HELMET

Environment Health Safety

Volume - 5, Issue - 2 April - June 2015

At the very
core is SAFETY
 Contents From the EDITOR
Safety begins right
3
A
ccording to the World Nuclear Association

at the top there are some 435 nuclear power reactors

operational across 31 countries worldwide
producing over 375,000 MWe of total capacity to meet
At the very over 10% of the worlds energy needs. Another 70 more
8
SAFETY A
are under construction. With global warming posing
s a protective covering for the head, helmets are
core is safety a serious and potent threat, the world has been forced
to increasingly rely on the power of the atom to meet
used across various applications. From the most
some of its energy needs. And as nuclear reactors generic crash helmets to the more specific ones, they
A drive towards safety 16
BEGINS
proliferate across the globe, the need to make it reliable are regarded as the universal safety armour. Man started
and failsafe has become a core requirement. to use his head and realized the need to protect it from as
early as history can take us. The earliest warriors on foot
An incident free project Nuclear disasters are perhaps one of mans worst
nightmares. Not only is the threat to human life
or the infantry relied on metal helmets to keep their heads

is certainly the 22 RIGHT AT

unimaginable because of such incidents but also
intact during battles. With the demand for helmets going
unnerving are the aftereffects that can be long-term and through the roof during World War 1 for obvious reasons,
most successful one widespread. Contrary to widely-held beliefs, the world the production of helmets assumed an industrial approach

THE TOP
has seen several nuclear accidents though fortunately and ushered in the age of mass manufacturing. Helmets or
only a couple has had the power to send shock waves hard hats (as they are popularly known in the west) began to
Safe strategies for
28 around the world. Though the first commercial power
stations commenced operations in the 1950s, the first
be used in factories much around the same time according

powerful missions major disaster occurred only in 1986 at Chernobyl in

Russia which is also one of the worst and classified
Setting smart as a level 7 Event on the International Nuclear Event
to management professor Peter Drucker. He believes that it
was Franz Kafka who developed the first civilian hard hat
in 1912 when he was employed at the Workers Accident
Insurance Institute in the Kingdom of Bohemia. However,

standards in safety
34 Scale. Although details of the impact of this disaster
are sketchy, one terrifying fact is that the town of
there are contradictory arguments on this as it is believed
that the E.D. Bullard Company, a mining equipment firm
Chernobyl cannot be inhabited for the next 20,000
years! The only other disaster of such proportions in California, was the first ever to manufacture and sell
was at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant that was protective hats made of leather as early as 1898. But it was
ravaged by the Tohoku Tsunami in March 2011. not until 1919 that Bullard patented the first helmet, a Hard
Boiled Hat, made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint.
Editor : Vinod Jacob Chacko What these drive home to us is how critical safety is not
Recorded American history also claims that the construction
only while operating a nuclear power plant but also,
perhaps even more importantly, while constructing it. site of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was the first
Associate Editor : Gopi Kannan. S
Safety in this context assumes far greater significance to make helmets mandatory followed by the popular Hoover
Process Owners : M. Kamarajan | P. V. Kaliappan as we are not only talking about the safety of the Dam project in 1931.
Malay Kumar Mahanta people constructing or operating these plants, but
also the many millions living around them. Suddenly,
Stephen Philip Storey
you realize the huge responsibility on us as Indias
Ramachandran N leading builder of nuclear power plants from a safety
K. S. Sudheesh Kumar perspective and gives added significance to the fact
that our team working on Units 3 and 4 of the Kakrapar
Technical Associates : P. Nagarajan | Gabrial Fernandez Atomic Power Plant (KAPP) has already clocked 60
Sudarsan Rajendran million safe man hours!
Md Quaisar Imam This issue of Helmet showcases how well our Safety
Sathyanarayana Seelamanthula Culture has been inculcated and nurtured at KAPP
from day one and across a range of other landmark
Murali Krishnan | Nick Abalde
projects as well.
Mathivanan Palaniappan
Healthy people, healthy worksites and health-
S. Anantha Prasanna Venkatesh
promoting green construction practices intersect
Editorial team : V. Ramesh Kumar at the bottom line. Let us consistently follow these
safe principles and help to create a safer environment
Ashwin Chand | Mayura. K
around us and religiously follow the one underlying
Photography : V. S. Natanavelu | R. Vijay Kumar safety principle that one can never be too careful!

Design & layout : Global Print Design, Chennai

2 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 3

It was around 1938 that aluminum started becoming
the favored metal for hard hats owing to its light weight
properties which was soon followed by fiberglass at the turn
of the next decade. From then on there was no stopping the
innovations that ensued to perfect the safety helmet to make
it more convenient and functional with scientists constantly
improving upon the design, material properties and ease of
use being a product that could potentially save many precious
lives.
Today, helmets are one of the most basic and mandatory PPEs
worn at work in hazardous situations. It is often a sea of yellow
that one can see at large construction sites with workmen
donning the ubiquitous helmets. The modern helmets are
normally made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that
feature ventilation options to keep the wearers head cool
with adjustable nape / chin straps to ensure a snug fit. More
4 HELMET, April - June 2015
sophisticated and specialized helmets have the provision
to attach additional accessories like face shields, sun visors,
Helmets for construction industry
earmuffs and perspiration-absorbing cloths which line the Apart from protecting against lateral impact, safety
area of the forehead. Some advance versions also integrate helmets also offer protection against strikes from
gizmos such as radios, walkie-talkies, pagers and cameras. protruded or swinging objects such as crane hooks. There
are two types of helmets meant for construction of which
In India, the helmet as a PPE is governed by and must adhere
the cap style is lighter with the peak (frontal protrusion)
to the manufacturing stipulates of IS (Indian Standards)
providing shade to the eyes. This style is more suitable
that lay down the specifications for industrial safety
for working in restricted or narrow spaces and to add
helmets. First published in 1965, these specifications on
accessories such as earmuffs and welding screens. The
standards are reviewed and revised periodically to enhance
hat style, on the other hand, ensures better protection
the functionality of this protective gear. The standards
to the face and the neck from the weather, dirt and water.
include requirements regarding material, workmanship,
Most often, the ease of use and non-hindrance to work are
construction, finish and performance of helmets intended
the basis on which the type is chosen.
to protect from falling objects and other hazards which may
be encountered during activities such as mining, tunneling,
quarrying and construction.
HELMET, April - June 2015 5
 Safety
of Honour
R o ll

Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving

five million and more LTI free safe man-hours

10 Sawalkote Project 8 Subansiri Lower HEP Project

August 2011 to June 2015 May 2011 to June 2015

10 DMRC CMC1 Project

6 Kolkata RVNL Project
July 2010 to June 2015 August 2012 to June 2015

10 CMRL Elevated Project 5 DMRC CC 27 Project

Size matters is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull. It is vital
that the shell does not come in contact with the wearer's head
June 2013 to June 2015 November 2014 to June 2015

The shell and the harness form the two primary components
of a helmet. The shell is a dome shaped covering of hard and
durable material while the harness is the assembly that keeps
the helmet in position on the users head. It also absorbs the
kinetic energy within the shell in the event of an impact.
There are usually three different sizes of helmets. The largest
one measures 590 to 640 mm at the circumference around the
head band, the medium is 540 to 590 mm and the small 500 to
540 mm. The adjustable straps allow the wearer to customize
the fit as it is crucial that it sits securely to derive the desired
protection from possible impacts. The standards also mandate
the maximum weight of a helmet (minus the attachments) at
400 g irrespective of the size.
Built to shield
The helmet has to be dome-shaped with no metal parts passing
through the shell while integrating the brim and the peak
with no sharp edges. Ventilation holes, if provided, should not
exceed 6 mm and should be spaced 15 mm from one another.
because when a falling mass hits the helmet, the resulting
force to the head is extremely high which could cause serious 10 Vizag Vessel Project 5 Mumbai Monorail Project
April 2014 to June 2015 January 2014 to June 2015
injuries. The IS standards direct that the force transmitted to
the head shall not exceed 5.0 kN. In other words, it is the force
equal to a falling mass of 5 kg from a height of 1000 mm. The 9 DMRC CC 28 Project 5 MRC CC 05 Project
helmets harness design also integrates a suspension feature July 2014 to June 2015 August 2014 to June 2015
that spreads the helmets weight over the top of the head.
Mind on the matter
As with any other contraption, people at R&D centers across
the world busy themselves on improving the features of the
helmet to make it more effective and, at the same time, more
convenient to use. Some of the major inputs they act upon
Correct answers
are user feedback and rigorous tests which they subject the
helmets to. Listening to the voice of user helps make the yy Crane handling a lengthy object
helmet more acceptable in relatively newer markets where it yy Crane used for shifting of loads
is wrongly perceived by some workmen as an impediment to yy Workman holding load without
their work. Rigorous tests include shock absorption, resistance Spot the tagline

HAZARDS
to penetration, climatic tests from -10C to 50C, flammability yy Slushy roads
Modern helmet shells are manufactured through the injection and heat resistance. yy Poor housekeeping
moulding process to ensure high build quality and a superior
yy No separate pedestrian pathway
surface finish for easy maintenance. Making the change
WINNERS yy No banksman available
Maximum impact Safety helmets have a life period of about two years after
which it needs to be replaced. As a safety product, it is certainly
yy Lack of warning displays
Mr. S. Karthi yy Over-hoist limit switch has been
There is a specific distance that is maintained between the maintenance free and requires only normal cleaning. A bypassed
Asst. Manager EHS, TI IC
harness and the outer shell to give the helmet the space to be periodic visual inspection will throw up telltale signs of wear yy Lack of access way for scaffolding
springy without touching the head. A space of approximately and tear and whether it warrants replacement. However, if the Mr. Anand Raj stacking area
30 mm (1.2 inch) between the helmets shell and the wearers helmet has been subjected to any impact or accident, it should Senior Engineer EHS, PT&D IC
head is provided so that if an object strikes the shell, the impact be immediately replaced without a second thought.

6 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 7

HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE
T
he augmentation of capacities
to the existing reactors at
Kakrapar in Gujarat is by far the
At the very
largest ongoing nuclear power project
in the country. Apart from being
indigenously developed, the 1400
CORE is safety
MWe reactors have already set several
benchmarks in design, construction,
operation and production. L&T has
been playing a significant role in
building Indias nuclear power facilities
right from the inception of her nuclear
8 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015
HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE
power programme by pioneering
technologies in both Pressurized Heavy
Water and Light Water reactors. At
Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant (KAPP)
L&T is involved in the construction of
reactor and auxiliary buildings, waste
management and exhaust ventilation
building, heavy water upgrading
plant and fabrication and erection of
structural steel works involving civil,
structural and architectural works.
Being a first-of-its-kind project,
innovation has been the key to meet
KAPPs demanding construction
schedules. Several methodologies
and approaches were tested, tried and
successfully implemented for the first
time ever in the nuclear construction
history of the country and perhaps even
the world. As with any project of such
huge scale, speed and sophistication,
the issues of safety were unique and
daunting. The unenviable task of the
EHS team was to establish and sustain
a safe work culture. I go about my job
with one term ringing in my ears all the
time, L.I.F.E Living Injury Free Every
day, asserts Sudharsan, who heads EHS
at L&Ts Kakrapar project.
A safe haven
In an otherwise barren, expansive
campus, the EHS office sits at the heart
of it, centrally located and built around
a clump of shady trees with lawns and
shrubs adding to its elegance. Just
opposite are rows of rest sheds where
workmen put their feet up during
their well-deserved breaks. In the large
main atrium of the office a few dozens
of fresh recruits are glued to a large
plasma TV that is playing an induction
video. Awareness posters adorn the
walls. The other end, earmarked for
PPE, has on display various types of
protection equipment and listed in
detail are the actual conditions under
which they need to be used.
Speaking from the office area that
he shares with his small team of
EHS engineers, Sudharsan says that
he has been a part of the project
since its inception and vouches that
everyday has taught him and his
team a new experience. About 6000
workmen were deployed during the
peak periods and on any given day
we had to induct about a hundred
fresh workmen. The induction was
so integrated that by the end of
one week, any workman, whether
skilled or unskilled, experienced or
fresh, would have a fairly good idea
of the high EHS standards he needs
to adhere to at L&T. Comprising
audio visual aids, instructions and
demonstrations along with rules
and regulations, the EHS culture is
drilled into every employee through
the daily grind until it becomes a
habit. 83,000 workmen have thus far
been inducted because of the heavy
workmen attrition that is prevalent
across the industry. Everyone,
right from the top management
downwards is committed to living
injury free, Sudharsan explains. In
fact the Project Director makes it a
point to share near miss cases with
the workmen on a periodic basis
and on his insistence, we have even
designed a ready reckoner safety
induction card to guide visitors at
the site. He was also instrumental
in implementing a very effective
system which I feel is the main
reason behind the impeccable safety
records that we have been able to set.
Termed Job Hazard Analysis, it is a
system whereby the site engineer in
consultation with the EHS engineer
analyses and prepares presentations
/ demonstrations that are to be
9
HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE

delivered to workmen prior to the

start of every job. This system ensured
that everybody was on the same page
when it came to job hazards and its
mitigation strategies. The stringent
project schedules warranted work
to continue day and night and the
nights were indeed nightmarish from
a safety point of view as there could
be several lapses. As an example
of leading from the front, the top
management of the project took it
upon themselves to conduct night
shift vigilance tours on a rotational
basis, shares Sudharsan.
A tall order
Almost all the structures at KAPP were
above 20 m in height calling for strict
implementation of work at height
regulations. While safety railings and
nets protected the edges, the several
protruding parts were coated using
highly visible fluorescent paint. We
issued height passes through which we
ensured that only those workmen who
were trained to work at heights scaled
up to such work sites. There was also
the mandatory use of safety harnesses
which had to be necessarily anchored
at all times, says Sudharsan adding
that routine and surprise checks were
conducted periodically to ensure strict
adherence. With structures like the
Natural Draft Cooling Towers reaching
170 m, matters got more complex and
the EHS team had to be more forceful to
drive home the concept of compliance.
proof if attacked in the unfortunate
event of a war. The rebar density and
the numerous steel fabrications that
went into the structure as embedded
parts made space a huge constraint
and usually a packed jobsite is a trap
for safety lapses. Discipline and orderly
housekeeping is crucial to mitigate these
issues. The biggest breakthrough in terms
of execution and safety where L&T has
set an indelible mark is the Prefabrcated
Ring Line erection, says Sudharsan
pointing upwards. Connected to the arm
of a gigantic crane is suspended a hollow
ring that measures as wide as the largest
circus tent in diameter.
Ring in a new era
The liner is a 6 mm thick steel plate that
forms the fourth and final protective
layer of a reactor building and is
attached to a concrete missile shield.
This air tight steel structure forms a
vessel sealing off the reactor from the
atmosphere and is expected to be strong
enough to withstand the impact of a
fully loaded passenger aircraft without
rupturing. The 50 m diameter ring liner
is 5 m high and is made up of 16 panels.
Conventionally, we would have lifted
each panel to the location and welded it
together in the shape of a ring. But that
would put the workmen at peril given
the frequency of lifts and the height at
which they needed to work. In what is
considered a first-of-its-kind attempt in
the country, we decided to modularize
the lifts and masterminded the pre-
fabricated ring liner, shares Sudharsan
excitedly. Being the first ever attempt,
the EHS team had to battle several
problems of its own as there was no rule
book to go by for ensuring a safe process.
Spider with strong webs
A very efficient 1350 t crane was
deployed to execute these lifts and the
payloads were pegged at 185 t inclusive
of all the enabling structures. The safe
working load of the mobile crane was
checked thoroughly and found to be
330 t which was way above the intended
lifting weight. A special spider was
fabricated at the site which was attached
to the lifting hook of the crane. This
spider featured 16 holes to which were
hooked a spatial ring type truss which
was also fabricated in-situ. This was
then tested meticulously from a safety
perspective using concrete blocks which
were cast exclusively for this purpose.
Care was taken to ensure the right
alignment of the spatial truss which
made all the difference between safe
and unsafe work methods as the spatial

Getting modular
Pointing to the reactor building which is
the most complex and critical structure
of a nuclear power plant, Sudharsan
explains about the various grades
of concreting that goes into making
it earthquake resistant and damage

10 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 11

HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE
truss had to bare the entire weight of the
ring liner distributed at 80 points from
where they were hung using slings and
adjustable shackles.
The fabrication and planning that went
into the lifting sequence was only half
the problem. Training the workforce on
a method they had never done before
was the other more challenging half. We
had to deploy signalmen, riggers, crane
operators and welders right from the
liftoff stage to the placement and final
alignment. We decided to get granular
and charted out the entire plan and
ran it over and over again within our
team and other teams as well to get it
perfected. When the D-day arrived, we
implemented a military discipline that
the workforce had to adhere to. The
entire area was cleared and demarcated
as a safe work zone. Workmen of each
12
trade wore different colored fatigues for
easy identification. As the first sequence,
the spatial ring was left hovering over
the ring liner and the team connected
it to the slings and shackles. Only
on receiving the proceed signal did
the crane operator lift the load to a
minimum height and held it there once
again for checking stability and other
factors, recalls Sudharsan adding that
though the entire EHS team was high-
strung, they remained confident that
every factor had been worked out in
detail.
A soaring success
The contribution of signalmen was
very crucial as they constantly
communicated through walkie-
talkies throughout the entire process.
A separate person was designated to
check wind velocities and bring the
process to a halt if it exceeded 8 km per
min. As the ring liner was lowered to
position, riggers who were positioned
on the working platform of the reactor
building helped bring the liner to
position before it was bolted securely
and later welded to perfection. The
riggers were also exposed to risks owing
to the swinging action of the payload in
the event of higher wind velocities. The
signalmen and the crane operators gave
their utmost attention to this aspect
to avoid any untoward incident. The
entire sequence went off as per plan and
gave us tremendous confidence. It was
sheer jubilation at the site after the first
liner was erected. What ensued in the
next few months remains etched in the
history of nuclear plant construction
and we are now ready to lift the entire
dome structure soon. We believe that we
HELMET, April - June 2015
have redefined the way a nuclear reactor
building is built, prides Sudharsan who
safely steered the workforce adding that
he feels great to be a part of the team
that crashed the cycle time from twenty
five days to just seven!
Towering over concerns
With about fourteen tower cranes
operating at the job site, even the
skyline of the project was congested for
a comfortable turning radius. The site
layout concentrated the twin reactor
buildings, electrical bay and turbine
buildings adjacent to each other and
construction activities were in progress
at all these locations. With structures
rising to considerable heights, the team
had to rely heavily on tower cranes
for shifting material. It was all about
planning and scheduling. Luckily L&T
HELMET, April - June 2015
HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE
matter. An anti-collision plan was put
Accolades on Safety in place and administrative control
measures implemented to cover all the
yy Best safety conscious
cranes. As per this system, timelines
contractor award from NPCIL
for the 4th consecutive year were allotted for the use and stoppage
of respective tower cranes and in the
yy Best housekeeping contractor
event of interference, the escalation
award from NPCIL for the 5th
consecutive year mechanism had the provision of
yy ROSPA Gold Award for the 4th reaching right to the project director
consecutive year level for resolution. The cranes were
yy British Safety Council fitted with modern walkie-talkie
Distinction, Merit & Pass Award systems apart from featuring on-
for the years 2011, 2012 & 2013, board automatic safe load indicators
2014
and cut-off mechanisms as added
yy National Safety Council - safety features.
Sarvashreshtha Suraksha
Puraskar award for the years
2012, 2013 and 2014 A clean sweep
Nuclear power plant civil structures
is the single largest contractor with feature several embedded parts and
most of the civil packages under its belt a high rebar concentration which
which made everything an internal generates a lot of debris during the
13
HEAVY CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE

Safety
of Honour
R o ll

Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving

two million and more LTI free safe man-hours
36 Beawar-Pali-Pindwara Road Project 4 KMDA Flyover / ROBs Project
December 2011 to June 2015 June 2014 to June 2015

13 Samakhiali-Gandhidham Road Project 3 Virddhachalam-Ariyalur Railway

October 2012 to June 2015 Construction
December 2011 to June 2015

18 Kandla-Mundra Road Project

April 2011 to June 2015 3 Hospet-Harlapur Railway
Construction
embedding, welding, cutting and deburring processes. From an Glass-fiber fire blankets were procured and stored at vantage
June 2012 to June 2015
EHS point of view, housekeeping was not just about aesthetics points to save victims from the fury of fire during any such 11 Delhi-Agra Road Project
but it was imperative to avoid hindrance and thereby incidents. incidents. Regular fire mock drills were conducted and all October 2012 to June 2015
A system called automated housekeeping was formulated
whereby workmen who left the site for short breaks or at the
workmen were trained on handling hydrant systems and on
rescuing victims.
3 Mumbai Monorail Project
June 2013 to June 2015
close of work hours voluntarily picked up debris and discarded 7 Ganjbasoda-Sanchi Railway Project
them at designated bins, informs Sudharsan about a simple
Returning from the site visit, Sudharsan converses with some March 2010 to June 2015
system that has resulted in tremendous saving of time and
of the new recruits who are undergoing induction and solicits
feedback on the process. One of the inductees feels that the
2 Maithon Power Railway Siding Project
effort and has been much appreciated by the client. March 2010 to June 2015
video was too long and too slow which was duly acknowledged 7 Sangareddy Road Project
The need for concreting was so high that a large fleet of by Sudharsan. Once in the office, he promptly communicates April 2014 to June 2015
transit mixers were ferrying concrete day and night to the civil
structures pouring over 600 cu.m per day. This kicked up a lot
this to his team and requests to schedule a meeting to look into
the same. Handing over a pocket sized card that carries the
2 Rahuri Daund Railway
Electrification Project
of dust which not only caused health hazards but also poor contact details of important people of the project, he explains 5 10 MTPA Tata Steel Railway Project
September 2010 to June 2015
visibility especially during the night hours. To suppress the that these cards were made available for all workmen as a ready July 2009 to June 2015
dust, we kept operating sprinkler trucks and to avoid accidents reckoner. Safety is all about being prepared at all times to face
we built separate walk-ways to give free road access to the
transit mixers.
eventualities. Despite having all preventive systems in place,
we have stocked up sufficient man-rescue baskets for rescuing 5 Kannur International Airport Project 2 Rajpura Thermal Power Plant
November 2013 to June 2015 Railway Siding Project
victims in the case of emergencies. Though our medical centre
April 2011 to June 2015
Dousing the risks is adequately staffed to handle first-aids cases, we have an
ambulance to deal with more serious issues. However, we
5 Chennai Metro Track Works
Fire safety was another area of focus for which fire hydrants
were installed at critical locations of high fire loads such
were lucky that such a need did not arise and the credit for
this goes to the entire project team and to the workmen for
February 2011 to June 2015 2 Bina-Ganjbasoda Railway
Construction
as stores, carpentry and paint shops. Since nights could having accepted the positive EHS culture and clocking a record December 2012 to June 2015
get climatically extreme, fire bins were made available for
workmen to warm themselves so that they refrained from
breaking 60 million safe man hours, smiles Sudarshan who
sits below a well-stacked shelf that displays several award
4 Hyderabad Metro Rail Track &
OETS Project
lighting up fires randomly giving room for possible mishaps. plaques and citations.
January 2013 to June 2015

14 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 15


R
oads are the lifeline of
economies, connecting places
A DRIVE towards
and bringing people closer. In
their efforts to create world-class road
infrastructure, the highways department
and road designers exercise great
safety
caution on the aspects of cornering,
visibility and gradients. Even a small
deviation in these crucial factors could
mean the difference between safety and
compromise. While laying new stretches
is relatively easier and safer, addition
16 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
of lanes to existing roads pose greater
threats both to those involved in the
construction and road users.
With a track record of having built over
13,500 lane km of roads and highways
across every state of the country, L&T
took up the challenging six-laning of
59.87 km of the Hosur - Krishnagiri
road from the existing four lanes.
Connecting the capital city of Karnataka
to the south of India, this interstate
highway witnesses very high density
of vehicular traffic round the clock
that made this arguably one of Indias
toughest expansion projects. Team L&T
completed the project successful and
on the way achieved the highest safety
standards.
Setting a toll standard
The project corridor was an existing toll
based highway and collections continued
even during the project period. The first
briefing that we received from the project
manager was to ensure that under no
circumstances should the road users be
inconvenienced due to the construction
activities, shares Shinoj who heads the
EHS department at Hosur Krishnagiri
Road Project (HKRP). It was indeed a
very tall order considering that it called
for diverting live traffic around work
zones without causing traffic snarls. We
got ticking even as we landed at the site
and immediately placed orders for the
first procurement item - a large number
of traffic diversion barricades.
Following a detailed study of the traffic
patterns, the team mapped the entire
stretch to assess the need for enabling
service roads and marking various
diversion zones. It was ensured that
the four lane configuration was left
undisturbed across the stretch to allow
road users maintain the prescribed
speed limits. However, Shinoj and his
team had to battle with and integrate
into the planning, the non-availability
of work front at a stretch owing to
several social and political issues.
Aggregated in
approach
Aggregates are the largest and the most
basic of supply items for a road project.
We identified a suitably located mine
and operated it along with quarry and
crushers to ensure continuous supply
of aggregates, shares Shinoj on how
enabling infrastructure was created for
the project. Operated under the direct
supervision of experienced mining
engineers, critical operations such as
blasting, sloping and benching were
done to ensure safe mining practices and
the approach road was maintained in
complete compliance of Director General
of Mines Safety (DGMS) regulations. To
promote a dust free environment, the
crusher area was sprinkled with water
periodically, the conveyor belts were
covered using metal sheets and the
entire plant and stockyard was covered
using a green net.
Sticking to commitments
L&Ts commitment to protect the
environment, in terms of noise levels
and vibration impact far exceeded the
stipulated standards. Vibrations were
controlled by adjusting the size and
timing of the Maximum Instantaneous
Charge (MIC), which is the amount of
explosive detonated at any particular
instant. The possibility of fly rock was
mitigated with the judicious use of
blast mats which are essentially thick
shock absorbing rubber coverings.
L&Ts exhaustive safety measures
to carry out blasting not only drew
admiration from the DGMS, but also
widespread appreciation from the local
community.
17
 Discharging responsibly
The project passed through mountainous terrains
featuring hard rock that had to be excavated to make room
for the additional lanes. Most parts of the corridor were
highly urbanized with civil structures such as houses,
schools, temples and other buildings located in close
proximity to the project area. Since blasting was the only
way to excavate the hard rock, the EHS team was alerted
to strategize measures to foster the confidence of both the
community and the governmental agencies. Considering
the inherent risks involved, controlled blasting using
very small quantities of explosives was carried out
by keeping tabs on the vibrations caused to nearby
structures and flying material. We knew that it was a
laborious task to do limited blasting in high frequency,
but the team conscientiously carried out 5000 blasts that
cleared 60,000 cu.m of rocky obstruction without causing
much inconvenience. We consider this as our greatest
achievement.
18
The EHS team meticulously carried out the pertinent task
of networking with the residents of the nearby structures
instilling confidence apart from demonstrating the
extensive safety measures undertaken to the inspecting
authorities to procure the necessary permissions. Based
on site conditions, advance bore techniques including line
drilling and pre-splitting were carried out in combination
with modern blast technology such as precise timing
delays, NONEL and DTH detonations. Muffle blasting
was done at highly critical and congested areas to greatly
reduce impact.
Bare minimum inconvenience
While precast technology has the potency to crash
construction time to a fraction as compared to conventional
methods, the task of transporting the casted elements to
the site was riddled with risks. This was especially so since
it was on a very busy highway. With about 224 girders
measuring up to 30 m, the transportation of these massive
HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 19
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
structures called for the highest attention
to detail. To minimize the risk to public,
most of the transport and erection
work was executed in the wee hours of
the day using the best of barricading
and traffic control devices apart from
advanced plant and machinery to make
the commissioning failsafe, claims
Shinoj adding that most of the project
team members burned a lot of midnight
oil to ensure a safe construction.
Divert to avert
Perhaps the most challenging of all
tasks for us was the diversion of live
traffic around the construction zones
where execution was on in full swing
round the clock. Several temporary
enabling road infrastructures such
as service roads and bypasses were
20
created specifically to enable the
smooth and safe passage of traffic, says
Shinoj. The diversions were divided
into zones including the advance
warning, transition, activity, terminal
transition and finally the work end
zone from where one could resume
normal driving conditions. Road
diversion barricades and signage were
positioned strictly as per Indian Roads
Congress guidelines and reflective
vinyl stickers were used to ensure high
visibility during the night hours.
Driving home the point
In the larger objective of making every
road a safe zone, the EHS team of
HKRP looked beyond their call of duty
and conducted several road awareness
campaigns on special occasions. Being
Safety
of Honour
R o ll
Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving
ten million and more LTI free safe man-hours
33 NISER Project , Bhubaneswar
September 2011 to June 2015
12 CMRL Depot project, Koyambedu
December 2010 to June 2015
31 Prestige Bella Vista Project, Chennai
April 2012 to June 2015
12 Emami City Project, Kolkata
January 2013 to June 2015
30 The Address Wadhwa Project,
Mumbai
12 HCL Ph III Project, Noida
January 2013 to June 2015
April 2010 to June 2015
11 ATC Tower Project, Gurgaon
24 Cognizant Elcot IT Park Project,
Sholinganallur
January 2012 to June 2015
October 2012 to June 2015 11 TCS Customer Care Centre, Siruseri
April 2012 to June 2015
25 Delhi One Project
December 2011 to June 2015 11 Seawoods Ph II Project, Mumbai
December 2013 to June 2015
20 ITC Sonar Hotel Project, Kolkata
a live toll-based project, the toll plaza August 2009 to June 2015 11 Experion Windchants Project, Gurgaon
April 2014 to June 2015
offered an excellent opportunity to
share information on vital aspects of 17 Kohinoor Square Project, Mumbai
safety. L&T-ites utilized the waiting
June 2009 to June 2015 11 Mall of India Project, Noida
September 2013 to June 2015
time at these toll plazas to grab the
17 ESIC Hospital Project, Kollam
attention of vehicle users and drive
home the importance of wearing
April 2010 to June 2015 10 Wonder Cement Line II Project,
Rajasthan
seat belts, using helmets and abiding 16 TCS Project, Kochi
October 2011 to June 2015
June 2014 to June 2015
by the prescribed speed limits. Such
outstanding commitment of the EHS 10 UP Awas Vikas Basement Project,
team to make every day a safe day 14 Godrej Garden City Ph-III Project,
Ahmedabad
Ghaziabad
August 2012 to June 2015
resulted in the Hosur Krishnagiri
July 2011 to June 2015
Road Project bagging the prestigious
10 DLF Maiden Heights Ph I Project,
Safety Awards 2013 Suraksha
Puraskar from the National Safety
13 ESIC Hospital Project, Coimbatore
March 2011 to June 2015
Bengaluru
November 2012 to June 2015
Council of India.
13 Riverview Phase 2 Project, Lucknow
March 2012 to June 2015
10 Omkar Worli Sales Project, Mumbai
December 2012 to June 2015
12 ESIC Hospital Project, Joka
November 2009 to June 2015
10 C-17 IAF Hindan Project, Ghaziabad
August 2012 to June 2015
HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 21
BUILDINGS & FACTORIES
F
rom a safety perspective, high
rise constructions are the most
demanding and the Prestige Bella
An incident free project is certainly the Vista, one of the largest residential high
rise apartments in Chennai posed the
safety team many searching questions
MOST SUCCESSFUL ONE
which they were able to answer
admirably.
Spread over a 25 acre land, the
complex consists of 33 blocks of 16 +
22 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015
ground floors with a total of 2613 flats
in 1, 2, 3 and 4 BHK configurations on
a total built-up area of 5060420 sq.ft.
The execution team faced several
challenges in terms of achieving cycle
time, quality and speedy completion.
For the safety team, however, it was all
about clocking safe man hours right
from the word go and efficiently
manage a labour strength of 4000 plus
for which they devised a fool-proof
BUILDINGS & FACTORIES
Safety Plan according to Lakshmi
Narayanan, EHS Manager- Prestige
Bella Vista.
The workmen who come at 8.30 am
should return safe and sound to the
labour colony at 7.00 pm. That was
my foremost objective and we had
12 Safety Inspectors working in day
and night shifts to ensure this, shares
Lakshmi Narayanan. The site recorded
a highest concrete pour of 10,000 cu.m
consecutively for 10 months between
July 2013 to April 2014 and achieved
a cycle time of 4 and 5 days to achieve
the completion target of 26th March
2015. Thanks to the efforts of the
Safety team.
Shielding comrades
All 33 towers had overhead safeguards
at the entrance as protection from
falling material along with a two-level
safety net - one on the working floor
and the other a level below. Safety
for working at heights was addressed
with vertical nets and drop nets at
all balconies and guardrails and toe-
boards at open sides and around
voids. Yellow barricading around the
edges was strictly followed and work
around the towers was constantly
administered by the EHS inspectors to
ensure proper closing of lift shop gates,
slide guards, warning lines (tapes),
safety around floor openings and for
sufficient ventilation and lighting
in the work area. To eliminate the
scaffold risk while working at height,
all temporary structures created for
climbing were carefully scrutinized
after erection.
Safe to Start
The Bella Vista site introduced and
implemented a fresh safety initiative
23
BUILDINGS & FACTORIES
- the Safe to Start concept - wherein
the EHS inspector along with the site
engineer would inspect the work area
for potential risks and hazards before
commencement of the days work
and rectify concerns, if any, before
the workmen enter. Safety
improvement slips were filled in by the
site team.
A safe role play
Safety is not a one mans job but a
collective effort and therefore, as per
the recommendation of the IC Head,
a new system was implemented with
every site engineer playing the role
of a Safety Officer for a week. This
initiative ensured a wider and better
24
BUILDINGS & FACTORIES
understanding of safety hazards workability parameters, handling
across the board and increased focus and operating the vibrators,
on workman welfare. It also attracted troubleshooting activities in
more personnel into the Safety Team case of bleeding and segregation,
which in turn helped double their laboratory testing procedures,
efforts in making sure that everyone finishes in concrete, rectification
lived incident-free every day. of post concreting defects and
dos and donts while concreting.
Training programs The workforce was trained on the
usage of Rope Suspended Platforms
Regular EHS meetings on risk (RSP), scaffolding, power tools,
assessment, legal requirements for Personal Protective Equipment
BOCW, workmen welfare measures (PPE) consisting of helmets, overalls,
such as water, sanitation, labour goggles, ear-plugs, gloves, safety
colony maintenance, rescue and shoes, gas masks, belts and body
emergency preparedness were harnesses and their usage was
conducted at site. Training programs vigilantly monitored by the Safety
were organized for employees Supervisors.
and supervisors on fresh concrete
HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 25
BUILDINGS & FACTORIES
Educative posters and warning
signs were prominently
displayed and job rotation for
workers engaged in fatiguing
and difficult jobs was ensured.
The Safety Conscious Person
(SCOPE) of the month was
recognized and rewarded from
amongst engineers, supervisors
and workmen.
Health first
At most construction sites,
flying dust is a great irritant.
To settle the dust, two water
tankers were deployed
at the peak of activity to
continuously spray water at
one and half hour intervals
in addition to a dust collector
near the silo-batching plant
and a sprinkler system in the
crusher area prevented dust
aggregates from becoming
dusty. This was a new initiative
introduced at the Bella Vista
project site.
Bagging glory
Thanks to the efforts of the
entire team, the project has
successfully clocked 31 million
safe man hours and the Royal
Society for the Prevention
of Accidents (RoSPA) has
bestowed the prestigious RoSPA
Gold Award for Occupational
Health & Safety for 2015 in
recognition of the excellent
implementation of EHS
Management systems.
26 HELMET, April - June 2015
Safety
of Honour
R o ll
Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving
one million and more LTI free safe man-hours
4 TL Project for Power Evacuation from 1 800kV HVDC-Biswanath Chariyal-
Kudgi TPS TL Tangla-PGCIL TL
February 2014 to May 2015 April 2015 June 2015
4 BRGF Paschim Midnapur UPD
January 2013 to June 2015
1 NJY Works-Hassan-CESCOM UPD
August 2012 to March 2015
3 BRGF Purba Midnapur UPD
June 2012 to June 2015
1 Puri Nabakalebara Project UPD
June 2014 to June 2015
3 Jallandhar-Kurukshetra-PGCIL TL
April 2014 to June 2015
1 NJY Channarayapatna UPD
August 2012 to June 2015
2 400kV D/C BSTL-PGCIL TL
December 2012 to April 2015
1 OMPL Works-ONGC Mangalore IE
April 2012 to December 2014
2 400kV DCDS Raipur-Jagadalpur- 1 Coker Unit & Coke Handling-IOCL-IU IE
Chhattisgarh TL
December 2013 to June 2015
May 2012 to Mar 2015
1 765kV Switchyard-Lalitpur-STPP-3x660
2 Strengthening Mumbai Metro TL System- MW-BIDCO EHV
MSETCL TL February 2014 to May 2015
March 2013 to February 2015
1 765/400kV at Phagi Jaipur-RRVPNL EHV
2 RGGVY Phase-II Barabanki UPD July 2014 to March 2015
December 2013 to March 2015
1 S2 Pkg-Extn of 765/400kV-PGCIL EHV
2 eBOP 2X600MW DB TPP, Chatisgarh,
January 2011 to January 2015
June 2013 to May 2015
1 KPO -RMHS E&I Pkg-Tata Steel IE
2 Power Supply & SCADA system for HMRL-5 IE July 2013 to February 2015
August 2012 to May 2015
1 KPO-SMS E&I PKG-Tata Steel Ltd IE
1 400kV DC Line JUTL-APTCL TL January 2013 to January 2015
May 2014 to May 2015
1 BSNL-MOD NFS OFC Pkg- E-BSNL OFC
October 2014 to June 2015
HELMET, April - June 2015 27

T
he Power Transmission
& Distribution IC of L&T
Safe strategies for
Construction has etched a major
milestone in Indian power infrastructure
by executing and commissioning
POWERFUL MISSIONS
Indias first 765 kV Gas Insulated
Substation (GIS) in Pune, Maharashtra,
in association with Hyosung (Korea). A
project of high intensity, it had many
standout features and adopted several
trendsetting technologies to link the
southern and western power grids for
28 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015
POWER TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
interregional power transfers. Team L&T
completed this huge task in a record
time of 14 months and heres an insight
as to how they achieved this adhering to
the highest safety standards.
Making up for a delayed
start
A tough task was made even tougher
when the projects timeline was
drastically reduced from 27 to 15
months by the client to compensate
for the delays in land acquisition. We
kicked off on December 10, 2013,
begins Partho Kumar Poddar EHS
In-charge. Excavation and civil works
were the foremost tasks that had to be
quickly streamlined. The EHS team
secured the Greenfield location by
putting up soft and hard barricading
that prevented locals from crossing
over the work zones and arranged for
the excavation and efficient disposal
of muck with stable compaction and
regular dewatering. Major components
of the works constituted 67 footings,
construction of 71 columns and 300 m
of plinth beams along with precision
fitment of 568 foundation bolts for the
765 kV GIS. For the 400 kV GIS there
involved 27 raft and footing work along
with the construction of a 150 m plinth
beam with 200 precision fittings.
Raising a steely edifice
Putting together the steel components
to fortify the GIS buildings was the
crux of this project highlights Partho
Kumar Poddar. For the first time in the
history of Power Grid Corporation of
India (PGCIL), prefabricated structural
steel was used to construct the
substations. Measuring to a built-up
area of 2928 sq.m and 673 sq.m, the 765
and 400 kV GIS buildings had specific
execution challenges due to variations
in the designs. While most of the steel
customization was done at a factory
adjacent to the site, our challenge was
to formulate a secure arrangement
to integrate the steely structures
for which we set up 14000 cu.m of
scaffolding along with the support
staircase system at site to facilitate safe
working during the structural welding,
painting, puff panel erection, roofing
and window works. We ensured that
only workmen trained in erection
and high-end welding works were
deployed to execute such tasks which
involved 9050 m of welding for sizes in
the range of 6 to 10 mm.
Ensuring robust sidewall
supports
Executing the brick masonry works
for the side walls of the GIS units
was the next safety priority and we
addressed it by deploying a dedicated
team of skilled workmen for systematic
erection of the scaffolding material,
Partho Kumar informs. 6000 cu.m
of scaffolding along with support
staircase were customized to execute
3300 sq.m of puff paneling, 300 cu.m
of brickwork, 2700 sq.m of plastering
and painting. Roofing works which
comprised 2850 sq.m and 610 sq.m
for both the units were executed only
after fixing of the welded wire mesh
and fibre glass wool insulation.
A small matter of moving
1650 t of equipment
The heart of the system formed the
heavy GIS equipment imported from
Korea received in 547 consignments
and as Partho Kumar Poddar elaborates,
We strategized a proper approach
to store the extra-large equipment
based on the erection sequence across
29
a 7500 sq.m area. To facilitate safe
access to site, a compacted road was
laid and the consignments were
transported on low bed trailers along
with a 50 t swing crane. We had
an expert team of workmen with
safety supervisors for this activity
which comprised deft handling of 54
breakers, 378 isolators, 273 current
transformers, 12 potential transformers
with bus ducts and supports. Once all
this was inside the units, it was a lot
easier to do the lifts and integrate them
with an EOT crane, he smiles.
30
Reaching high safely
Partho Kumar points to the towering
GIS units, Working at heights was one
of the most critical activities for which
strict safety precautionary measures
were implemented. Only workmen
who had prior expertise in such
works were engaged after thorough
screening and imparting of safety
induction instructions. Since work
was happening at both the GIS units,
periodic safety training was conducted
to bring out the importance of the
tasks. Some of the mandatory PEPs
used included vertical and horizontal
life lines to access the work spots and
facilitate lateral movement on the
towers and reflective jackets for the
tower gang. To ensure that the system
was foolproof, working at heights after
6.30 pm was prohibited and all the
tools and tackles which included even
full body harness were inspected on
a timely basis for any wear and tear.
The EHS team was instrumental in
paving the way for a range of support
systems such as working platforms,
HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 31
POWER TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
establishing access ways to work
fronts, installing fall arrestors at
critical places and barricading for safe
execution of works. One of the major
achievements was to devise a logistics
plan to accommodate the rafter beams
measuring 48 m in length and erected
at a height of 19 m.
Being prepared for the
unprepared
Amidst hectic work it was imperative to
have a contingency plan asserts Partho
Kumar, We fulfilled this requirement
by conducting emergency mock drills
instructing the crew on the process of
disembarking from work in a proper
32
way and also trained a team to play
the lead in case of any eventuality. We
also tied up with the local hospital for
assistance and sufficient doses of anti-
venom were stocked at the adjacent
Panchayat Prathmik Chikitsalaya.
Assuring a safe test bed
Having done all the good work
it was time to sign off in style,
beams Partho Kumar. Testing and
commissioning was the last leg of the
critical activities and was handled by
an expert team from L&T well versed
in all the precautionary measures. The
support crew was guided on the mode
of ascent and descent while working
Safety
of Honour
R o ll
Helmet congratulates the following sites for achieving
four million and more LTI free safe man-hours
15 Storm Water Drainage Works, Jabalpur 4 Kamal Vihar Project, Raipur
6 Hoshiarpur & Jalandhar Sewerage Scheme 4 GDWSS, Hyderabad
5 Hogenikal Water Supply Project Pkg - 5 4 Rehabilitation and O&M of 110 MGD
Bhagirathi WTP
4 GIDC-DAHEJ Water Supply Project,
25 & 50 MGD 4 Trans Varuna Sewerage Work, Varanasi
4 Nalgonda UGD & WSS 4 Dhanbad Water Supply Project
4 UGDS & WSIS, Nizamabad
near equipment and was equipped
with insulated tools such as rubber
mounted ladders and body earthing
during the testing works. A first-of-
its-kind hi-pot test testified that the
GIS was fully secure and the substation
was commissioned on 25th February
2015. At the end of it all, apart from
accolades and a memento from PGCIL,
the project team had one million
incident-free man-hours to feel proud
Spot the
HAZARDS
about on their efforts to complete a
huge project safely and well ahead of
time.
If you have spotted the hazards, rush it to
ngfernandez@lntecc.com. First five correct
answers will win exciting gifts!
HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 33
 WATER SMART WORLD & COMMUNICATION
minimum disruption to the residents,
commercial establishments, passers-by
and the traffic. Heres a vivid account on
the travails of charting a secure access
way for project execution from the EHS
perspective.
Being vigilant on the
ground
Finalizing the CCTV junctions and
locations for the accessories support
equipment across a 100 km dia in
Ahmedabad, Gandhi Nagar and
Vadodara was the primary task for the
project team highlights Shashikant
the EHS In-charge. The EHS team
formulated a secure work assessment
plan to complete the task within 45
days through dedicated groups for each
location equipped with safety PPEs.
Special care was taken to ensure that
a safe distance was maintained from
power lines and surveys of high traffic
density areas were done only during the
restricted hours. To facilitate networking
and immediate communication, each
group was provided with a vehicle and a
comprehensive safety kit that included
carbolic acid, potable water and oral
dehydration salt to combat the intense
summers.
Perfecting the art of
unearthing
L
&T Constructions Smart Solutions
Working along the city roads is a
Business Unit has in a quick span
most grueling task says Shashikant,
Setting SMART
of time executed a first-of-its-
Excavation commenced only after
kind integrated city surveillance project
obtaining the IM 14 C clearance
for the state of Gujarat across three key
permit which is mandatory for urban
cities to facilitate automation of traffic
standards in safety
infrastructure projects. A thorough
management and enhance vigilance.
check was conducted through to assess
Erecting CCTV cameras across 288 on
underground utilities prior to taking
the-road locations was no mean task
up the horizontal boring works. Almost
as it involved efficiently meeting the
every location had various end users
demands of a cross-section of stake-
and permissions had to be sought
holders and utility providers with
34 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015
from the respective authorities before
commencing excavations. In certain
cases, the underground power lines had
to be de-energized to facilitate works
while at some of the strategic junctions,
the team encountered rocky strata which
had to be excavated with rock breakers
and the dump was safely shifted away
from the site. He elaborates, Most of the
excavation was completed during the
day; critical activities were earmarked
and executed during the restricted
hours. The sites were secured with hard
and soft barricading and sign boards put
up to alert the general public.
The team strategized safe methods
of excavation depending on the soil
condition. The crew was briefed not
to carry out any excavation below the
level of the existing foundations and
if they encountered deeply embedded
structures, the work was only to
be taken forward after a thorough
review and provision of supports. On
narrow roads, the excavated muck
was covered with large polythene
sheets and immediately moved to the
dumping yard. In special cases, where
the disposal area was limited, the site
engineer adopted a reduced width not
less than 1m to carry the additional
load. In all such cases, substantial toe-
boards were provided to prevent roll
backs into the trench.
Dewatering was an hourly activity
which was taken up at all locations to
ensure easy access especially during the
monsoon period, explains Shashikant.
Care was taken to secure the pump
handle during operation so that it
did not hit passersby. The EHS team
ensured that a supervisor manned
each activity and support properties
such as stairs, ladders and ramps were
provided for workmen to access and exit
the pits safely.
35
WATER SMART WORLD & COMMUNICATION WATER SMART WORLD & COMMUNICATION

Reinforcing control Cementing the through a slew of transit mixers late

measures
The EHS team enforced stringent
safety measures for executing the
reinforcement tasks. Only workmen
trained in bar bending and bar cutting
were deployed to operate the machines
which were equipped with double
insulation and inspected on a daily
basis. An area barricading system was
followed to keep track of the TMT rods
which sequenced the loading and
unloading operations.
foundation
Concreting works formed a major
portion of the field works and as
Shashikant explains, There were
close to 600 locations and the scope
involved small scale foundation works
for camera poles, electric and junction
boxes. For each of these locations, a
customized shuttering scheme was
devised and the system was installed
at locations by trained supervisors.
The bulk of concreting was done
at night or during the early morning
hours when traffic was sparse. At an
average, 10 locations were assigned to
one transit mixer and the challenge
for the EHS team was to ensure that
the locations remained safe and
undisturbed till the curing was done
over 21 days.
Deft material handling
A project of such a vast spread would
naturally involve the safe handling
of a huge quantum of materials
most of which were stacked at
the Charcharwadi Depot and then
moved to different locations based
on the requirement. The services of
an experienced rigging crew along
with a supervisor were engaged for
handling the shifting of poles and
junction boxes, informs Shashikant.
For lifting and lowering of formwork
items a pulley system was devised and
materials were properly wrapped and
knotted before moving. Strong side
supports were ensured for fabricated
structures more than 1 m in height

with minimum ground contact. system was put in place, relates

Workmen were also trained on
handling mechanical materials with
tie ropes and slings.
Establishing a secure
holiday work plan
A crunching schedule kept the project
team busy even during holidays to
speed up the field tasks. A secure
Shashikant, so that works could be
carried out seamlessly and a log book
detailing the crew and employees was
maintained by the supervisor at each
location. During night works, safety
indicators such as blinking flashers,
reflector cones along with signal men
were deployed to divert traffic.

36 HELMET, April - June 2015 HELMET, April - June 2015 37

WATER SMART WORLD & COMMUNICATION
Creating a safe
platform
A dual level working platform
was devised to accommodate the
workmen with materials. Envisaging
the sequence of tasks, the EHS team
designed a stage which was equipped
with knee roll hand rails and toe guards
ranging from 150 mm to 1200 mm.
During the scaffolding Shashikant
cites, Walkway planks were tied with
GI wire and scaffolding pipe at the
ground level was secured on base plate
to facilitate the works.
Streamlining the lifting
process
For a secure system of erection
works, a scheme was prepared for
every lift which listed out the weight
of the activity, cranes used, and angle
of lifting along with sling details,
reveals Shashikant. It was only after
thorough assessment and approval
that the activity was taken forward.
Though working at heights was never
an issue in this project, there was a
need to continuously monitor the
activities while putting up the poles
and fitting the cameras because it was
all happening in the public space. Most
of the work was carried out between
2 to 4 am for safety reasons through
the Farana (F15) hydra crane which
provided greater reach and enhanced
visibility to the operator. The poles
were erected and the cameras installed
with hydraulic manlifters.
Customizing the erection design
taking into consideration the ground
conditions, ensuring stability at all
stages of erection and establishing
safe access for workmen proved vital
to the success of the exercise across
38 HELMET, April - June 2015
WATER SMART WORLD & COMMUNICATION
locations. Speaking about sequencing of tasks, Shashikant
highlights, It followed a set pattern where the structural
steel erection was taken up only after the concrete in the
footings and piers attained 75% of the intended minimum
compressive design strength to support the loads imposed
during steel erection. Precast frame columns were inserted
into the foundation blocks and temporarily held in place
after alignment with wedges and props until it was secured
by grouting. Poles were erected using web slings with D
shackles and the workmen were provided with full body
harnesses while working at heights.
Delivering excellence through safety
The project was turned around in just 9 months thanks largely
to a robust safety system. We have clocked close to
80,000 safe man-hours which may seem incidental
when compared with other projects but the numbers
alone dont reflect the intensity of this job, concludes
Shashikant with a small smile.
One day Seminar on Fire Safety in High Rise Towers
L&T Construction in association with National Safety
Council organised a one day seminar on Fire Safety in
High Rise Towers on May 14, 2015 at The Leela, Mumbai.
The programme was inaugurated by Mr. V. B. Sant, Director
General, National Safety Council, in the presence of
Mr. M.V. Satish, Senior Vice President & Head B&F IC and
Mr. Niranjan Simha, Vice President& Head, Residential
Buildings & Factories.
Attended by various builders, designers, contractors and
facility management personnel, the seminar included
various technical sessions on burning issues like design
aspects of fire system, managing fire safety in construction,
cooking gas installation, electrical systems and statutory
requirements. Eminent experts, present at the seminar,
shared their personal experiences. The seminar was co-
ordinated Mr.Josy John, EHS Head - West, Residential
Buildings & Factories along with officials from National
Safety Council.
HELMET, April - June 2015 39
 COMMANDMENTS OF
SAFETY

1. You are responsible for

your own safety and for
the safety of others.
2. All incidents are
preventable.
3. Do not take shortcuts.
Always follow the rules.
4. If you are not trained,
don't do it.
5. Use the right tools and
equipment.
6. Assess the risks before
you approach your work.
7. Report all hazards.
8. Do not indulge in
horseplay while at work.
9. Keep your work area
clean.
10. Wear the right personal
protective equipment.

Edited by Mr. Vinod Jacob Chacko for L&T Construction from L&T Construction Headquarters, Manapakkam, Chennai - 600 089. The views
expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Management. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced without the
written permission of the Editor. Not for sale. Only for circulation among employees of L&T Construction. Printed at Lokavani Southern
Printers Pvt. Ltd., Chennai.