Friends, we have some unfortunate news to share. Last week, Essmart experienced its first tragedy. Suresh, a Sales Executive working at our Vellore Distribution Center, passed away in a motorbike accident during his vacation to Chennai. Suresh had started working with Essmart three weeks prior to his accident. He had so much potential, and he was heading to Chennai to pursue his dream of joining the Indian Army. We are deeply saddened by the loss, and we are doing what we can to support Suresh’s family and the Essmart team as we all work through this difficult time.
As a company, Essmart is taking concrete actions to address some of the steps that may have led to this tragic event. It’s unfortunate that a tragedy had to occur before some of these steps could be implemented, but we hope to make the most of this situation.
- We are procuring high-quality helmets for not just our employees to wear but also to make available through our catalogue. These helmets exceed ISI standards (India’s standard for industrial products), and they are generally not available in rural areas.
- We are implementing a new company-wide policy: when any of our employees ride motorcycles, they are required by company policy to wear helmets. In Tamil Nadu, the south Indian state where we operate, helmets are not mandated by law, so the policy itself is counter cultural.
- We are working to provide medical and life insurance for all of our employees. This is not the most straightforward process and has been on our to-do list for some time now, so we are hoping to finalize the arrangements as soon as possible.
We can’t expect that helmet adoption will be taken up naturally, without a hassle or a fuss. At a societal level, helmet adoption is no easy feat! However, Essmart is in the business of innovation adoption, and it is our mission to make life-improving technologies not only available but also demanded in the marketplace. This is how we change lives: through one technology at a time.