Jamshedpur: Tata Steel has declared 2004 as the "Year of Safety". Safety has always been a prime concern of the company, which has institutionalised its efforts by creating a documented safety policy, and a division dedicated to safety.

In a function held today at the Steel Works in Jamshedpur, Tata Steel celebrated National Safety Day, and presented over 50 awards in recognition of safe practices, activities and awareness, among the various divisions of the company.

AK Choudhary, deputy chief inspector of factories, government of Jharkhand, was present at the function. Dr T Mukherjee, deputy managing director (steel), Tata Steel, was the chief guest, while RBB Singh, president, Tata Workers Union was the guest of honour.

OB Krishna, chief of safety and ergonomics, elaborated on the many new initiatives that had been introduced in the past year, which included the Online Safety Improvement System, an escalating logging system, which saw over 30,000 risks logged and rectified within 10 months of its operation, the Online Incident Reporting System, to capture incidents / near misses in order to identify root causes and initiate preventive and corrective measures, and the Work Permit Systems and Vendor's empanelment system based on safety performance.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mukherjee said that Tata Steel had world class facilities, world class employees and now strives to have a world class safety performance. For this, Tata Steel plans to attain OHSAS 18001 certification for safety compliance and is prepared to meet the stringent requirements in word and spirit. To attain this goal, Tata Steel is calling on the best consultants in the field of safety, namely Du Pont Safety Services, who have vast experience in safely handling hazardous materials and conditions. Also, the system of Total Preventive Maintenance not only enhances performance, but also ensures safe working practices and conditions.

Mr Choudhary and Mr Singh reiterated the conviction and principle of educating and generating awareness in following safety rules. They stressed that proactive identification of hazardous conditions is the key to better safety.