The benefits of entrenching a safety culture in the workplace were shared among Indian businesses today at a workshop hosted by Rio Tinto. More than 30 Rio Tinto suppliers and partners drawn from the goods and services sectors across India attended the event in Delhi to underscore the importance of Collaborating to Enhance Safety Culture. The event was aimed at sharing knowledge and industry best practices.
“At Rio Tinto, safety is at the heart of everything we do. We greatly value our relationship with suppliers in India and expect them to play a critical role in our future growth. A joint dialogue on safety culture is a natural extension of our commitment to a safety performance as per which everyone returns home safe and healthy from work, every day.
Three focus areas of our safety strategy remain vital- no fatalities, minimal injuries and no catastrophic events. In everything we do, we must check that it’s safe to start work, keep a look out for warning signs of danger, speak up if something isn’t safe, and always ask what else we can do to make the workplace and our colleagues safe,” said, Rio Tinto India, Managing Director, S. Vijay Iyer.
Noting the increased understanding of safety and its significance among businesses in India, the panelists at the event pointed out the slow yet certain shift in the industry towards a philosophy of ‘designing for safety’, as opposed to safety being considered as one of the peripheral requisites.
The need for empowering frontline workforce was also pointed out, which brought to safety should be the primary concerns.
The panel discussion was preceded by a presentation on the role of standards in the global value chain and Indian manufacturing’s the export potential.
“Safety is just plain good business. It is well known that business leaders who embrace a culture of safety within their organizations will generate greater returns for their shareholders. Rio Tinto is committed to working with its suppliers to assist them on their safety journey and this safety forum is one example of raising awareness as well as highlighting the process and tools that are available to improve and build a sustaining safety culture.”
Attendees included supplier organizations and experts on industrial safety spanning diverse sectors such as Electrical, Material handling equipment, processing equipment, Raw material, Casting / Foundry suppliers in Mining sector, as well some from the services sector including BEML, CBRE, Elecon, KPMG, Larsen & Toubro, Mahle and Tata group companies,” said, Greg Courts, Leader Emerging Markets, Rio Tinto Procurement.
Rio Tinto procures goods and services from India to supply to its operations worldwide, and considers the Indian portion of its global supply chain a key strategic component. Rio Tinto conducts supplier and partner events from time to time to strengthen relationships and build joint capabilities.