Connect with us
Aug 05, 2024
Transforming Minds through Leadership and Discipline
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
First of all, let congratulate all the teams for winning the Golden Peacock Awards. Your presentations clearly show how well deserved these awards are
I would like to share one key point on safety. In many situations, especially in India where we are experiencing rapid industrial growth, the focus often shifts towards delivering business results, with safety taking a back seat. Recently, however, there have been many good initiatives and an increased emphasis on safety in India, and this is one example of that progress.
What is most important is the mindset of the people involved. It's not just the mindset of the operators, the management, or the directors in the boardroom. The entire organisation needs to embrace this mindset. I have worked in Japan and Europe, and, in my view, Japan, in particular, is a gold standard for safety due to its high level of discipline and adherence to safety standards.
The probability of accidents happening is significant when people take risks, whether in everyday situations or in industrial environments. In industrial settings, risks are often less visible, and people may not understand how machinery behaves, which increases the potential for accidents.
For example, consider how people cross streets without zebra crossings. Statistics suggest that more than 250 serious pedestrian accidents occur every day in India and more than 90% Indian pedestrians are at risk of injury with about one in ten total traffic related fatalities in the country. Even with this awareness, people still take risks. This illustrates a broader point: in everyday situations, individuals often take risks & try to cross road in an unsafe way. The probability of accidents happening is significant when people take risks, whether in everyday situations or in industrial environments. In industrial settings, risks are often less visible, and people may not understand how machinery behaves, which increases the potential for accidents.
To illustrate, two years ago, when I started working as Managing Director at Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd., we had around 8,000 employees and experienced several small incidents each month. We initiated a safety campaign and made safety audits a daily priority. Every day, my job included conducting a safety audit, and safety was always the first topic in all meetings.
When we shifted the organisation's focus to prioritize safety demonstrated by top management it began to change the entire organisation's attitude. Today, I am pleased to report that our incident rate has decreased significantly, and it is now comparable to global standards. We are continually striving to achieve Japanese-level safety standards for our size of operations.
I share this example to encourage you to consider these points when implementing safety practices. As management, we must demonstrate and live by a safety first mindset.
Thank you, and unfortunately, we are running out of time for this session. There will be a lunch break, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask then.
Excerpts from the 'Chair Address' delivered by Mr. Keerthi Prakash VM, Managing Director, Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd. in 'Session-VIII (B)' of the 25 International Conference on Environment Management and Climate Change, held on June 28, 2024 in Hotel The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru.
Owned by: Institute of Directors, India
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the articles/ stories are the personal opinions of the author. IOD/ Editor is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in those articles. The information, facts or opinions expressed in the articles/ speeches do not reflect the views of IOD/ Editor and IOD/ Editor does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
About Publisher
Bringing a Silent Revolution through the Boardroom
Institute of Directors (IOD) is an apex national association of Corporate Directors under the India's 'Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860'. Currently it is associated with over 30,000 senior executives from Govt, PSU and Private organizations of India and abroad.
View All BlogsMasterclass for Directors
Categories
