PERSONAL SAFETY NEED TO RETHINK

                                                                  NATIONAL SAFETY BOARD

Every time an accident occurs, apart from sorrow in the nation and families of victims, there is a loss of National Resources. While we attribute the luck factor to the occurrence of an accident, we cannot ignore the fact that the accidents are indicators of system inefficiency. The system inefficiency gets transferred to nameless people and their relatives. After the occurrence of an accident (Road, Rail, Air, buildings, Mining, etc) the usual reactions take place. The actions include face-saving and drawing political mileage. Asking for resignations and blaming the government. To assuage public opinion, often, an inquiry is ordered, and ex-gratia payments or visits to victims' houses take place.

Let us now start with the investigations. The composition of the board is normally from a safety organization. In some cases, a judge is appointed. Can you expect impartiality from serving officers? Would any officer find fault with his own organization? In the interest of an individual career, there is likely to be distortion /misinformation in the report.  Does the expected impartiality of a high court judge a good enough reason to head the investigation? The systems are now interrelated and complex, and the likelihood of understanding systems is in question. Think about it: if I know the investigation team is likely to blame me, will the truth come out? In every investigation, there are various stakeholders (manufacturer, operating organization, and trade unions who in the interest of their own brand equity may like to shift the blame to somebody else. Most of the time an investigation TRUTH is the first causality. Thus, jeopardizing the safety of future generations.

India is transforming at a massive speed. The transformation plan includes the construction of high-speed roads, high-rise buildings, ports, the proposed bullet train, airlines, mega industrial/ power plants, and industries. For safety systems to work effectively there is a need for the intelligentsia to provide inputs and share their experiences in devising safety infrastructure in India and help in implementing the same. This is now possible, as sharing of knowledge has become cheaper, more convenient, and more effective.

First thing I feel there is a need for codification of experience /knowledge on devising /implementing security systems with this in mind, I had started a LinkedIn group called “Safety India”. For three years, there have been only three messages. Obviously, nobody is concerned. There are various issues, on which we are silent and do not bother. Take for example Airbags fitted on most cars, to minimize the collision impact on passengers. This safety feature is highlighted by car manufacturers as a marketing USP. For a feature like this, there is no servicing schedule. If no service schedule is required, it must be mentioned in the offered manual. Is it not necessary to have an inspection to improve the survivability of the occupants? There is no servicing provision in the maintenance schedule for airbags. Which organization is supposed to look into this omission and seek clarification from the manufacturer?

We are talking of speedier trains, large units of goods and services, and high-rise buildings/skyscrapers. Do we have a support system to ensure the safety of occupants? A builder wants to build a skyscraper. The present inspection and monitoring agencies are more builder-friendly than consumer-friendly. In case of an emergency evacuation from a high rise, who is supposed to have the capability to evacuate the occupants? The builder or the fire department? We are waiting for a disaster to happen. In case a disaster happens, reactions will range from candle marches to blame games supported by vested groups.

Each modern innovation introduced has a deep-rooted safety impact. Apart from process and system safety, there is a need to study the long-term effects on the environment.

The introduction of new systems and technology has a systematic impact on the overall environment. Let us take the example of induction of radar to improve landing rate. At some point in time, air space will be congested. Aircraft with higher capacities require improved management of airspace and higher capacity evacuation plans. While I concede that enough precautions are planned and factored in by manufacturers/suppliers and operators, still there is a need for systematic studies and implementation of standardized procedures and periodic monitoring of the same by independent and competent agencies.

Let us take another example. We hear of trains being delayed because of poor visibility, and at the same time, we hear about train speed being increased. To my mind, a collision avoidance radar could reduce the delay due to poor visibility. The introduction of high-speed trains including bullet trains will have its own safety dimensions. There are railways over bridges in Mumbai. Most of them are incredibly old. When were the bridges planned? What was the load factor envisaged and for how long? Depending on traffic, a periodic study should be carried out. designated thou investigation, there are no lessons learned.

The existing shortcomings in the capability of fire-fighting systems may be to the builders’ delight, but who will be answerable in case of a human tragedy? The shortcomings must be identified honestly and diligently and then rectified. To my mind, safety means creating standards and procedures for the induction of new equipment/ technology and changed environment. After this comes testing and retesting them over some time to see the effect of the new induction on the entire environment.

 While there may be studies on safety, the impartiality of the studies could be in doubt. Vested interests have made safety rules to cater to the lobbies. Over some time, the safety system gets diluted. Inhabitants—be they in buildings, malls, or passengers traveling by surface transport—are the sufferers.

There are existing safety programs That have been introduced by the operator. Some programs are for the users, and some are for the operators. One wonders about the efficacy of prevention programs. The programs need to be audited at regular intervals and remedial processes suggested. Preventive programs must be an ongoing process.

I recommend the formation of a National Safety Board. The board will oversee the safety aspects of safety services existing in the country. Namely, transportation, by air, ground, and sea. The Board should have quasi-judicial powers and have separate wings for each of the roles. The charter of duties should be laying down the standards, enforcement of standards, inspection investigation, and research and development. The National Safety Board must cover various aspects of safety.   While the role of the investigation wing is straightforward, the enforcement part will have a monitoring and upgrading role of each of the services available in the country, the R&D wing will be expected to study new technologies and inter-relationship between technical and environment interfaces. It will also be a monitoring authority for setting up service standards at all levels.

A detailed organization can be worked out. The Board should have members who have extensive experience in setting up safety systems and processes in their own organizations. The manpower could be drawn from the Railways, Armed forces, as well as the air and surface transportation, and scientific communities. We have enough committed professionals in India to form the core team, I am sure this move will save a lot of national resources and limit human tragedies.