In an LPG filling plant run by MAKEEN Energy under Facility Management contracts, the Plant Manager is a person with a lot of responsibility. Not only does he ensure that production is high and targets are met. He also has to do this while upholding the highest possible safety standards. We asked Md. Akram, who manages a customer plant in Gwalior, India, about his approach to ensuring safety.
As plant manager, it is our primary responsibility to ensure that all our people stay healthy and work safely. Because if they are healthy and mentally ready to work then we can prepare them to work as needed. So how do we achieve this? It’s about the right balance of close communication, planning, training, and health promotion.
Every morning at the plant begins with taking a safety pledge, where we also discuss the whole day’s plan and any important security aspects. The pledge session is kept short and efficient, about 10 minutes. Aside from the pledge, we have daily safety meetings which consist of 50/50 management and non-management employees discussing the safety of the plant and any incidents in the last 90 days. These meetings are required in all plants by Indian law since 1948.
We have a “safety calendar” with all the year’s trainings, drills, and planned maintenance. Trainings can be both theoretical and practical, and it helps to have them planned out well in advance so we can schedule that plant’s activities around them.
We put a lot of emphasis on running physical, practical drills to instill confidence about operating the security system. When you have done something with your hands, instead of only reading or hearing about it, you are much better prepared in case you have a real emergency. And we collect feedback and suggestions from these trainings every month to help us improve. Above all, I think it is important to constantly repeat all trainings at regular intervals to always keep our knowledge fresh and in recent memory – both in the mind and in the body.
Finally, we have a focus on helping our people stay fit and healthy, since that gives them the best conditions to maintain high productivity and safety. That’s why we have weekly visits from the Occupational Health Center and doctors to examine employees, including drivers. And we have a semi-annual Medical Camp for all employees, where they can receive medical checks at no charge. We also arrange first aid training to make sure everyone is prepared to take care of a colleague in need.
Mohhamed Akram
Plant Manager, MAKEEN Energy
