Tag Archives: Safe India

MY INDIA SAFE INDIA VII.

Trust all my readers are safe and are on top of the world. The summer had been hot and it was certainly energy sapping. It says that we need to take care of our Planet better than what we are currently doing. Everyone has a role to play and safety professionals a greater role. Let us all together keep this planet of ours safe and sustainable for generations to come.

Continuing their conversation Maggie and Jaggy discuss the Gemba Walk to improve and implement safety in work places. Let us join and listen in.

Maggie: “Hello Jaggy!”

Jaggy: “Hello Maggie! Trust all is well with you.”

Maggie: “Yes Jaggy as usual on Top of the world.”

Jaggy: “Great to hear.”

Maggie: “In our last conversation you were talking about a Gemba walk right.”

Jaggy: “Yes I remember and now you want to know more about it.”

Maggie: “Absolutely!”

Jaggy: “To implement safety as a culture and to ensure all are on the same page certain systems have to be put in place. One such system is a Gemba Walk.”

Maggie: “Can you please explain more clearly?”

Jaggy: “First you need to understand what does Gemba mean?”

Maggie: “So what exactly does it mean?”

Jaggy: “Gemba in Japanese means real place, or the place where value is created. This actually means nothing but a work place be it a shop floor in a factory or any office for that matter.”

Maggie: “So in essence a Gemba walk means walk through the work place.”

Jaggy: “Yes that is correct. Walking through the workplace when everyone is working.”

Maggie: “But how does just walking about a work place or shop floor improve on the safety?”

Jaggy: “Gemba walks are not for safety alone but can be used in a number of ways. The walks when done with a purpose will not only increase productivity but can address a lot of other concerns too.”

Maggie: “Come to the point Jaggy! Let us talk only about Safety.”

Jaggy: “Gemba walks were developed in Toyota keeping view their policy of continuous improvement which in Japanese is called Kaizen.”

Maggie: “Sounds great. Even I have heard of Kaizen.”

Jaggy: “Safety Gemba walks have a 3 elements. 1. Go and See. 2. Ask questions. 3. Show respect.”

 Maggie: “Can you be more specific?”                

Jaggy: “The first thing any safety official will do is to go and see the place where work is being done. He will see whether the safety policy and compliances are being followed or not. He will observe if there are any violations, minor or major and make a note. 2. He or she will ask questions on the process, compliance and mistakes. Suggestions for improvement are also asked. 3. He or she will show respect by not insulting the employees at that place even if a violation is observed.

Maggie: “How does this help?”

Jaggy: “This helps in 1. Compliance and standards are being followed. 2. Employees being a part of suggestions and improvements. 3. Correction of unsafe conditions on the spot. 4. Brain storming on how improvements can be made or maintaining the standards at all times. As the employees are involved throughout this helps the managements improve productivity as well as safety.

Maggie: “Are there any checklists for the walks?”

Jaggy: “Yes there are checklists which are designed by the managements according to their standards and best work practice.”

Maggie: “What should be the frequency of such Gemba Walks?”

Jaggy: “The frequencies can be fixed. Walks can happen as per a fixed schedule or sometimes even impromptu. These walks are intended to catch people doing the right thing rather than the wrong ones.”

Maggie: “Thanks Jaggy on enlightening me. This was certainly a good discussion. We will catch up on more such safety aspects soon.”

Jaggy: “Sure Maggie stay safe, be safe.”

I would like to all my readers to share in the comments section whether Safety Gemba walks are done at your work place and when would you plan to do the same in your workplace. Please let me know how useful are all my blogs till date. Just stay safe and be safe till my next blog.

LIVE LIFE – SAVE LIFE.

Seshadri Varadarajan.

MY INDIA- SAFE INDIA I.

A HAPPY 75TH INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL MY READERS FROM INDIA AND ACROSS THE WORLD.

Independence brings upon us great glory but at the same time, increases responsibility in whatever we do. We have the power in us to reach great heights. The heights reached by independent India have been well documented and known to the entire world. The strides we have made as a Nation are enormous and made us the talk of the world. Euphoria of celebration is in the air all over the country and let us all soak in the moment. India takes pride in how far we have come as a country and Indians have incredible faith in how far we can go. Let us take India to unimaginable heights by just doing a bit more than what we do. But to achieve all this, Safety is paramount. I have been doing my bit for the past 3 years writing on First Aid, Fire Fighting and Rescue, Motivation. As I enter into my 4th year of blogs, I thank each and every one of you for the unstinted support. More than the praise, it was the critical feedback which has helped me improve.

Jaggy and Maggie have created a lot of awareness on various aspects of first aid through their conversations. Most of the readers believe that they should have a lot of conversations. In a fresh series of conversations, they will be discussing a lot of aspects on Safety. Safety is ever evolving and this is my attempt to make India and the world as a whole, a safer place to live in.

Over to Jaggy and Maggie.

Maggie: “HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, JAGGY!”

Jaggy: “Yes. HAPPY 75TH INDEPENDENCE DAY TO YOU TOO!”

Maggie: “75 years and we have grown so much, is it not?”

Jaggy: “We have grown to a large extent and the world knows it.”

Maggie: “We are indeed a great country, Jaggy and I am proud of that.”

Jaggy: “Me too, Maggie, at the same time I want to make it a Safe Country, too.”

“Maggie: Are we not safe in the country? What do you mean?”

Jaggy: “My meaning of a Safe country is to minimize loss of life and injuries everywhere across the country.”

Maggie: “Everywhere?

Jaggy: “Yes, ‘everywhere’ meaning home, work place, roads, travel, occupational, behaviour, leadership and health.”

Maggie: “I get it, but I have a question. What is Safety?”

Jaggy: “Safety is everything. It is a Culture, which when implemented and imbibed, makes life a lot easier.”

Maggie: “Please explain in simple terms. I don’t want your philosophy.”

Jaggy: “Safety is an easy ABC. Always Be Careful.

Maggie: “How can we be careful at all times? Is it practically possible?”

Jaggy: “Not every time but most of the time.”

Maggie: “How can we be careful at all times?”

Jaggy: “By taking responsibility.

Maggie: “How?”

Jaggy: “Your first responsibility is towards yourself to not get injured. Second responsibility is towards your family. When we are injured, they suffer. Third responsibility is towards your organization and for the people whom you work with. Fourth, it is for the country and your countrymen.”

Maggie: “You mean to say Safety is the responsibility of every one.”

Jaggy: “Without a doubt.”

Maggie: “Can you give me more clarity on this.”

Jaggy: “Let me tell you a story. In a school, a girl was studying in the primary class. She used to be good in studies, sharp at grasping and excelled in whatever she did. Yet the teacher was perturbed.”

Maggie: “Why?”

Jaggy: “The girl though outstanding in the class was very shabby in appearance. Badly dressed, poor hygiene. The teacher used to wonder what is wrong with the kid till one fine day she took action.”

Maggie: “What action did she take?”

Jaggy: “She followed the girl to her home. While following her, she came to know that this girl came from a place which was filthy and dirty. The less said about the home of the girl and the parents. This shocked the teacher but also spurred her into action. One fine day, she took the girl home, bathed her, dressed her in new clothes and sent her home.”

Maggie: “Wow!”

Jaggy: “On seeing the girl come home dressed and looking beautiful, the parents even wondered whether it was their child. Realisation sank in. They looked at themselves in the mirror and their house. They immediately cleaned themselves, the house and also painted it with whatever minimum resources available. Seeing one house clean and painted, all the residents cleaned their homes, the streets and the area. In just a short time, from a filthy dirty area, it became the most beautiful area in the town.”

Maggie: “All because of one teacher taking up responsibility.”

Jaggy: “With Freedom comes great responsibility, and when all of us take it up, can we not make our country great but safe too?”

Maggie: “What else do we need to do to be careful?”

Jaggy: “Avoid unsafe acts and unsafe conditions.”

Maggie: “What?”

Jaggy: “Will tell more about it soon. Enjoy the extended Independence Day week end safely.”

Maggie: “You too.”

Jaggy: “Jai Hind.

Maggie: “Jai Hind.”

The Indian Armed Forces say THE MORE WE SWEAT IN PEACE, THE LESS WE BLEED IN WAR. When all of us make Safety a responsibility, India can be great and safe.

Seshadri Varadarajan.

A Responsible and Safe Citizen of India.