KSEB wakes up to need for safety culture

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The June 20 explosion at the underground power house at Moolamattam which claimed two lives has impressed upon the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) the importance of having a ‘safety management system’ and ‘safety culture.’ In a July 21 in-house circular, the KSEB has told all its officers and staff to take an earnest effort to develop a safety management system and safety culture in the organisation and has made some administrative changes appointing Safety Officers to ‘ensure total safety.’ Safety officers will be in charge of safety audits and conducting of training sessions at each unit.  They will be responsible for safety equipment and performing surprise inspections - not less than ten in a given month - and submitting reports on it. In addition to this, the Safety Officer will be the first to investigate all mishaps at a KSEB installation and submit report to the KSEB’s Safety Commissioner stationed at the HQ in Thiruvananthapuram. In the generation wing, under which all power stations fall, the respective station house officers will be the safety officer.  Assistant executive engineers will act as safety officers of each sub division. In the transmission and distribution wings also, the assistant executive engineers will be the safety officers at each sub division.“All disciplinary proceedings to fatal accidents will be initiated, conducted and concluded by the Safety Commissioner after taking orders from the competent authority,” says the circular.Following the June 20 accident which claimed the lives of engineers Merin Isaac and K S Prabha, Electricity Minister Aryadan Mohammed had announced precautionary measures at all power generating stations of the KSEB.  This was based on the findings of a three-member committee appointed to investigate the fire and subsequent explosion on the control panel of one of the generators at the Moolamattam power house.