BALCO Promotes Fire Safety Awareness and Excellence Through Week-long Campaign
25th April 2024
Balconagar, April 25, 2024: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s leading aluminium producer and a part of Vedanta Aluminium, celebrated National Fire Service Week with a dedicated fire safety campaign. The campaign, theme ‘Ensure Fire Safety, Contribute Towards Nation Building’, was aimed at enhancing fire safety awareness and preparedness in the company’s operations and beyond. The week-long initiative engaged over 2,000 participants, including employees, school students, and community members, who were sensitized to create a fire-safe environment through a variety of activities.
Initiated on April 14, the week featured a series of engaging competitions including quizzes, drawing contests, and slogan competitions, emphasizing the importance of fire safety. BALCO also conducted comprehensive safety training sessions to raise awareness about fire prevention measures. The highlight of the event was a special ‘Nukkad Natak’ (street play) based on fire safety guidelines and preparedness.
The event culminated with BALCO felicitating outstanding contributors to fire safety from different departments and sub-business units within the company, highlighting their efforts in ensuring safety within plant premises. Professionals from other businesses around Korba, including representatives from NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) also participated in the week-long campaign.
Mr. Rajesh Kumar, CEO and Director of BALCO, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to safety, stating, “Awareness is crucial for prevention. At BALCO, we prioritize safety by fostering awareness among employees and communities to effectively prevent and manage fire and safety incidents. Through proactive measures, resource allocation, and harnessing cutting-edge technology, we are not just keeping pace but staying ahead in safeguarding our operations and the community around us. Together, we are committed to fostering a safer and more secure tomorrow for all.”
Mr. Ashok Prasad, Assistant Commandant from NTPC Fire Department said, “I commend BALCO for their proactive and collaborative approach in managing safety incidents swiftly. The exemplary cooperation and mutual aid between fire units in the area not only emphasize collective readiness but also underscore their strong support towards the community. During the felicitation ceremony, I witnessed BALCO’s dedication to upholding the highest safety standards, reflecting their efforts to ensure a safe working environment for all.”
BALCO’s Fire Safety team is dedicated to ensuring safety by protecting people in and around plant operations during emergency situations. Some highlights from the fire department in the last financial year include:
- Responding to over 200 emergencies.
- Conducting comprehensive fire safety training for over 4,000 individuals, including instructions on fire extinguisher use, CPR techniques, and fire prevention protocols, enhancing emergency response readiness.
- Conducting over 70 mock drills in areas surrounding its operations, showcasing rapid response capabilities.
- Inaugurating three new high-performance fire tenders equipped with cutting-edge features to enhance safety in the vicinity.
- Fire safety teams logged over 9,000 standby hours, ensuring readiness for prompt response to emergency situations.
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 51% by Vedanta Limited and 49% by the Government of India. BALCO is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading 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.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading 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.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
