Q. What’s your range of manufacture? Which are the products you offer for personal protection and industrial safety?
Being a Complete Welding Solutions Provider, we manufacture the entire range of welding equipment, welding automation solutions and we make or supply almost every PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) related to Welding Process. The list includes Welding Helmets (Auto Darkening), Welding Face Shields, Welding Leather Gloves of different types (Ambidextrous General Purpose, General Purpose Rigger, Heavy Duty Heat Resistant MIG Welding Gloves, TIG Welding Gloves with arm protection), Welding Leather Apron, Leg Guard, Sleeve Guard, Safety shoes, Fume extraction systems, etc.
Q. How do good manufacturing practices contribute to occupational safety?
It is a well-known fact that Good Manufacturing practices ensure that the workplace is effectively organized. We have implemented 5S across all the plants and it helps in creating safe working conditions. OSHA has recently updated the Guidelines for Safety and Health Programs it first released 30 years ago, to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces, and evolving safety and health issues. The new Recommended Practices have been well received by a wide variety of stakeholders and are designed to be used in a wide variety of small and medium-sized business settings. The Recommended Practices present a step-by-step approach to implementing a safety and health program, built around seven core elements that make up a successful program.
The main goal of safety and health programs is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers. The recommended practices use a proactive approach to managing workplace safety and health. Traditional approaches are often reactive – that is, problems are addressed only after a worker is injured or becomes sick. A new standard or regulation is published, or an outside inspection finds a problem that must be fixed. These recommended practices recognize that finding and fixing hazards before they cause injury or illness is a far more effective approach.
The idea is to begin with a basic program and simple goals and grow from there. If you focus on achieving goals, monitoring performance, and evaluating outcomes, your workplace can progress along the path to higher levels of safety and health achievement.
Employers will find that implementing these recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:
- Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
- Improve compliance with laws and regulations
- Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums
- Engage workers
- Enhance their social responsibility goals
- Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations
Q. What are the security challenges akin to your industry and how do you address them?
Current security threats in manufacturing are even more sophisticated and far-reaching, and addressing those needs by engaging security professionals for expertly planned systems in a modern manufacturing environment is more
critical than ever.
Manufacturing represents a broad range of companies akin to our Industry and products, but they often share similar security concerns. For example, they may be prone to theft of high-priced or high-demand products. They may also be subject to industrial espionage or sabotage. When you combine those with the threats that come with industrial processes, such as general security, fire or other environmental concerns, the security needs in this sector are significant.
Aspects that have been covered include:
- Access control for entrances and high-risk areas
- Intrusion detection
- Contact and motion sensors
- Fire systems
- Video surveillance
- Environmental monitoring
- Alarm monitoring
- Re-evaluate Security Need Regularly
- Train Users
Any facility needs change with operational changes, expansions, employee turnover and more. ADOR takes time periodically to reassess the security systems to be sure they are still adequate and appropriate.
One of the most important and frequently overlooked aspects of physical security in the manufacturing industry is that of training. ADOR has appropriate personnel who are familiar with the security systems to troubleshoot and ensure they are always running properly. ADOR also understands and practices that once trained, the users can be the first line of inspectors in preventing serious issues.
Q. What is the role of plant layout in safety management?
It is indeed very critical for all manufacturing plants since a well-designed layout ensures optimum handling of machineries and utilities which have major impact on safety management system. We have best-in-class equipment and layouts, proper evacuation plan for all the plants and accordingly exit paths and assembly points are well identified in plant layouts. The same has been displayed at all the appropriate places.
Q. What are the procedures you have enforced for access control?
The access to our entire premises is controlled by Bio-metric sensors. We have access control in all potential risk areas like LPG gas storage yard, HT yard, HT metering rooms, LT rooms, etc. The access to such areas is restricted to trained and identified employees only; the current access control through lock and key being upgraded to digital access control like biometric security system.
ADOR has already installed digital access control for central server room & disaster recovery server rooms located in our Equipment Plant in Chinchwad, Pune. Server rooms are also fire protected through the latest Novac Gas (Clean agent) fire suppression system. We have installed a similar digital access control for TDC-Equipment, TDC-Consumables and Admin Block located at Chinchwad Plant.
Q. Which are the areas you have brought under digital surveillance?
We have installed high resolution & night vision cameras for close circuit surveillance at all critical locations like LPG fired and Electric ovens, FG loading and RM unloading point, Oracle data center i.e. server room and DR area for safety and security reasons. Security persons as well as all HODs have been provided complete access to CCTV.
Q. Coming to personal protection, what are the wares used by your production personnel?
All the plants are certified for OHSAS-18001 since last 10 years. PPEs like Safety shoes, Nose-masks, ear plug, safety goggles, Leather gloves, aprons, acid proof suits, helmet, safety belts, welding hand-shields, Welding helmet, sleeve guard, etc. are used by production personnel as per PPE need identified pertaining to manufacturing process/operation. Potential safety risks are reviewed periodically & risks are mitigated through appropriate PPEs & visual displays.
Q. Is gas leakage an issue you should detect and guard against?
Fuel GAS leakage can always be high risk and hence, high risk areas like LPG Gas bullets and LPG cylinder banks are protected through Gas leak detection systems. Safety committee is now in the process of incorporating gas leak detection system at internal consumers of LPG gas.
Q. What is your safety policy to pre-empt fire hazards?
We have a well-defined Safety Policy announced by Corporate HR. Details of Location Safety Officers, their team members; contact numbers of emergency helplines are displayed. QHSE- policy is displayed at all prominent workplaces in each plant. Members are regularly trained and capable to pre-empt all critical assets in case of fire.
Q. Are your facilities geared for life safety & disaster management?
We have well defined emergency response plan for life safety and natural disaster. We have a team of well-trained fire fighter disaster control persons across all three plants.
Q. What are the gadgets and equipment you use for environmental protection?
We have latest technology Effluent & Sewage Treatment plants in all the manufacturing plants & the treated water is used for gardening purposes only. We are continually expanding green field area in our plants. During 2017-18 we have increased green field area of our plants by 6%. We grow fruits and vegetables in our consumables as well as equipment plant. The Company has also invested in Rain water harvesting across all plants.
Q. Could you enlighten us on your conformity and compliance with safety standards and regulations?
All the manufacturing Units of ADOR Welding Limited are certified to the latest standards like QMS Standard ISO 9001:2015, Occupational Health and Safety Management Standards OHSAS 18001:2007, and Environment System Management Standard ISO 14001:2015.
Q. How do you make the employees aware of the dos and don’ts? Do you have periodical training for specific groups?
All the Employees are trained on Safety Processes and are very well aware about dos and don’ts in routine work and also during an emergency. As per safety training calendar, our firefighting teams across all plants are trained periodically by professional trainers.
Q. Any recognition you have received for safety practices?
OHSA certifications and getting the same renewed year after year is itself an achievement. So far we have not formally participated in any external forum as we consider Safety and Wellbeing as basic thing in our Organization.
Q. As a respected corporate entity, what is the model you have set for Occupational Health & Safety?
Our Occupational Health and Safety
Model is much wider and include overall Well being of Employees. This ensures best-in-class Workplace Practices, an atmosphere free from any kind of sexual harassments. We are also providing annual health Checkup facilities to our leadership team members and Insurance coverage for all employees even on contract. We also do a lot of work for emotional health of our employees.