Indus Valley Times

Undertakes initiatives to sensitize local communities and bolster employee safety

Bhubaneswar,May 3 : On the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, inaugurates a Fire Safety Training Park at its plant in Jharsuguda, one of the largest aluminium smelters in the world. The park will help the company’s Industrial & Fire Safety teams to facilitate live, practical safety demonstrations of fire hazards, their prevention and mitigation, to employees and business partners at the plant. With this, the company recommits itself to further enhancing safety and health at the workplace and ensuring total employee wellbeing.

 Speaking about Vedanta Aluminium’s endeavours to raise the bar for safety and health at work, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Limited – Aluminium Business, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium,the safety and health of our people are of utmost importance to us, and rank as non-negotiable parameters of our operational excellence. Our operations features best-in-class safety technologies that remind and reinforce safety-first practices at the workplace. This is augmented by behaviour-based safety initiatives that are applicable to each of our employees.Innovations such as the Fire Safety Park help immensely in spreading awareness of safety practices and making them accessible to more people.”

 Vedanta Aluminium carried out a week-long series of initiatives at its operations in Jharsuguda, aimed at demonstrating safety practices to its employees and enhancing community preparedness. Recently, a fire prevention training and awareness program on ‘Awareness in Fire Safety for Growth of National Infrastructure’, was also organized in association with the Rotary Club of Jharsuguda for the residents of Jharsuguda.

At BALCO, India’s iconic aluminium producer in Korba, Chhattisgarh, over 500 employees were provided fire fighting training, especially on mitigating scenarios such as kitchen fires and gas leakages. Mock drills were also undertaken at several locations within the plant, dealing with workplace-related scenarios such as work-at-height, confined space and fire & chemical hazards. Rescue techniques and tools, such as utilising full body harnesses, were also showcased. BALCO’s Fire & Rescue teams led these sessions.

At the company’s alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Kalahandi district, Odisha, employees participated in a wellness awareness session which focused on sharing insights on both physical and mental wellness, including stress control, cardiovascular health and maintaining healthy lifestyles. This was augmented by a community awareness drive in the villages located in the vicinity of the plant. Participants were taught the method of administering emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A rapid response awareness program was also organised where community members were provided insights on techniques to respondto natural disasters, fires and other calamities.

Vedanta Aluminium is working extensively towards creating a safer workplace and community by constantly assessing and augmenting its Safety Management System with cutting-edge technologies, robust processes and an unrelenting focus on ensuring behaviour-based safety. Some notable safety practices undertaken by the company are:

Leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality(VR)technologies to impart immersive safety trainings to the workforce, preparing them for actual field work in a safe manner

Sankalp, a Safety Culture Transformation Programme implemented by Vedanta Aluminium across all its operations

Safety Stand Down, a programme wherein leadership teams engage with employees and business partners on various facets of health, safety and environment, to build a holistic safety-first culture

Regular Mock Drills & Safety Awareness Sessions organized in collaboration with National Disaster Reduction Force (NDRF) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA)

‘Pehchan’ safety induction programme that seeks to build a safety-first culture amongst new recruits and introduce them to robust safety management systems

Fire Stewards initiative wherein fire safety personnel sensitise business partners on fire safety, onsite emergency plans and the basics of firefighting

Fire, electrical & household-safety training sessions for school students and community members by employee volunteers of the company

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.