the left eyelid. The accident was an eye-opener. It was resolved that the Department would become an accident-free zone, without even a single minor accident, for all 365 days of the year.
Workmen of the Final Assembly Department (welded products) of Storwel Division enthusiastically demonstrated their involvement and propagation of the “Safety Culture”. All members of the Department were made aware of the suffering of the injured person, the inconvenience faced by the injured person and his family members on a day-to-day basis, the financial setback, the impact of absenteeism on the job and the feeling of helplessness on the part of the injured person.
The goal was achieved and the first shift on 4 March, 2003 (exactly 365 days later) saw employees contributing money, distributing sweets and celebrating the occasion. A.S. Mathur, Storwel Division Head, Z. H. Marolia, General Manager (Manufacturing), Safety Officer R. A. Bagi and Personnel Officer Girish Parekh were among the invitees.
P.N. Salkar, the injured Workman, spoke in detail of the suffering he and his family had to undergo following his accident. He explained how the Department worked safely throughout the year under the leadership of the Final Assembly Department Head, D.V. Malpekar.
The Safety measures undertaken by the Department included:
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A Department Safety Notice Board was initiated immediately after the accident. The Board displays names of Safety Committee members, data of the last accident, details about daily safety procedures, information about ideal practices in safety, etc. It is monitored daily and maintained by Department employees.
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A Toolbox Meeting is conducted in the Department every day before the start of the (working) shift wherein all workmen assemble in the Department and talk about any one aspect of safety. This lasts for a maximum of three to five minutes.
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A Department Safety Meeting is conducted every fortnight and minutes of the meeting are displayed on the Notice Board.
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Hazards in the Department are monitored every day by way of a checklist, which is displayed on the Notice Board.
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Up-to-date information is displayed on the Notice Board and discussed by the team, thus inculcating a culture of involvement, change and awareness in employees.
The “Safety Culture” needs to spread across the organisation to make Godrej an ideal working place.
A.S. Mathur
Storwel Division
