Flights are perceived to be safer than trains. To bring safety to the core in the Railway sector, Ashwani Lohani, Railway Board Chairman, is looking to introduce a safety process, that existed in Air India, an organisation that he earlier headed.

The process will allow any of the 1.3 million employees to voluntarily report safety hazards, if there are any, on an internal portal of the Railways. The portal can be accessed by the Chief Safety Officers, explained an official.

However, the concept — termed universal reporting or staff voluntary reporting — will allow the employee to be anonymous, if he so desires.

Allowing the reporting employee to be anonymous will remove the fear of being unpopular with a particular departmental head as the step could clash with the target of the department.

In the Railways, there exists formal channels of reporting through division and zones. The move is aimed to cut across departmental divisions. This will be an informal channel, creating a soundboard for employees with a sole aim to provide safe train service to travellers.

Some of the employees could also be rewarded for identifying safety bottlenecks and providing good solutions.

“Universal reporting will involve all staff in safety process, and enhance safety,” Ashwani Lohani, Chairman-Railway Board, told BusinessLine , recently.

This will be an internal portal of the Railways, developed through its in-house IT organisation CRIS, and will be launchedby January-end, or early February.

Lohani took charge of the Railways in the backdrop of several accidents, and as he looks to build the ‘Indian Railways’ brand, the perception of safety cannot be ignored.

Listening to the employees is one of the top requirements, Lohani felt..

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