Partnering the nation on key safety initiatives

An organization can seldom exist in isolation. Irrespective of its size, location and industry sector, it impacts its surroundings, the environment and resources as well as the lives of people associated with it. Organizations like Allcargo Logistics and Gati, built on a strong legacy and geared towards value-driven growth in the future, are set apart because they consciously consider it their responsibility to do their bit for the society. One of the many ways to contribute is by partnering the nation in its development programmes like Make in India, Digital India, etc. as well as safety initiatives like the National Road Safety Week.

In the logistics sector, safety and security have always been extremely important. A key reason why market leaders have been successful is because of their commitment to safety at all levels – cargo, equipment and infrastructure, as well as people (customers, employees, outsourced manpower, vendors, partners, associates, and other stakeholders).

Road Safety: A key for the logistics sector

Transport via roadways and trucking forms a very important part of multimodal transportation in India which also comprises of ocean freight, air freight and railways. Even for first and last mile logistics, pick-ups and deliveries involve transportation by road to a large extent.

Consequently, road safety is a matter of great concern for logistics services providers, especially industry frontrunners like Allcargo – one of the largest integrated logistics service providers in the country – and Gati – one of India’s premier Express distribution and first and last mile logistics companies.

It is no wonder then, that they set a wonderful example for the industry by supporting and observing the 32nd National Road Safety Week 2021 from 11th- 17th January 2021 in a number of informative and engaging ways.

National Road Safety Week 2021: A time for lessons, rewards, and activities

The National Road Safety Week aims to create awareness about road safety, minimize road accidents and save lives and its theme for 2021 was ‘Save yourself to save your family.’

The teams at Allcargo and Gati planned a series of activities for the entire week, designed to drive home the essence of the theme and help everyone in the organization to act in accordance with it.

• Pledge for Safety (11th January 2021): Everyone working at all locations along with staff and shop floor teams, drivers, etc. took a Safety pledge which reinforced their commitment to maintain road safety and protect their own lives as well as of those around them.


• Chocolate day, our way (12th January 2021): Chocolates and toffees were politely offered to staff/contractor and vendor personnel while making them aware of the fragility of life and highlighting why safety should never be bypassed.


• Prevention is better than cure (13th January 2021): Through specific vehicle checkpoint assignments, all vehicles were checked for retractable seat-belts, indicators, head lights, brake lights, and other features that are important from the point of view of maintaining safety.


• Be ready; keep emergency kit ready (14th January 2021): Drivers and vehicle owners were counselled on being ready for emergencies by keeping fire extinguishers and first aid boxes handy always.


• Train to be a safe driver (15th January 2021): Defensive Driving Training and Tool Box Training were conducted for drivers along with staff, contractor and vendor personnel at different locations.


• The importance of safety (16th and 17th January 2021): Location heads spoke to their respective teams about the highlights of the road safety programme activities, the importance of road safety and also shared lessons and learning from past incidents and experiences.

Communication, involvement and engagement

“Observing the National Road Safety Week 2021 is not just a one-off activity for us, but an opportunity to reiterate, share and disseminate to a much wider cross-section of stakeholders, our obsession with safety and the lengths to which we go to ensure it. By participating in such initiatives, we aim to take ahead the nation’s vision for the future and do our bit to ensure health, happiness and safety for one and all. ‘Save Yourself to Save Your Family’ will be our theme to observe the year through. Safety first is an organizational priority and we are committed to making it our way of life”, said Charles Devlin D’Costa, National Operations Head, Gati-KWE.

In order to create a buzz and excitement within the organizations, a communication campaign was carried out to not only create awareness of the timelines and activities but also share useful and thoughtful tips on safe driving. Daily reminders for pulling into traffic slowly, not using phones while driving, watching out for children, always ensuring at least one hand on the steering wheel, and others, etc. helped reinforce the message. Additionally, experiences and learning shared by senior leaders offered a much-needed expert perspective.

One of the main reasons why the implementation was so successful is that the teams at Allcargo and Gati did not restrict the programme to their own employees. Wherever possible, they collaborated with drivers, vendors and other stakeholders to ensure that key stakeholders felt involved and insights on importance of road safety reached out to as many people as possible.

In an effort to reach out to others within and beyond the industry and maximise visibility and support for this national initiative, regular social media posts and updates were shared.

Conclusion

Even as the National Road Safety Week concludes, Allcargo and Gati look ahead to keeping up the effort and spreading the message of safety across their formidable network that covers over 180 countries and more than 19,800 PIN Codes in 735 of India’s 739 districts.