Even as the company prepares for quantum growth through the Theory of Constraints, the Managing Director, Mr B Muthuraman continued to focus on safety as being extremely imperative for the Company.

He invited Mr D Sengupta, Vice President, Shared Services, a keen observer of the behavioural pattern related to Safety, to share his observations on Safety during the latter’s plant visits. The continuing lack of sensivity to Safety is evident from three predominant patterns of behaviour, felt Mr Sengupta. The first is unevenness of the floor within the work area. “If we see the entire plant then we realise that we have failed to notice the unevenness of the floor. You go to any plant and everywhere we see uneven floors,” he declared.

Uninhibited access to areas which require vital installation passes was the second unsafe behavioural pattern pointed out by Mr Sengupta. Despite the risks associated with these facilities such as the gas cleaning plant, many installations within the Works are constructed or used in manner that people regularly access them, even as thoroughfares. The third area, which attracted his attention was the tendency for workers to let their clothing hang loose on their bodies rather than have them well secured. Most of the workers he spoke to, Mr Sengupta said, were unaware of the risk posed to them from loose clothing. Mr Muthuraman urged the employees to take advantage of the fact that the Company has engaged a world famous consultant DuPont to improve its safety standards.

He also shared with them the most important initiative to be undertaken by the Company in its history. “The Goldratt consulting team shall work with us from 15th of June and we are going to do some big things in this programme. We have been taking initiatives in Tata Steel for many years but this is the biggest initiative. Our fundamental thinking on manufacturing, fundamental thinking of inventory management and supply chain management will change and now we will have to think it over again and bring fundamental changes in our approach,” he proposed.

On being asked about the entry of other steel majors into the country, Mr Muthuraman said, “don’t worry about others, if we are good then we will succeed. As we too are going to other countries, these people are coming to India.”