Small BusinessNHAI to employ safety experts, audit on site
As part of its institutional strengthening exercise, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is, for the first time, empanelling safety experts. The authority is also planning to form a safety cell and issue safety guidelines.
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These experts, to be empanelled by the end of next month, will undertake inspections of accident sites, do safety audits, prepare road safety strategy/manuals/guidelines, impart training in safety aspects and undertake procurement of safety-related projects.
Currently, there are no safety experts at any of the road construction sites and supervision consultants look after the safety aspect at the sites.
NHAI has invited applications from civil engineers with 20 years experience in highways, traffic & transportation, of which at least three years should have been in road safety and/or safety audit-related work. The applications must be in by September 7.
“We plan to empanel 12 safety experts. The process for which is on and results for which will come by September-end,” said a senior official.
For Build, Operate and Transfer (toll) projects, the new model concession agreement makes it mandatory for the concessionaires to appoint safety consultants for their projects.
“We are planning to form a safety cell in the authority to overlook all the safety aspects at the sites. We also plan to come up with safety guidelines to be followed at the road construction sites and on the roads. The work on this is at a very conceptual stage,” said the official.
According to a 2007 survey, the number of accidents reported on national highways across India was 1,38,922 in a year. The number of deaths reported due to these accidents was 40,612 and the number injured was 1,54,880. Around 40 per cent of deaths reported on Indian roads are on the national highways.