Indias safety culture:

an oxymoron?

The regularity with which some or the other Indian company is making news for taking short cuts
has got to be alarming. I cant help thinking about the cavalier attitude to safety visible in this
country on a day-to-day basis. First, bear with me and take a look at Indias safety record in major
consumer-facing areas. It is nothing short of appalling.

Roads : The World Health Organisation observed earlier this year that Indian roads are among the
deadliest in the world. At 1.43 lakh, India tops the list of total number of deaths recorded on road in
2011.

Aviation : The United Nations recently placed India among the 13 worst-performing countries on
air safety in the company of least-developed countries such as Angola, Congo, and Djibouti.

Pharmaceuticals : Indias regulators are struggling to regulate a fast-growing industry. A group of

Parliamentarians recently found that drugs were being approved without adequate testing and post-
market surveillance rules were being taken lightly by companies. The probability is high that
alternative systems of medicine are ruled with an even lighter hand.

Healthcare : Hospitalised Indians are at the risk of falling sicker from infections contracted at the
hospital itself. One study found that the rate of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, a dangerous
hospital infection, in Indian intensive care units is five times the rate in the rest of the world.

Food : While India has a dedicated food standards and safety authority since 2006, standards are
still being set and their implementation has yet to begin with any earnestness. In the meantime,
hygiene, adulteration, and contamination from chemicals have become major causes of concern.

Water : While 88 per cent of the Indian population now has access to water from an improved
source according to the World Health Organisation, much of this is not available at their homes and
therefore exposed to contamination in the process of being fetched. Water-borne disease continues
to kill lakhs of Indian children every year. This is at a macro level.

We are like this only

Unfortunately, we Indians also appear to think that many rules made to enhance our safety are
simply nuisance-causing, new-fangled inventions. Some instances:

-In our cities, many car-owners and cabbies wear the seat belt/hang up the cellphone only when they
see the traffic cop at a distance. Car seats are seen as western inventions meant for paranoid
parents. Indian kids are apparently free spirits who cannot be expected to sit obediently in one.
Our bikers often dont wear helmets and pillion-riders almost never do. In addition, they are known
to let their kids sit before them with their hands spread-out a la Kate Winslet in the Titanic.

-Pedestrians routinely jaywalk -even when provided with subways and skywalks. Some unwittingly
use their kids as human shields placing them in the path of oncoming traffic.

-In planes, Indian passengers rush to open the overhead luggage bin doors even before you can say
landed.

-We continuously abuse prescription-only antibiotics by taking them without medical advice
thinking the doctor will prescribe this only, why waste time and money? Or it worked the last time
and half the strip is still left over from then. We also swig syrups from bottles not bothering with a
spoon or measuring cup. And then wonder why the cough isnt better yet (too little) OR why am I so
zonked out (too much)?

-We persist in eating street food in the rains even when authorities warn of an increased risk of
gastroenteritis, typhoid and other water-borne diseases. If asked why we point to some vague
survey done by someone, somewhere, sometime that showed street food samples were fresher than
those picked up at five-star hotels.

When we bribe our way out of a genuine violation (like not wearing a seat belt), we send a signal out
to the system that we dont really take our safety seriously. The system takes the cue and regulations
meant for ensuring safety are then abused by their gatekeepers (cops, food and drug inspectors etc)
to line their own pockets.

According to an accepted definition, safety culture in the workplace often reflects the attitudes,
beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety.

Conclusion: If India stopped taking shortcuts, the nation would indeed be the super-power that it
has the potential to become. However, over the years, moral decay has become so entrenched in
society that shorcuts have become a way of life. I dont claim to have the answer to this issue, but it is
time that people from the top down start by looking inward, finding their conscience and allow it
to guide their lives. While we are all beholden in some way to the lure of wealth, it is time that we
look around and see that our actions are slowly but surely taking down a great nation, its reputation
and mostly its people!

These are explained as under:

1. Autocratic or Authoritarian supervision:

Under this type, the supervisor wields absolute power and wants complete
obedience from his subordinates. He wants everything to be done strictly
according to his instructions and never likes any intervention from his
subordinates. This type of supervision is resorted to tackle indiscipline
subordinates.

2. Laissez-faire or free-rein supervision:

This is also known as independent supervision. Under this type of supervision,

maximum freedom is allowed to the subordinates. The supervisor never
interferes in the work of the subordinates. In other words, full freedom is given
to workers to do their jobs. Subordinates are encouraged to solve their
problems themselves.

3. Democratic supervision:

Under this type, supervisor acts according to the mutual consent and
discussion or in other words he consults subordinates in the process of
decision making. This is also known as participative or consultative
supervision. Subordinates are encouraged to give suggestions, take initiative
and exercise free judgment. This results in job satisfaction and improved
morale of employees.

4. Bureaucratic supervision:

Under this type certain working rules and regulations are laid down by the
supervisor and all the subordinates are required to follow these rules and
regulations very strictly. A serious note of the violation of these rules and
regulations is taken by the supervisor. This brings about stability and
uniformity in the organisation. But in actual practice it has been observed that
there are delays and inefficiency in work due to bureaucratic supervision.