At Hindustan Zinc, safeguarding the health, safety, and well-being of people is a fundamental priority embedded in our Zero Harm vision. This approach guides our operations, leadership accountability, and decision-making. Our safety responsibility extends across employees, business partners, contractors, and the communities. We continuously strengthen our safety management systems through proactive risk identification, critical controls, and learning from operational experiences. By embedding psychological safety and digital capabilities into our safety framework, we aim to ensure holistic safety and eliminate high consequence risks every day.
Capitals impacted
Stakeholders affected
UN SDGs
ICMM Principles
Principle 05: Health and Safety
Key focus areas
- Zero fatality
- Elimination of high consequence work-related injuries
- Zero occupational illness cases
Health and safety vision
To achieve ZERO HARM by embedding world-class safety practices, strong leadership accountability, and proactive risk management across all our operations.
Health and safety performance FY2026
Contribute to reach zero fatality and 100% elimination of high consequence work-related injuries.
Health and Safety Approach
Hindustan Zinc's safety management framework, guided by its Health & Safety Policy is aligned with ISO 45001 and ICMM's Mining Principle 5, structured process safety management, and rigorous contractor safety governance. The Company is progressively enhancing its systems and infrastructure to meet ICMM's critical control management expectations as it advances towards a full alignment under the Sustainability 2.0 transformation roadmap.
For more details refer Sustainability | Health & Safety
Management.
Critical Risk Management (CRM) Centric Safety Management System
- Core pillar of the fatality prevention strategy at Hindustan Zinc that ensures all critical activities are performed in safe manner
- Added five new risks to the CRM system during the year: heavy earth moving machinery (HEMM) fire, ventilation failure, corrosive substance and acid exposure, excavation hazards, and gas exposure
- Deployed digital monitoring and systematic field verification to strengthen risk management
- Safety inspections and leadership oversight ensure effective implementation of safety controls
- Significantly improves operational transparency and monitoring of safety controls
Infrastructure Inframatrix
- Ensures the availability of adequate resources for the implementation of critical risks
- Evaluates and prioritises critical risk vulnerabilities and supports targeted interventions to improve critical risk infrastructure safety
Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Study
- Conducted HAZOP studies across all operational units to strengthen risk identification and prevention
- Evaluated operational scenarios, identified hazards, and assessed mitigation measures with third-party experts
- Strengthened proactive identification of emerging risks and operational preparedness across mining and smelting operations
Health and Safety Governance
Hindustan Zinc maintains a structured and multi-layered safety governance framework to ensure effective oversight, accountability, and continuous improvement in health and safety performance across all operations.
Our safety governance structure drives systematic safety management with clear accountability and escalation across organisational levels. Regular reviews and monitoring ensure the timely mitigation of safety issues, ensuring transparency and continuous improvement in safety performance.
Corporate Safety Council
- Chaired at the highest leadership level, provides strategic safety oversight
- Ensures leadership accountability and aligns safety objectives with business strategy
Specialised Corporate Sub-Committees and Zone Apex Committees
- Translate strategic safety priorities into actionable programmes to be implemented across business units
Zone Sub-Committees and Unit Implementation Committees
- Execute safety action plans and initiatives, monitor compliance, and facilitate the timely resolution of safety concerns
Safety Management System Overview
Hindustan Zinc's safety management system is designed to provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to managing workplace risks and strengthening safety culture. The system incorporates multiple interconnected pillars that collectively support the Company's objective of achieving Zero Harm and eliminating high-consequence incidents.
Critical Risk Management
Identification of high-consequence operational risks with verification of internal controls
Visible Felt Leadership
Active leadership engagement reinforcing safety expectations and open communication
Incident Management Framework
Systematic investigation, root cause analysis, corrective & preventive action, and cross-site organisational learning
Process Safety Management
Structured risk assessments and engineering controls for hazardous processes and materials
Contractor Safety Management
Training, monitoring, and performance evaluation throughout the contract lifecycle
Training and Competency Development
Workforce capability development, ensuring employees and business partners can manage operational risks
Integrated governance and safety programmes ensure proactive safety management through coordinated oversight across all levels. Safety policies are effectively implemented and continuously improved. This integrated framework strengthens accountability, workforce participation, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement, while embedding safety leadership and operational discipline to support long-term sustainability.
Strengthening Safety Culture and Capability
S.A.F.E Leadership Coaching
Hindustan Zinc launched Safety Awareness For Excellence (S.A.F.E) leadership workshops and individual one-on-one interactive coaching sessions, to strengthen leadership capability in managing operational risks and reinforcing safety culture. The programme focused on visible felt leadership, proactive risk management, and accountability for safety outcomes. As a way forward, one-on-one sessions for the next set of 20 identified leaders (including business partners) will be conducted in the upcoming financial year.
Safety Culture Survey
Hindustan Zinc initiated a safety culture survey pilot at Chanderiya Lead-Zinc Smelter (CLZS) to better understand workforce perceptions related to safety practices, leadership commitment, and risk awareness.
Occupational Health Management
The Company's occupational health governance framework focuses on preventing occupational illnesses, strengthening industrial hygiene practices, and promoting overall employee well-being across operations. Through proactive risk identification, continuous health surveillance, and preventive healthcare interventions, the Company enables early detection of workplace hazards and timely mitigation. We provide:
- Periodic medical examinations and health assessments through dedicated occupational health centres across operational locations
- Robust emergency response infrastructure in the form of 24×7 advanced life-support ambulance services and trained medical personnel
Industrial Hygiene and Exposure Monitoring
During the year, we strengthened industrial hygiene and workplace safety by:
- Conducting quantitative exposure assessments (QNEAs) to assess employee exposure to occupational chemicals and identify suitable controls
- Performing personal and respiratory protective equipment fit assessments and ergonomic studies to improve protective equipment effectiveness and workplace ergonomics
- Converting 43 high-exposure zones into green zones, improving workplace safety
Employee Well-being and Preventive Health Initiatives
Hindustan Zinc promotes employee well-being beyond occupational risk management through preventive health programmes and awareness initiatives, reinforcing a safe and healthy workplace culture.
- Regular health education sessions and wellness programmes are conducted to improve occupational health awareness
- Wellness programmes encourage healthy lifestyle practices and long-term wellbeing
Contractor Safety Management
Hindustan Zinc maintains a structured contractor safety management (CSM) framework to ensure that contractors and business partners operate in alignment with the Company's health and safety standards. The framework integrates safety requirements throughout the entire contract lifecycle, ensuring that risk management, compliance, and workforce protection remain central to all contractor activities across operations.
Business Partner CEO Connect
Business Partner CEO Connect sessions strengthen engagement with contractor leadership to review safety performance, discuss operational challenges, and align with Hindustan Zinc's safety standards and expectations in a collaborative manner.
Safety Pause
Safety Pause promotes workforce empowerment and engagement across operations under the theme “Right to Refuse Unsafe Work,” which encourages both employees and contractor personnel to proactively identify hazards and stop unsafe activities.
CEO Safety Townhalls
CEO-led Safety Townhalls directly engage the workforce and reinforce safety expectations and awareness on critical safety priorities.
Strengthening Psychological Safety Across Operations
At Hindustan Zinc, safety is not confined to physical protection but extended to the psychological well-being of our workforce, reinforcing a culture of openness, trust, and accountability. The Company is progressing towards a mature, human-centric safety culture where robust engineering controls are complemented by empowered people, enhancing incident prevention, resilience, and the sustained pursuit of zero harm.
Policy Integration
Psychological Safety has been explicitly integrated into the Company's Health and Safety Policy during the year
Empowered Voice
Employees can speak up, report concerns, and intervene without fear of reprisal
Integrated Risk Approach
Hindustan Zinc will embed psychological safety within its risk management framework, extending beyond engineering and procedural controls
Pause Work Authority
Employees and business partners are actively encouraged to pause unsafe work, articulating organisation's stance that safety takes precedence over production
Performance Monitoring and Assurance
It is with deep concern and a strong sense of responsibility that we report two fatal incidents this year due to man-machine interactions. Incident cause analysis method (ICAM) based investigation was conducted focusing on PEEPO (people, environment, equipment, procedure, organisation) factors. Immediate corrective actions have been identified and are being implemented across all sites. We remain deeply committed to learning from these incidents and reinforcing our goal of Zero Harm through sustained vigilance and accountability.
Our Safety Performance**
| FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | 4 | 7 | 0 | 4* | 2 |
| Lost time injury frequency rate | 0.81 | 0.70 | 0.88 | 0.55 | 0.67 |
| Total recordable injury frequency rate | 2.22 | 1.93 | 1.84 | 1.20 | 1.57 |
*Including 1 at our subsidiary, Vedanta Zinc Football & Sports Foundation
** For further details on split between employees and contractors, refer to the Sustainability Report
KEY ACTIONS TAKEN
- Implementation of collision avoidance system pilot at Sindesar Khurd Mine
- Installation of blind spot cameras across load-haul-dump (LHD) trucks at Hindustan Zinc
- Established and reinforced an explicit prohibition on simultaneous LHD operation within a single stope
- Strengthened deployment and shift-planning to ensure prevention of conflicting or overlapping equipment allocation
Fortifying Safety with Digital Capabilities
Hindustan Zinc leverages advanced analytics, computer vision, automation, and remote operations to transform traditional risk management approaches into proactive and technology-driven safety systems.
Collision Avoidance System for Underground Operations
To enhance underground safety, Hindustan Zinc implemented collision avoidance system (CAS) on 11 low profile dump trucks (LPDTs) and 19 load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicles at Sindesar Khurd Mine. The system prevents potential collisions between mobile equipment, heavy machinery, and personnel.
Purpose
To improve underground safety and prevent vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-human incidents.
System and Benefits
- Equipment-mounted sensors, pedestrian tags, and proximity detection technologies monitor the movement of equipment and personnel
- Generates visuals and vibration alerts when equipment and personnel come within predefined safety zones
- Helps operators maintain safe distances and respond quickly to potential hazards
- Continuous operator feedback has improved system functionality, such as alert settings, interface positioning, and firmware upgrades
Computer Vision Monitoring for Safer Ladle Transfer Operations
At Chanderiya Lead Zinc Smelter, the transfer of hot metal ladles is a critical high-risk activity due to the extreme temperatures and potential consequences of procedural deviations. Earlier, manual monitoring of ladle transfer activities restricted real-time detection of deviations from standard operating procedures, compromising safety.
Technological Solution
Hindustan Zinc implemented a computer vision-based monitoring system for ladle transfer operations at Chanderiya Lead Zinc Smelter. The new system automatically monitors operational conditions, identifies potential safety deviations during the transfer process, and prevents unsafe equipment operations.
Benefits
- Enhanced real-time detection of anomalies and operational discipline
- Reduced reliance on manual supervision for critical safety checks
- Strengthened risk controls and safety assurance in the pyro smelting process
Tele-Remote Drilling Operations
Context and Challenge
Hindustan Zinc expanded the use of tele-remote drilling technology at Rajpura Dariba Mine to minimise operator exposure to underground hazards and high risks conditions such as blasting zones and unstable ground, where physical presence increases safety risks.
Technological Solution
Through wireless communication networks and remote operating consoles, drill rigs can now be operated from secure control rooms located away from active mining faces.
Benefits
- Enables safe drilling without physical presence in high-risk underground zones
- Ensures continuous operations during shift transitions and other operational intervals
- Improves equipment utilisation, productivity, and operational efficiency
Did You Know?
runners from
23+ states across the country and globe, joining for #RunForZeroHunger initiative by Nandghar, blending fitness with purpose
Key Takeaway