As energy and petrochemical companies confront evolving workplace risks, occupational health is emerging as a strategic business priority rather than a compliance function. In an interview with ENERGDIVE, Dr R Rajesh, Group Head, Medical Services, Reliance Industries Ltd, discusses predictive health systems, workforce resilience, ESG integration and the future of occupational health in high-risk industries.
Q: How do occupational health risks in energy and petrochemical operations differ from other sectors, and how should companies rethink their response frameworks?
A: Energy and petrochemical operations involve cumulative exposures such as chronic low-dose exposures from chemicals, noise and heat, and high-consequence risks. Unlike other sectors, latency and cumulative exposure matter. Response frameworks must shift from compliance-driven to risk-based, exposure-led and lifecycle-monitoring models with strong industrial hygiene integration.
At Reliance, we address this through CASHE (Change Agents for Safety, Health & Environment) and TBHRA (Task-Based Health Risk Assessment), shifting from compliance to risk-based, exposure-led and lifecycle monitoring frameworks.
Q: In heavy industries, health is often seen as a support function. How do you position workplace health as a core business continuity and productivity driver, especially in high-risk sectors like oil, gas and energy?
A: Workplace health directly impacts uptime, productivity, and risk costs. In high-risk industries, healthy workers = safer operations = fewer disruptions. Position OH through metrics like reduced absenteeism, improved reliability and lower incident-related losses—not as welfare, but as an operational excellence enabler.
Health is embedded into operations via programmes like ‘Trim the Trio’- reduction of consumption of oil, sugar and salt targeting obesity, diabetes and hypertension, and the Diabetes & Hypertension Control Mission. This improves productivity, reduces downtime, and strengthens reliability, making OH a core business continuity lever.
Q: From your vantage point, how has the pandemic structurally altered industrial health systems, particularly in terms of surveillance, emergency preparedness and workforce resilience?
A: The pandemic accelerated real-time health surveillance, digital health tracking and integrated emergency response systems. It also highlighted workforce resilience as strategic. Industrial health is now moving from clinic-based care to population health management and predictive preparedness.
We have real-time dashboard and integrated emergency preparedness through the emergency management system scoring periodically. Focus is now on workforce resilience and population health, not episodic care.
The future lies in integrated dashboards combining health, exposure and operational data to prevent incidents before they occur
Q: Through your work with the World Economic Forum initiatives, what are the unique mental health stressors in energy sector workforces, and how can companies move beyond awareness to measurable impact?
A: Key stressors include remote locations, long rotations, high hazard exposure and isolation. Moving beyond awareness requires measurable interventions—fatigue risk management, psychosocial risk assessments, leadership accountability and tracking outcomes like engagement, incident rates, and retention.
Addressed through 24x7 EAP mental health helpline, mental health first aider and manager sensitisation programmes. Under CASHE, focus is on fatigue, psychosocial risks and measurable outcomes like engagement and incident reduction.
Q: Are we moving towards predictive occupational health systems in industries? How can data, AI, and real-time monitoring reshape how companies prevent incidents rather than respond to them?
A: Yes—industries are moving from reactive to predictive. AI, wearables, exposure sensors and data analytics enable early risk detection. The future lies in integrated dashboards combining health, exposure and operational data to prevent incidents before they occur.
Using TBHRA, exposure monitoring and analytics, we are moving toward predictive health systems—integrating health, exposure, and operational data for early risk prevention
"Health must be embedded as a material ESG metric, not a checkbox"
Q: With your association with the International Commission on Occupational Health, where does India stand today in adopting global occupational health standards, and where are the biggest gaps?
A: India has a strong legal base through the Factories Act, 1948 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, which consolidate and modernise OH provisions. India has a strong regulatory intent but uneven implementation. Leading companies match global standards, but gaps remain in SMEs, enforcement consistency, exposure monitoring and trained OH professionals. Scaling capability and standardisation are the key challenges.
Q: Workplace health is increasingly being linked to ESG metrics. How should energy companies integrate employee health and wellbeing into their sustainability and reporting frameworks in a credible, non-tokenistic way?
A: Health must be embedded as a material ESG metric, not a checkbox. Companies should report on exposure indices, health outcomes, wellbeing programmes, and leading indicators (not just injury rates). Link OH to sustainability, productivity and social impact with auditable data.
At RIL, focus on accreditation through the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) for OHC and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditations (NABL) for medical laboratories, leading & lagging indicators and quarterly reporting to the ESG Committee for accountability.
Q: Looking ahead, what will define best-in-class occupational health systems in the energy sector over the next 10 years, especially as we transition towards cleaner energy and new operational risks?
A: Best-in-class systems will be predictive, tech-enabled, and integrated with operations. Focus will expand to new risks- renewables, battery materials and hydrogen exposure. Success will depend on data-driven decision-making, a preventive culture and holistic worker wellbeing.
Defined by predictive, tech-enabled, and integrated systems. With CASHE and TBHRA, plus EMS score-based emergency response and continuous capacity building of doctors and allied healthcare staff, the focus will remain on prevention, resilience, and new energy risks.
