ELECTRICITY EMPLOYEES FEDERATION OF INDIA
B.T. RANADIVE BHAWAN, 13-A, ROUSE AVENUE, NEW DELHI -2
TELEFAX: 23219670 E-mail: eefederation@gmail.com, info@eefi.org
 website www.eefi.org

CIRCULAR

No.     14 / 09                                                                            Date: 13.11.2009

To
All office Bearers
Affiliated / Associated Unions / Organisations

 Attention is drawn towards the Lead Topic of October-December, 2009 issue of Voice of Electricity Workers as printed in the Text Box at Page 11 of the current issue of Voice.

Lead Topic for next issue of Voice -
Occupational Safety and Health of Electricity Workers

Working Committee of EEFI met at Chandigarh on 19-20 September, 2009 reviewed the working condition of Electricity Employees all over the country. It was revealed that almost all the utilities are dauntedly defying all norms, standards, rules and regulations related to employees’ safety at various location and voltage profile. In the name of market oriented competition minimum investment for compliance of standard procedure is avoided. Untrained unemployed young men are engaged at cheapest possible wages through the contractors for execution of risk and danger prone jobs of erection, operation and maintenance. None are paying heed to incur extra cost for training of these unskilled young people inducted in the industry. Use of non-standard equipment, tools and tackles have become the order of the day in the electricity industry. Cost of Personal Protective Devices(PPDs) are saved to push the workers in danger prone job. Regulators are prescribing so many norms in the name of consumer service or power supply reliability index such as recovering all break down by 1/2 hour without taking into account the ground reality. Inhuman work load and working condition are being thrashed upon the workers.

EEFI intend to exchange information on present method of Training, retraining and updating of knowledge base of the workers with the advancement of time and technology  at different electricity utilities.

Constituent unions/associations are requested to send articles / news items / statistics / facts and figures regarding working condition, safety organisation, occupational health, accidents and events / examples of departure from safety norms as well our movement to set things right. Methodology of awareness campaign on safety among the workers should also be highlighted.

All these matters are to be published in the next issue of Voice including some articles of the experts in the field. 

All contributions are to be sent either in English or Hindi to EEFI  Centre by 10th of December, 2009.

In order to reflect a realistic picture of Occupational Safety and Health of Electricity Workers across the country, we are enclosing a format for providing Safety related information. Queries are some samples not exhaustive. More detailed information if available are welcome. At least filled in format as per available information may kindly be sent to EEFI centre by 20th December, 2009. 

(Prasanta N Chowdhury) 
General Secretary

1) Whether Safety organisation exists in the Board / Company ?

2) Whether declared

3) Safety policy  exists?

4) Structure of the Safety organisation.

Level Establishments Headed by (Designation) Reporting to
(Designation)
A At Hqrs level,  
B Zone / Region   
C Circle   
D Division/District  
E Sub-Division  

5) Existence of Safety committees at ;

Sl. No. Establishments No. of members No. of representative of EEFI / affiliated organisation/s
1 Headquarters  
2 Zone  
3 Circle  
4 District/Division  
E Sub-Division  

6) No. of currently (Recent 3 years) published safety manual/hand book/booklet.

Item Sl Nos Title Topics (in English)  Format (Booklet / Poster) Language Month / year of Publication
    
    
    
    

7) Distribution mode of safety publications
All technical employees     �                              Selected technical employees     � 
Upto certain designation    �                Kept in office only                   � 
8) Periodicity of Awareness campaign.

Annual    �      Quarterly   �      Monthly      �       Other     � 

9) Mode of Awareness  Campaign.

Seminar �  Workshop �  Practical Demonstration       � 
Pamphlet    �   Posters   �        Others       � 

10) Training in safety is imparted to
All employees �  Technical employees   �  
Part of the  employees  �  Part of the technical employees    � 
Line maintenance      �  Operation staff      � 

10)  What is the frequency of imparting training including safety / First Aid on Electrocution and other employment injury?
a) No specific frequency or Scope of training     � 
b) Once in service span    �    
c) Once in five years    � 
d) Once in_____Years
e) No provision of safety training   � 

11) Method of Communication of changes in Circuitry / Isolation procedure
Verbatim   �   Written Circular   �    Display of Circuit Diagram �     Other  � 
12) Shutdown and Blocking Status Communication
13) Loss of Property of  Board / Company due to Accident in last three years:
14)  Standard of compliance of I.E.  rules / safety codes (Opinion of organisation)
       (Please attach separate Sheet)
15) Accident / Casualty statistics indication Fatal / Non-Fatal and affected Public
      (Please attach separate Sheet)
16) Compensation Settlement status
17) Workmen’s Compensation Insurance Status
18) Contractors’ workers coverage of :
(A) Safety Training
(B) Personal Protective Devices
(C) Workmen’s Compensation Insurance
19)  Occupational Health Monitoring Mechanism for Electricity Workers

20) Whether consumers at domestic level is provided with booklet/ pamphlet / or any other awareness material for safe use of electricity?