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. The company organised a week-long exhibition at the Steelenium Hall within the Tata Steel Works in Jamshedpur. The event showcased safety procedures and initiatives of the company's various departments.

Celebrating National Safety Day on April 4, 2004, at the steel works in Jamshedpur, Tata Steel presented over 50 awards in recognition of safe practices, activities and awareness, to the various divisions of the company.

Present at the function conducted by AD Baijal, vice president (RM and IM), Tata Steel, was special guest AK Choudhary, deputy chief inspector of factories, government of Jharkhand. Dr T Mukherjee, deputy managing director (steel), Tata Steel, was the chief guest, while RBB Singh, president, Tata Workers Union, was 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; Work Permit Systems and Vendors' 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 great experience in handling hazardous materials and conditions safely. He also said that the system of Total Preventive Maintenance, being implemented in the company will not only enhance performance but will also ensure safe working practices and conditions.

AK Choudhary and RBB 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.

Also present at the function were several senior officials from the management including AN Singh, deputy managing director (corporate services), Tata Steel, UK Chaturvedi (VP-LP), Tata Steel, HM Nerurkar, VP FP, Tata Steel, and RP Singh, VP (engineering services and products), and also included officials of the Tata Workers Union, such as Raghunath Pandey, deputy president and DK Singh, general secretary.