Introduction: Management education today highly depends upon its teaching methodology. Case Method (case study) plays a vital role in effective learning process in management education (Banning, 2003). As the famous Chinese proverb goes, If you tell me, I will listen. If you show me, I will see. But if you let me the feel the experience, I will learn, tells a lot about case method being an effective mode of learning from time memorial. Today highly ranked management institutions around the world, IIMs and IITs in India steal the show utilizing this method of teaching. The distinctness of Case Study is attributed for its learning curve, which does not confine only to a particular know-how but a wide-ranging knowledge. Employee safety and prevention, occupational hazards have been engaging greater attention of the psychologists, sociologists, human resource specialists and industrial engineers in India recently. Indian industry took rapid growth in the past fifty years, more so in the last two decades, when it hesitantly opened the highly secured gates of global market under globalization. The working conditions at various industries are full of risks and hazards, whether it could be chemical, electrical, mechanical etc. Unlike the developed countries, the sudden surge in Indian industry, especially after the globalization, has exposed several lacunas in maintaining working conditions, in terms of industrial safety, employee welfare and health. Every year millions of employees are injured fatally in factories, mines, railways ports and docks globally. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that around 4,03,000 people in India die every year due to work-related problems and more than 1,000 workers die every day due to work related diseases (Pandita, 2009). A majority of the accidents happen because of unsafe activities or unsafe work conditions that prevail in the shop floor. Accidents are enormously costly making direct and indirect loss to the company and to the family concerned. Human loss is immeasurable and cannot be valued in monetary terms. Todays technology tends to be accident-proof as most of the machines are equipped with self-acting techniques. This reduces and avoids the risks of accidents largely when the person who operates is mentally inclined, strongly equipped, personality destined and continually involved in the operation. However, human negligence and mechanical failures can cause accidents. Generally, workers at shop floor are more prone to accidents and they get involved how much hard they try to evade them. The identified causes are muscular weakness, mal- supervision, stress and strains, family conditions, drug/alcohol addiction, emotional instability, visual disability, recklessness, hostility, job insecurity, indifference etc. (Bell & Healey, 2006). Besides these, proper selection and placement of employees, safety training to new employees, safe work practices, warning of potential hazards, persuasion and propaganda too play vital roles (Srivastava, 2002). 2
Case Study | V.Ramachandran & Dr.Janetius (2014)
With this context, the following case highlights the Industrial Safety how carelessness and negligence can cause accidents and responsible employees rise to the occasion to manage the crisis tactfully without further damages to the organization. Case Narration: A large-scale composite textile mill was having a 100 KL HSD vertical, above ground storage tank within its premises besides having two above ground horizontal storage tanks of 45 KL each. The 100 KL vertical AG storage tank was not used for about 3 years since the power supply from the grid was almost consistent and uninterrupted. Owing to power cut declared by the state government, the unit was pushed to use its standby generators to run the machines. This situation warranted them to keep the 100 KL storage tank ready for further storage. Since this tank was not utilized for few years, formation of HSD sludge was noticed which was estimated at about five feet level from the bottom of the tank. In order to keep the tank fit-enough for storage of HSD afresh, their initial task was to flush away the HSD sludge. It was the responsibility of the engineering department to take up this activity. A Senior Engineer instructed the next level subordinate (Deputy Engineer) to complete the work as early as possible. Accordingly, four engineering staff (two foremen and two contract labourers) started to work on it. There were two manholes attached to the tank, one at the side bottom and the other at the roof-top of the tank. Since both the manholes were not opened for years together, the fasteners (bolts and nuts) attached to the manhole at the bottom of the tank were very hard to come by. Hence, three of them climbed up and reached the top of the tank to open the other manhole. After a long battle, they were able to open the manhole. As they opened the manhole, they noticed that the float, which is used to check the storage level, was mislaid. The foreman entered the tank to set right the strings of the float. For maintenance purpose, a ladder like arrangement was there inside the tank to step down to the bottom of the tank. As he peeped into the tank, he slipped from the ladder and plunged into the sludge. Without noticing this mishap, the contract worker also stepped into the tank and submerged into the sludge. Another contract worker also followed and met with the same fate. Now all the three were caught in the sludge and were fighting for life. There was nobody to supervise the whole activity. A foreman, who was supposed to accompany the team, came to the spot casually and noticed that there is no one in the work area. He panicked and called the names of the workers one after another. There was no response from either of them. Suspecting a possible mishap, he immediately reported the matter to his boss, a Deputy Engineer. The emergency alarm was switched on and the entire technical team rushed towards the fatal tank. A team of employees broke the manhole at the bottom and pulled out the drowned employees. They looked for conveyance to hospital to save their lives. To make things worse, there was no company vehicle available at that time. A vehicle owned by a staff was pushed into operation. As the vehicle was heading towards the hospital, the railway level crossing intercepted their transit, as that was the time of a regular train to cross. The railway gatekeeper was reluctant to oblige and help the emergency vehicle out of the way, as there was no cordial relationship between the company 3
Case Study | V.Ramachandran & Dr.Janetius (2014)
management and the railway workers on the gate. By the time, they reached the hospital all the three were declared brought dead. On the other side of this disaster, the HR department of the company was unable to trace out and produce the related HSD Storage License issued by Department of Explosives, Govt. of India. The local police officials who were having some ill feeling against the company, for their part, availed this opportunity to settle their scores. Identified flaws in managing safety: Though the top management was very meticulous and serious in abiding all acts and rules, unfortunately the employees involved in this assignment did not look into certain mandatory prerequisites properly. While analysing this case, one can identify the following flaw: (1) Ensuring availability of proper First Aid, Ambulance, Conveyance facilities (2) Deployment of skilled and trained employees for specific assignments (3) Usage of proper Personal Safety Equipment (PSE) (4) Proper supervision by competent authorities (5) Prior discussion in the routine Safety Committee Meeting for arriving proper strategy (6) Acquainting prior knowledge on safety preparedness from other agencies (7) Evolving a combined Action Plan for proper execution (8) To have a first-hand training with IOC, HPCL, HP etc., as to how safe this can be done (9) Decision on outsourcing the assignment to some other agency Conclusion: Safety is not the responsibility of HR department alone but it is teamwork. It is also essential to gain support from the society by establishing a good rapport with them. Strict adherence to all statutory safety provisions tooth and nail, imparting safety education to employees, formulation of safety regulations, periodical safety audits, observing National Safety Day to create awareness, safety contests, proper accident analysis for prevention are some methods that could be utilized to combat the risks of accidents. References Banning. K. (2003). The effect of the case method on tolerance for ambiguity, Journal of Management Education, 27(5) 556-568. Bell, J., Healey, N. (2006). The causes of major hazard incidents and how to improve risk control and health and safety management: a review of the existing literature, Health and Safety Laboratory, UK
Pandita. S. (2009) Status of Occupational Safety and Health in India, Retrieved on January8, 2014 from http://infochangeindia.org/agenda/occupational-safety-and-health/status-of-occupational-safety-and-health-in-india.html
Srivastava, (2002). Occupational health of workers in India law & practice, The Banaras law journal, vol.31, 11-42 ________________________________________________________________________________________
V. Ramachandran, Assistant Professor, Dept. of MBA, Sree Saraswathi Thyagaraja College, Pollachi. (Worked as HR in a Textile Industry for more than a decade)
Dr. Janetius, Director, Centre for Counseling & Guidance, Sree Saraswathi Thyagaraja College, Pollachi. (Psychology Trainer for Textile Industry for the last five years)