Press Releases

Vedanta Jharsuguda wraps 50th National Safety Month with a virtual ceremony

Jharsuguda; Odisha; April 14th, 2021: Vedanta Jharsuguda, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, conducted a virtual ceremony to wrap up 50th National Safety Month in the presence of Mr. Swaroop Jena, Deputy Director of Factories & Boilers, Odisha, Mr. Manoj Mishra, Assistant Director of Factories and Boilers, Odisha and its leadership. During the ceremony, the company also promoted behaviour-based safety at the workplace by felicitating its employees and business partners for ensuring safety in its operations.

Vedanta observed the 50th National Safety Month from 4th March to 3rd April 2021. As part of the observance, awareness campaigns, competitions, quizzes, interactive sessions and various activities like safety slogan writing, safety rallies, etc. were conducted for employees and business partners in line with this year’s National Safety Day theme ‘Learn from disaster and prepare for a safer future’.

Speaking about the company’s safety-first culture,  Mr. CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “Vedanta’s operations are governed by robust safety standards and rigorous processes.  Our business imperatives are founded on the premise of ‘Zero Harm, Zero Waste & Zero Discharge’. Endeavours by our world-class operations towards ensuring best-in-class safety performance are reinforced through the adoption of global best practices while nurturing a ‘Culture of Care’ for all our stakeholders.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Swaroop Jena, Deputy Director of Factories & Boilers, Odisha, said, “I appreciate Vedanta for being the frontbencher in terms of safety compliances and culture. I am sure that the company will continue to ensure zero unsafe act and condition at its shopfloors promising a safe and healthy environment for every stakeholder by constantly upgrading its safety practices.”

Vedanta is extensively working towards creating a safe workplace by constantly bolstering and enhancing its Safety Management System for which it has also won several accolades including CII’s 16th Safety Award, Greentech Safety Award, Kalinga Safety Excellence award, etc. over the years. Some of the best safety practices and notable initiatives by the company are-

• Last month the company launched an e-Learning CHESS [Consolidated Health, Environment, Safety and Sustainability (HSE&S)] module for the leadership, covering the different aspects of the HSE&S functions. Takeaways from this module will be further imparted to other employees and business partners and practised in Vedanta’s day to day operations.
• Vedanta has institutionalized Visible Felt Leadership programme where the leadership teams regularly visit shopfloors and interact with employees keeping a close check of their safety.
• With its Safety Booster Program, the company aims to overcome safety gaps arising out of cultural and behaviour issues and instil a culture of safety through coaching, counselling, monitoring and feedback on safety behaviour.
• Vedanta has formed an all-women fire-fighting team ‘Agnivahini’ who have been meticulously trained to act efficiently and effectively during emergencies.
• The company’s robust Safety MIP (Management in Place) allows it to deploy personnel with the required safety skillset, knowledge and attitude at the right place within the safety structure, making safety a shared responsibility. Additionally, it also has Safety Scorecards for leadership & business partners that link performance with safety at the site.
• At regular intervals, Vedanta conducts 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.
• Recently, in line with its continuous attempts to spread safety awareness beyond its operations, Vedanta has rolled out a new initiative where they share public safety messages with the Jharsuguda community through commonly used social media platforms.

Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the green metal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. With their best practices in safety and sustainability, and social interventions in the community, the company is working towards a greener future in both environmental, and social domains – sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, quality education, health, water and sanitation, bio-investment and community infrastructure reaching out to a total of  72 villages in Jharsuguda and nearby areas, benefiting nearly 80,000 people in a year.