TRUE AS STEEL: A New Paradigm For Safety and Health In The Steel Industry

 

“Nothing is more important than the safety and health of people who work in the steel industry.”   - World Steel Association 

Steel is ubiquitous in our lives. From kitchen utensils to buildings and a lot of things in between, no aspect of our life remains untouched by steel. 

There was a time when making steel was considered so dangerous that accidents were seen as part of the process! Today, it is highly mechanized and automated, eliminating most hazards of the past. The steel industry employs over 6 million people globally*. Data collected over the past decades shows that the steel industry’s safety record has improved steadily over the years. According to the World Steel Association, the injury rate per million hours worked decreased by 82.3% over the past 15 years (2006-2020). Although the figures are promising, steel industry workers still get routinely injured and alarming accidents happen every year since safety conditions vary widely in plants worldwide. 

Industrial Safety & Steel

In general, industrial safety is the sum of policies, procedures, standards, and protocols for protecting workers and the workplace from hazards and accidents that risk life and limb. Industrial safety is important not only because of the human factor but also because it impacts the processes, cost, quality, time, and delivery of products. It is reviewed periodically by safety experts to ensure continuing safety. 

Safety in the iron & steel industry implies avoiding, preventing, and relieving hazards and injuries resulting from the production process. 

As per the World Steel Association, “the steel industry is committed to achieving the goal of zero harm – an injury-free and healthy workplace for employees and contractors.” Every accident being avoidable, eliminating injury and fatality is the crucial challenge for the steel industry. 

Principles and Focus Areas for Safety and Health in the Steel Industry

In pursuance of its goal, the World Steel Association has laid down the following six principles of health and safety:

• Safety at work is an essential condition of employment.
• All work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable.
• Safety training and engagement of all employees are essential.
• Safety and health must be made an integral part of all business processes.
• Managers are accountable for employees' safety and health.
• Excellence in safety and health enables excellence in business performance. 

Four focus areas that must be considered for complete safety and health management have been identified as follows:

1. Strong safety culture and leadership in the organization to inculcate attitudes and behaviors in all employees that help achieve an accident-free workplace. 
2. Occupational safety management focuses on preventing exposure to workplace hazards at a primary level.
3. Occupational health management includes the physical, mental, and social well-being of employees. It focuses on the long-term effects of exposure to health hazards and the risk of developing various disorders due to it. 
4. Process safety management mixes engineering, operations, and management skills to prevent dangerous accidents that may happen due to mishaps in the production process, such as fires, explosions, toxic spills, etc. 

Safety Culture and Leadership

Out of the above four focus areas, greater attention is being given to improving safety culture and leadership, as the global steel industry identifies this as the most important aspect. 

In 2022, the World Steel Association created a set of practical and comprehensive recommendations to improve the culture of safety in steel plants around the world. These four fundamentals aim to establish a common, uniform safety and health framework for all countries:

01: Ensure the organization at all levels has the right mindset about safety and health.

02: Educate organizational leaders on how to create a safer working environment.

03: Foster reliability through proactive learning and involve workers in all safety and health activities.

04: Build upon organizational successes and strengths.

 

Conclusion

Steel manufacture involves several inherent risks and hazards. Managing them is a complex and challenging task, as it involves the protection of not only employees but also organizational assets, communities, and the surrounding environment. Technological development and new, improved approaches will bring us nearer to the goal of a zero-injury workplace in the steel industry.