One of the keys to a company’s success is through a secure and healthy workplace. By creating an excellent workplace, health and safety practices, a company is likely to have more motivated and productive employees, reduced absenteeism rates, fewer company disruptions, and reduced sick pay and temporary personnel replacement expenses. This will assist in decreasing the severe effects of injury and disease on staff, families and the broader community–and enhance the reputation of the company both in the world and as an employer’s choice (Safety and Health in the Steel Industry, 2017). Employee health and safety is one of the greatest hazards affecting India's metal sectors, especially the large iron and steel industry, which is the key to Indian economy. Steel making has historically been a hazardous method, and accidents are inevitable. Today many steel industries across the world have achieved ‘no lost time injuries’ and ‘zero fatality’ marks. However, Indian iron and steel industry is still a death-trap. Poor health and safety conditions at workplaces also reflect the overall poor performance of the sector. The outdated equipment, sub standard operation and maintenance, and compromised pollution control measures, ultimately risks health and safety of lives. It is only with the increasing number of people killed and injured at work that the significance of the problem has been realized. Only due to the nature of the job, most health risks were encountered by employees in the steel industry. The way in which safety processes and laws enforced within an organization is greatly influenced by the organization's prevailing culture (10 Daily Workplace Safety Tips in Manufacturing, 2017).

For the purpose of this study, safety hazards were defined as tangible factors in the work environment (like heavy items that must be carried, exposure to chemicals, moving objects, repetitive motion) that may pose risks for possible injuries or ailments. Within our definition, hazards do not always result in accidents or injuries, but they lurk in work environments, waiting for the right combination of circumstances to happen. For example, consider an oilslicked floor. This hazard will not produce an accident unless it interacts with other factors such as an employee who is running, poor traction on shoes, inadequate lighting, and/or a water film that results from the invasion of rain from outdoors. Workplace hazards may exist in many settings, but they are most likely to be found in higher risk industries such as forest products, mining, transportation, and heavy manufacturing. A few authors have investigated people perceptions of workplace hazards (Ritchie & McEwen, 1994), but they have examined rather limited hazard variable sets (Savery & Wooden, 1994).

Zohar (1980) uses the term safety in steel industry to describe a construct that captures workers’ moral perceptions of the role of safety within the organization. In contrast, Pidgeon (1991), has used the term safety culture to describe the beliefs, norms, attitudes, roles, and the social and technical practices that are concerned with minimizing the exposure of employees, managers, customers, and members of the public to conditions considered dangerous or injurious (Pidgeon, 1991). Given the origins of the generic terms organizational culture and organizational climate, it appeared that safety climate in steel industry was the more appropriate description of the construct the research aimed to capture. However, we have departed somewhat from the measurement approach taken by Zohar (1980) and Hofmann and Stetzer (1996). For example, in contrast to research on organizational climate and safety climate, we considered individual perceptions rather than an organizational aggregate, as our unit of analysis. This was because we wished to assess the effects of respondents cognitive interpretations on the person-based outcomes highlighted in our focus interview model. Moreover, we speculated that an employee's perception of climate would be colored by the tone that his or her immediate supervisor projects - safety climate may vary considerably within a large, complex organization (Zohar & Luria, 2003).

In Indian steel sector, health and safety are the most neglected concerns. Two major accidents were encountered in the past — one at Chhattisgarh's Bhilai Steel Plant and the other at Seemandhra's Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on a Monday, 2015. Such misfortunes are not new, but from the past we do not seem to have learned. A major blast occurred at the steel plant in Visakhapatnam in June 2012, claiming 16 lives causing many injuries. Accident at the Bhilai Steel Plant claimed six lives and injured more than 30 people. The Bhilai plant accident occurred due to a blast in the area of the gas cleaning plant. In a melted iron-making unit called blast furnace, blast furnace gas is produced. The waste gas becomes toxic with a combination of carbon monoxide (26%) and hydrogen (4%); the rest is made up of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Since it is energy-rich gas, in the gas cleaning plant, it is collected from the top of the blast furnace and water cooled and cleaned. The cleaned gas is used in other steel production units as a fuel ( Brown, Willis, & Prussia, 2000). This is one of the critical areas in a steel plant where there are high chances of the poisonous gas mixture being inadvertently released. Media reports say that the water piping connecting to the gas cleaning facility has burst, allowing liquid and toxic waste gas to be released into the environment, resulting in the mishap. It is said that a day before the mishap, the gas leakage was reported, but officials did not identify the source of leakage.

Most of these injuries result in poor care and protection in old aged groups. Moreover, it is mostly unqualified contract workers who are made to work in these hazardous areas that permanent staff and management prefer to avoid. These contract workers are not provided with adequate equipment for personal protection or support for health and safety management takes responsibility, but leaves it to the contractor. The incident at the steel plant in Visakhapatnam that killed two engineers happened when the two inspected the metal melting shop ( Grote & Künzler, 2000). Many more these incidents are just waiting to happen because there are no prevention measures in place. With steel plants, human lives seem to be simpler. The concerns are bad methods of administration and poorer systems of monitoring. There are many unreported accidents and deaths. According to Delhi-based environmental NGO, Center for Science and Environment (CSE), the sector's death (fatality) rate is one of the highest in the world, about 50 per year. The 2012 Green Rating study published by CSE had exposed the sector's low health and safety status. The report showed that Visakhapatnam steel plant, where 16 people died in the June 2012 accident, had an abysmal safety record in the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) division with only 15-24.9 percent. In this category, Bhilai Steel Plant, alleged to be a Steel Authority of India (SAIL) flagship plant, scored less than 15 percent. The results were verified by the mishap at Bhilai Steel Plant. But is the steel industry ready to boost its record of health and safety? Has the government's industrial safety system collapsed? These are questions that nobody seems willing to answer. The licenses and awards for safety and environmental quality given to the steel industry are questionable. Despite numerous deaths each year, many of these plants have been honored for best safety practices; some have been awarded OHSAS 18001 certification in compliance with international occupational health and safety standards.

These awards show that neither the steel industry nor the government is willing to accept the reality. The Indian Constitution's Directive Principles of State Policy specifies that the government is expected to control all economic activities within the country in order to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for every worker. But the officials are expressing less interest. Instead of waiting for another incident to happen, a framework to monitor and provide preparation in better health and safety success in the industry should be put in place immediately. It is equally important to strengthen the organizational structure and regulations that should ensure law enforcement, surveillance and reporting on workplace safety and occupational health (Ritchie & McEwen, 1994).

A steel plant is full of hazards at every step of its operation. These risks must be addressed in the steel plant for the sake of safety. Major amongst these hazards are enumerated below (Thompson et al.,1998).

• Road hazards – Road hazards are high because of heavy concentration and heterogeneous nature of the road traffic. During the timing of the shift change, this hazard has maximum intensity.
• Blast furnace – heat, dust, noise, liquid metal and slag, gas poisoning, moving equipment, moving locomotives, fire and explosion and working at heights, etc., are the main hazards at blast furnace.
• Steel melting shop – heat, dust, noise, liquid metal and slag, moving equipment, suspended loads, working at heights, fire and explosion, etc., are the main hazards.
• Power plant – heat, working at height, noise, vibrations, gas and steam lines, etc., are the main hazards.
• Coke oven and by product plant – heat, dust, smoke, moving equipment, chemicals, fire and explosion, etc.,are the main hazards.
• Rolling mills – rolling mills have heat, noise, moving equipment, splinters, cobbles, suspended loads, slippery floors, etc., as main hazards.
• Material handling – posture, excess loads, moving equipment, improper signaling and suspended overhead loads, etc., as the main hazards.
• Sinter plant – moving equipment, dust and smoke, etc., as the main hazards.
• Other significant risks prevalent to most locations include working in confined space, working with inappropriate instruments, bad illumination, bad ventilation, electrical dangers, loco movements, unmanned crossings, emergency preparedness, unsafe scaffolding, over-confidence and work without safety appliances, personal protective equipment (PPEs), written clearances and clearance shutdowns. Violation of security protocols and the shutdown of processes, etc. ( Santhosh & Shivasankaran, 2014).

To investigate the best safety practices to be followed in steel industry in India through focused interviews.

Steel production is a sector where safe work procedures are important, as the nature of the job means that employees face many risks. The working atmosphere is often hot and noisy, and there are often heavy and demanding tasks on the human body plus there is a danger that cause injuries and burns. Over the past 10 years, steel businesses have considerably enhanced their safety efficiency, but many have reached a plateau where it is harder to accomplish further advancement (Brown, 1996). The current study was conceived as a descriptive interview group research with an inductive and exploratory method. Focus group interviewing has been used as it is an appropriate method for exploring cultural values and group standards by identifying shared knowledge and experiences within groups.

The present study was conducted between the researcher (Moderator) and steel industry experts (Respondents) who have worked in steel-manufacturing companies in India. The names of the respondents and company details cannot be disclosed on the request of the respondents. A total of 7 respondents with experience of more than 15 years were invited to a common meeting place and were asked to give their qualitative observation on the questions asked. Each question was put forward to the respondents sequentially and responses were noted down (Williams, Podsakoff, 1989).

Below was the semi structured questionnaire formed with seven questions that were put forward to the focused group (Steel industry experts).

• Does the steel industry allocate enough budget for safety implementation?
• Does steel industry take enough efforts to promote safety culture?
• What are the safety considerations taken when working on heights?
• What are the safety considerations taken when selecting contractors?
• What are the safety considerations taken for preventive maintenance?
• Do you think communication flow is effective for safety related communication within workforce?
• How is cleanliness taken seriously for accident prevention?

6.1 Outcome of Focused Group Discussion Method

From the group discussion, seven points were summarized collectively based on the responses of the steel industry experts. The outcome of the research suggested seven safety practices to be followed for effective safety management in steel industry in India.

6.1.1 Choosing Budget over Safety

Unfortunately, the safety training or important safety systems are one of the first things to be cut when lowering a budget. Although it may seem as if the business saves money by removing security training, over time it could cost you more. Employees not trained sufficiently are more likely to lead a good employee being out of work and being obliged to take up substitutions. According to the Center for American Progress, replacing them could cost 5.8 to 213 percent of the employer's salary anywhere, depending on the job and skills of the employee. That said, resisting cutting safety training from the budget is in everyone's best interest.

6.1.2 Implement Fall Prevention Systems

In many sectors, fall prevention schemes are vital and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration has fallen prevention laws that must be adhered to by all businesses. It is critical to locate fall prevention devices that suits the industry in order to stay consistent with OSHA norms. If the industry need customization on fall protection, erect stairs, platforms and doors that can be tailored to satisfy any application's requirements and decrease the danger of falling.

6.1.3 Perform Preventative Maintenance

Periodic preventive maintenance on machinery can considerably decrease the likelihood of injury in many sectors. The equipment should be frequently inspected and maintained in such a way that the device is safe to use, but also increases its life cycle. Regular preventive maintenance enables to identify prospective risks before a problem and helps to protect the employees from occupational accidents which can readily be prevented.

6.1.4 Hire the Right Contractors

A company hiring independent contractors must be careful to guarantee that they, like their own full-time staff, practice safety in the workplace. While independent contractors function on their own behalf, the association with them may also influence the reputation of the company. They do not have the same main values as the company or staff, but the businesses should have a reputation in terms of their jobs, and this helps in understanding the importance of safety from the perspective of the company staff. The Federal Trade Commission offers some important advice to customers when it comes to employing entrepreneurs that business owners might find helpful.

6.1.5 Create a Safe Work Culture

The safety at work is for all employers and their employees. The problem is that many employers do not take the lead in promoting a secure working culture which can lead to poor workplace attitudes. Employers should set an example to develop a secure workplace culture and celebrate employees’ achievements. It is useful for employers to understand when the staff do a nice job and operate safely. This can help staff to improve their productivity and also become a beneficiary in the long run for general promotion of safety.

6.1.6 Encourage Communication

Many accidents in the workplace happen because staff do not communicate or report future issues. This may be due to a culture of job that does not encourage staff to interact with each other efficiently. By holding periodic meetings, one can improve communication in the workplace by providing workers the opportunity to talk and create changes within the company. By decreasing potential risks, encouraging staff to interact about potential issues can assist on making the workplace safer.

6.1.7 Keep the Workplace Clean

It may seem obvious, but many locations are affected by workplaces hazards which can lead to disasters for companies, especially in dangerous sectors, such as production and construction. Reduce the risk that employees will fall down and by ensuring that they see the importance of keeping their work areas clean and free of waste. Workers can be well informed and emphasizing that it is for their own safety, to keep their work area clean.

Following are the essential elements which are necessary for implementation of safety culture in a steel plant (Wood & Bandura, 1989); management has a substantial commitment to safety and leadership with both heart and mind; a strong and visible commitment from the very top must be established and communicated and shared by all management levels.

• Managers should set the examples and raise the standards by doing themselves what they are telling others to do.
• Safety awareness is to be embedded in the workplace as well as in the steel plant's top leadership.
• Ambitious goals are to be set for improving safety and measuring progress by collecting appropriate statistics.
• From the maximum number of employees there must be a communication plan and a participatory way of working that will confirm that the commitment to safety is real.
• There should be an appropriate safety organization structure, which is well defined by the management and well understood by everyone. The safety organization should have well defined role and responsibilities.
• Good safety practices should be recognized and safety related ideas should be exchanged within and between departments.
• The attitude and behavior of individuals and working groups in terms of safety must be changed.
• Through training programs, management should demonstrate that attitude and behavior to safety is an essential part of the professionalism of every employee and everyone should accept their responsibility not only for their own safety, but also for fellow employees. After all, employees work in steel plant not as individuals but as a part of a team.
• Management should put into place mechanisms which have influence on behavior of the employees towards safety. For example, the safety performance of an employee must be recognized towards career development.
• A two-tier approach to security is eliminated. Contract workers at a steel plant should achieve the same level of safety awareness as the own employees at the steel plant and use the same methods to achieve this.

Safety improvement starts with the manangement. Everyone requires to do their role to support a safe place to work, whether they happened to be the company owner or worker. This is a major responsibility of employers and can be improved in many ways. Industries which are at increased risk of accidents at work need to address future work-place risks with additional diligence and apply important safety measures to ensure that their employees are happy, healthy, and productive.

Steel industries need to take additional precautions when it comes to workplace safety to maintain their employees safety on the job. Each incident can be prevented and industry officials believe that the management teams are responsible for continuous improvement in safety, which should ensure that policies are in place to manage the hazards causing accidents and train staff to perform their employment securely. The safety practices to be followed in steel industry can be summarized as below:

• Investigation of all the accidents whether small or big and the implementation of corrective measures.
• Assigning and publishing employees’ responsibilities and responsibilities related to the steel plant's safety management.
• Studying the significant safety incidents which have happened in other steel plants and learning from the same.
• Periodic shop review meetings on the safety status in the shop as well as monthly review meetings at the chief executive level.
• Internal and external publication of safety investigation results and the obtained experiences.
• Registration and control of safety standards and maintaining a register of the significant incidents.
• Conducting emergency safety drills.
• Worker training as well as refresher safety training programs where investigation of various incidents is also to be discussed.
• Performing regular safety audits to identify unsafe areas and practices and to ensure that corrective action has been taken. Safety audits can also assist in early identification of deterioration of machinery and the deviations and/or processes that may then degrade or deteriorate levels of safety.

Safety practices followed stringently, assists in enhancing employee operational understanding, outcomes in improving technical processes, maintaining precise data on process safety, and increasing general plant productivity. A safe workplace also contributes towards the plant’s competitiveness as well as profit growth.