OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2013. At Tata Power, India’s largest integrated private power company, safety is a core value and is of utmost importance. Tata Power has been driving safety as a major initiative and has taken many firsts in safety measures to promote safety at the workplace as well as in its areas of operation.

In continuation of its various safety drives, Tata Power’s Jamshedpur team observed January as Traffic Safety Month to strengthen and create further awareness among employees and stakeholders. Various programmes were organised for employees, stakeholders and community members during this month. The key initiatives included:

A two-day programme on first aid techniques was organised in coordination with St. John Ambulance, Kolkata.

A film show-cum-training programme on safe driving was organised for company vehicle drivers to ensure safety of visitors and guests.

Reflective stickers were provided to cyclists.

Various two-wheeler and four-wheeler manufactures such as Hero MotoCorp, Honda, Bajaj and Tata Motors organised free service camps to check the condition of vehicles, overhaul it and provide safety tips to riders. A free service camp will be organised in the last week of the month.

A poster and slogan competition for employees and stakeholders will also be organised

Speaking about the initiative, DS.Kudalkar, head – Jojobera station, Tata Power, said, “Traffic safety has been identified as one of the high potential hazards. We will continue this initiative through various programmes in order to ensure that safe driving becomes an essential trait among all our stakeholders.”

At Jamshedpur, the following preventive measures are being taken to reduce the potential of this hazard:

Vehicles of employees, vendors, suppliers and stakeholders are parked outside the operating area.

Training on defensive driving was arranged for employees, vendors, suppliers, stakeholders and community members who ride two-wheelers.

A checklist has been prepared to monitor the condition of the vehicle. This list is used by security at the gate to ensure entry of safe vehicles (commercial).

Carpooling is encouraged among employees.

All ash carrying vehicles are provided with GPS-based vehicle tracking systems to monitor the speed and location of vehicle. Any vehicle plying on the city roads and crossing the specified limits of 50 km/hr is identified by this device and a signal to the control room is transmitted to the vehicle.

More than a million people are killed on the world’s roads each year, as per a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A report published by WHO in 2004 estimated that some 1.2 million people were killed and 50 million were injured in traffic collisions on the roads around the world each year and was the leading cause of death among 10–19 year olds. The report also noted that the problem was most severe in developing countries and that simple prevention measures could halve the number of deaths.