Why in News?

=> Recently the management of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) located in Jharkhand has launched 'Project Kavach' to change the safety culture with the aim of improving the safety performance at the plant level.

Key Points:

=> BSL has appointed a reputed Security Consultant 'ASK-EHS Engineering & Consultants Pvt Ltd' to facilitate, conduct and provide training on a road map for successfully achieving the 'Safety Cultural Transformation'.

=> This major security initiative cum cultural campaign has been named 'Project Kavach' by BSL.

=> The overall objective of Project Kavach is to reduce workplace hazards through safe behavior by all employees and contract employees.

• Safe behavior is the most effective 'armor' against hazards and risks at the workplace.

=> Bokaro Steel Plant is the fourth steel plant in the public sector. It was started in 1965 in collaboration with the Soviet Union.

=> It was initially incorporated as a limited company on 29 January 1964 and later merged with SAIL.

• It was first a subsidiary of SAIL and later a unit under the Public Sector Iron and Steel Companies (Reorganization and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1978.
• The construction work of the factory started on 6th April, 1968.

=> This factory is famous as the country's first indigenous steel factory. Most of the equipment, equipment and technical skills are indigenous.

=> The first phase of the 1.7 million ton steel ingot of the factory started on 2 October 1972 with the commissioning of the first blast furnace and the construction work was completed on 26 February 1978 with the commissioning of the third blast furnace.

=> All the 4 million ton stage units have been commissioned and modernization in the 1990s has increased the factory's capacity to 4.5 million ton liquid steel.